If you are different in
any sense of the word-if you are an
older applicant, a member of a minority,
a foreign applicant, an athlete or musician,
disabled, or have an unusual academic
or career background, use this angle
to your advantage by showing what your
unique background will bring to the
school and to the practice of law. One
interesting topic for foreign students,
for example, might be to talk about
how the education system differs in
this country and why they are choosing
it over a course of study in their own
country and/or language.
Beware, however, that there
are instances where playing the diversity
card will backfire:
If you are a “student of
diversity” then of course, use it. But
don’t harp on it for its own sake or
think that being different by itself
is enough to get you in-that will only
make us feel manipulated and it can
show that you didn’t know how to take
advantage of a good opportunity.
Only people with significant
and documentable disabilities should
bring them up in the essay. By that
I mean not the current popular overdiagnosed
disability du jour, which in my day
was ADD.
The secret is to tie in
your diversity strongly with your motivations
or qualifications, or with what you
can bring to the class. If you can’t
make a strong tie-in, then you might
simply make a brief mention of your
exceptional trait, background, or talent
instead of making it the focus. This
can be a very effective approach because
it shows that you have enough confidence
in your qualifications and abilities
to let them stand on their own. It is
as though you are simply mentioning
the fact that you are blind or a refugee
from a war-torn land or a violin virtuoso
to add shading to your already strong,
colorful portrait.
Some applicants, however,
will have the opposite problem and will
feel uncomfortable stressing their differences.
Career switchers or older applicants,
for example, sometimes feel insecure
about incorporating their experience
into the essay, thinking that they will
only draw attention to the fact that
the bulk of their experience is in another
field. If this sounds like you, remember
that your past experience gives you
a unique perspective and you can use
your essay to turn this into an advantage
instead of a liability. Or, alternately,
you could stress the similarities instead
of the differences and make your diverse
job experiences relevant by drawing
comparisons between the skills required
in your current field and the ones that
will be needed in law school.
From
ESSAYS THAT WILL GET YOU INTO COLLEGE,
by Amy Burnham, Daniel Kaufman, and
Chris Dowhan.
Copyright 1998 by Dan Kaufman.
Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's
Educational Series, Inc.
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