THE DIVERSITY STATEMENT
Understanding the ultra-specific purpose of the law school diversity statement is the first and most important step in beginning your drafts. At first glance, it’s hard to figure out how to avoid redundancy with the personal statement. After all, answering the question of who you are is central to both essays, and since a big part of that is showing both the social and
personal forces that have shaped you, it may seem difficult to determine what information
goes where. Fortunately, there are some significant structural differences that can help you organize your thoughts. At the outset, it’s important to understand that the diversity statement, with some exceptions, is almost always constructed in response to a specific prompt and is usually considered as an optional essay. Conversely, the personal statement is almost never constrained to a specific question, and rather asks you to explain who you are in a broad sense.
The law school diversity statement is therefore a counterpart to the personal statement, and serves as a deeper, more detailed explanation of how you understand yourself in relation to the world. Think of the personal statement as more heavily focused on your intrinsic understanding of yourself—your motivations and the experiences that illustrate them—and the diversity statement as more focused on extrinsic/external or contextual factors. It’s still about you, but it needs to show an understanding of your place(s) in the world.
When and When Not to Write a Law School Diversity Statement
It’s important to note right away that “diversity” and “adversity” are not synonyms. Many
students fall into the trap of considering diversity in wholly negative terms, or that their
diversity must have been the target of some sort of difficulty or bias in order to be worth
discussing. This is often the case, of course, but diversity essays are often not so specific.
Law schools want to understand how your uniqueness has shaped you and your relationship to the people and social structures around you. Even more importantly, they want to see what this allows you to bring to the school and your cohort of students if admitted. The uniqueness of your perspective and sense of self does not need to be the result of staggering adversity to warrant a diversity essay, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the essay prompt.
So, what qualifies as diversity? There are some traditional categories of identity and experience that are commonly discussed in diversity statements, such as ethnic or racial identity, gender discrimination, sexual orientation identity, living with poverty, overcoming a health condition or disability. Before jumping into drafting, take some time to explore the possibility of submitting the essay. Everyone should engage in this exercise of self-reflection. Do not shy away from the steps if you feel you are not unique enough for the purpose of the essay.
Follow the steps below as you work through the brainstorming process.
1. Reflect. Take some time to jot down a few transformative moments in your life. Broadly,
the reviewers are looking for diversity of thought, geography, faith, experiences,
backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, and interests. Examples include:
Living in a state that is historically less represented
Living with a chronic illness or disability
Service in law enforcement or military
Growing up in certain faith communities
Extensive work experience (over five years)
Growing up in a household with an abusive parent, or a caregiver with addiction
issues
Competing in sports professionally
Parenting, or raising children through a guardianship
Attending public school, if a majority of your peers attended private schools
Ethnic, racial or national identity
Sexual orientation or gender identity
Living in poverty
Through this reflection exercise, ask yourself:
How am I different from my peers?
How am I different from the broader American culture, and legal culture in particular?
What sets me apart?
After reflecting, you may still feel lost. There is no clear cut answer for whether
your particular background warrants another essay. However, there are two ground rules if
you’re still feeling stuck. First, ask a trusted friend or consultant about your dilemma.
Oftentimes, talking through an issue out loud helps one to better articulate a solution.
Second, if you are feeling ambivalent, err on the side of not writing the diversity statement. It is better to skip the essay altogether than to write material that lacks depth. Remember, your application should be complete without the essay, and deciding to forgo writing an essay will not hurt your chances.
2. Impact. Before we begin the writing process, be sure to spend some time brainstorming
moments wherein your experiences impacted your life. Outline specific stories and moments in your life that made you feel alienation, or a lack of belonging. These should be in the form of anecdotes and short stories or memories. Examples include:
The day you decided to leave a career you have been pursuing for five years in
government for a chance to attend law school.
Feeling overwhelmed and unsure about the path you are pursuing.
Feeling emboldened to make a dramatic shift to mitigate feelings of stagnation.
Reveling in the excitement of merging your skills and experiences in different sectors.
The first day you attended a private school after attending public schools your whole
life.
Feelings of isolation and fear in a new and perhaps alienating space.
Beginning to gain a sense of understanding behind the socioeconomic imbalances of educational opportunities between public and private institutions.
