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Personal Statement or Diversity Statement?

theLSATstruggstheLSATstruggs Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 95 karma

I am having trouble deciding where to discuss my chronic illness - in my Personal Statement or in my Diversity Statement. I was diagnosed epilepsy when I was a child, but things have gotten much more severe in the last ~5 years. My struggles in recent years have really shaped me, and I feel that they do a pretty good job of showing who I am as a person in a positive light. Overall, I think this is the most meaningful topic that I have to discuss in my admissions essays. Does anyone have any thoughts or opinions on which essay I should use this topic for? Or if I could potentially use the topic for both?

If I don't write about my illness in my Diversity Statement, I honestly have zero idea what I would write about. I do not have a very diverse background otherwise. If I don't write about it in my Personal Statement, I think I could come up with something else to write about, but I don't think it would be nearly as compelling. Since the Personal Statement is more significant in the application, I am not sure that I should sacrifice a stronger essay in order to have a topic that seems applicable to the Diversity Statement. At the same time I am still questioning whether it is a good idea to have a neurological disability be at the center of my application - I have been told by many that it is not uncommon for people (even those on a law school admissions panel) to associate an illness like mine with being mentally handicapped which could me a serious negative on my application.

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Comments

  • Leah M BLeah M B Alum Member ⭐
    8392 karma

    I think you are fine to use it as your PS. And that might be a better fit. The DS should be significantly shorter, so I think you might have trouble saying everything you want to in that format. Generally, a PS should be about 2 pages and a DS 1 page (all double spaced). Obviously, a DS is really not necessary. If you think you'd write a better, more compelling essay using it as your PS, I think you should go for it.

    And yes of course... there are a lot of misunderstandings out there and ableism and all that junk. But that said, I feel like epilepsy is relatively well known and an adcom should understand that it's not a mental disability or anything that would affect your school performance. Maybe I'm a bit optimistic, but I think if you can write a compelling essay about it and why it has made you a stronger, better person then you should go for it. It wouldn't hurt to downplay the actual condition some and throw in something about how it doesn't/wouldn't affect your schooling. It doesn't need to be like a dramatic vignette about one major seizure or something, but instead focus it more on what positive qualities that it brings out in you, if that makes sense.

  • FixedDiceFixedDice Member
    edited October 2018 1804 karma

    Your choice, but I too am inclined to think that the PS is the better alternative.

    Or if I could potentially use the topic for both?

    Whatever you do, don't write your PS and DS on the same topic.

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