Diversity statement question

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• FixedDice Member

  April 2018 edited April 2018 1804 karma

  "Please, please don't apologize for being white, male, and middle-class - every white middle-class guy does that." - Anna Ivey, The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions, 89.
• Ohnoeshalpme Alum Member ⭐

  April 2018 2531 karma

  Yes, write it. Law schools want to know that you bring a unique perspective. At worst it wont make a difference and at best it might tip your application into the accept pile.
• FixedDice Member

  April 2018 edited April 2018 1804 karma

  Your choice, really. I fail to see why in the world your so-called position of privilege should nullify the LGBT dimension. As for your second point, it would really depend on how you deliver your story, something that you might want to keep at the back of your mind as you work on your application.
• 2 Likes

  goingfor99th Free Trial Member

  April 2018 edited April 2018 3072 karma

  1. I'm an otherwise normal straight white male, and I'm worried that this might disqualify me from being able to write a diversity statement.

  Dude, stop this kind of stuff. It is not healthy for you to feel this way about yourself. Ethnic/racial diversity is only one kind of diversity.
• Return On Inference Alum Member

  April 2018 edited April 2018 503 karma

  @goingfor99th

  I don't think they're saying this, but worried that it might be misinterpreted that way.

  Personally I don't know how admissions officers would interpret the DS. Online I've seen a lot of identity politics "if you're not a minority, then you don't know what it's like to experience racism" sort of arguments.

  Though I'm pretty sure admissions officers don't take it that far, it's still a valid concern IMO.
• storm Member

  April 2018 261 karma

  @"Return On Inference" said:
  @goingfor99th

  I don't think they're saying this, but worried that it might be misinterpreted that way.

  Personally I don't know how admissions officers would interpret the DS. Online I've seen a lot of identity politics "if you're not a minority, then you don't know what it's like to experience racism" sort of arguments.

  Though I'm pretty sure admissions officers don't take it that far, it's still a valid concern IMO.

  Um... But that is true, if you aren't a racial minority, you do not know what it is like to experience racism. So, I think that is a weak premise. There is a very clear difference between racism and discrimination. If that's unclear to you and you're interested, I'm happy to send over some literature recommendations.

  All that aside, being white, cis, a man and middle class does not necessarily preclude you from writing a DS. To oversimplify, let's cut a binary and say diversity can be viewed at either a local or global level. Sure, a person of color, especially a black person, is going to be able to write a DS that likely speaks to local and global racism and discrimination if they live in the U.S. This could make for a more well founded DS, but I don't believe this is a DS --> Local + Global. Instead, I think it is more of a DS --> Local or Global (inclusive or). Yay, conditional logic! Lol.

  It is clear that LawSchoolThrow... is looking to write a DS that speaks to their local level diversity. I think that is valid and equally important to address. However, I do additionally believe that DS statements should always demonstrate how you were able to rise above those who discriminated against you. Also, if you can tie it back to "why law", why not?

  I say all this with a shrug at the end, because it all comes down to the admissions committee/officer. But, here's my takeaway: if you want the law school to know this about you because it impacts the perspective you'll bring to their classroom and shapes your legal future, let them know. If they don't accept you because of it, they weren't the lawl school for you.
• Kermit750 Alum Member

  April 2018 edited April 2018 2124 karma

  I don’t believe admissions committee will look at your essay differently because you're a white male. The diversity statement usually portrays how ones experiences would add to the student body which I think yours is worth writing. On the issue of anti-religion, it’s really about how you write it. You definitely don’t want to come off as bashing any religion.
• Return On Inference Alum Member

  April 2018 503 karma

  @storm said:

  If that's unclear to you and you're interested, I'm happy to send over some literature recommendations.

  No, that's okay. I wasn't trying to suggest that the opposite is true -- rather just trying to draw an (admittedly weak, as you pointed out) comparison between the two. You make excellent points about local and global diversity -- but for someone who doesn't have such a clear understanding of it, I can see how they would be apprehensive in writing a DS as a straight white male.
• NotMyName Alum Member Sage ⭐

  April 2018 5320 karma

  This Spivey article may help.

  https://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/when-should-i-submit-a-diversity-statement/

  In short, “diversity” in this context casts a larger net than in our typical parlance and I think your topic meets the general definition as Spivey lays out.