Feeling excited by the prospects of new growth opportunities, and merging them with your communities and passions.
As you’re outlining, ask yourself:
How did this experience or background impact you?
What challenges did it pose?
What benefits did it give rise to?
How will it inform your persona and professional goals?
How may this impact your law school experience?
It’s crucial to be able to talk about the ways in which these identifiers or characteristics posed experiences of difference or uniqueness at various points in your life, as well as how these experiences would shape your performance as a law student. Again, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been the target of overt bias or discrimination, although if that’s the case you absolutely should discuss it. What matters most is that these qualities allow you to contribute a unique voice to your chosen program.
On the other hand, there are ways in which these characteristics can be hard to mine, so to
speak. You need to be able to discuss the ways in which the particularities of your identity
make you stand out from other applicants, how they’ve influenced your pursuit of a law
degree, and how they can make a positive impact both at the institutional level and in the
lives of your fellow students. As Harvard Law School notes, “Think carefully about whether
and how you use this optional component. There are times when an application is actually
weakened by an optional statement due to a lack of cohesion or relevance to the rest of the file.”
You should take that note of caution with a grain of salt, however. Yes, it’s true that writing a flat or ineffective diversity essay is likely worse than not including one at all. But to reiterate a point we’ve made a few times now, a compelling narrative that captures your sense of difference and diversity is absolutely worth writing, even if the particularities don’t seem totally bombastic to you. Odds are you have something to discuss, whether it’s a big move or an unlikely extracurricular pursuit. The point is that it has impacted you and will, in turn, impact your performance in law school.
How should I format my essay?
Unlike your personal statement, your diversity statement should be concise. The essay should generally be no more than 500 words. Each and every word, sentence, and story counts. With this in mind, let’s jump right into the content and structure of the essay.
The most successful diversity statements are those that laser focus on one theme or story.
That can be a particular experience or an identity. Be as specific and explicit as possible
about what you would like to highlight.
Example:
My journey to America began well before my birth. My father immigrated to the
United States in the midst of the IMF financial crisis in Korea in 1997. Shortly thereafter, my mother joined him with three children in a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles. My parents may have left Korea, but they ensured that their cultural practices and traditions guided our daily family gatherings.
The opening paragraph will unveil the root of the story, whereas the rest of the essay will add depth and layer the story in compelling ways. Think creatively about ways in which various moments or experiences inform one another and find thematic connections between your experiences. There are several ways to structure the remaining 2-3 paragraphs of the essay.
Some suggestions include:
1. Tracking an emotional journey. Perhaps you were embarrassed by your background as a child, but have grown to be more appreciative of your unique background. Help guide the
reader through this journey.
Example:
In my youth, I was preoccupied with my difference of culture, language, and
food. I refused to bring my home-made lunch containing kimchi to school, and shied away from any mention of my Korean family. I felt ashamed and ostracized. I sought to erase my unique cultural background in school. I have come to understand that while I sought assimilation in my childhood, I was now seeing authenticity and integration without compromise.
2. Developing context. It may be the case that you share a story that is difficult to process or understand for an outsider who does not share your particular background. If so, add context to the story by briefly explaining the larger context within which you live. Do not spend more than two sentences explaining context, as every sentence should center your narrative and journey.
Example:
I walked home with a limp after my tennis competition, though I knew that I would
need a doctor within seconds of my knee injury. Rather than give me Advil to numb
some of the pain, my mother gave me hanyak, or traditional Korean medicine, before taking me to a Korean herbal clinic. At the clinic, the healer would diagnose me by feeling my radial pulse and visualizing the tension and maladies plaguing my body.
In the example above, a reader may not have understood what a Korean herbal clinic entails, and providing context may add depth to the essay. If you are using a term that is not readily known, such as hanyak above, define it immediately. Again, brevity is key.
Finally, be sure to end the essay succinctly. The ending of the essay should round out the
essay and take the reader back to the opening scene. Weave the initial storyline back in and track the trajectory.
Professional guidance from an experienced consultant can make the difference between a mediocre diversity statement and a standout one that can influence whether you get into law school. At YES Consulting, consultants who are law school graduates with exemplary writing skills proven through published articles and extensive editing experience can help you craft the perfect diversity statement essay to portray your unique qualities you can bring to your law school class.