Hey Alex,
Glad to help out some more.
Here are my answers to your questions:
What does Yale expect of the additional 250 word essay? Ah, the dreaded Yale 250. If I could answer this question, I would be the most popular admissions consultant in the world!
Instead, I'll point you to what the Associate Dean of Admissions for YLS, Asha Rangappa, says:
http://blogs.law.yale.edu/blogs/admissi ... tross.aspx -- she pretty much covers it. In a nutshell, outside of a few topics, you can write the 250 on whatever you want--you can expand on a particular point from your personal statement, you can wax philosophical on a favorite topic, or you can simply talk for a little bit about something you find interesting or meaningful. It's not a make-it-or-break-it type of essay, so don't treat it as such. Instead, just focus on providing insight and quality, and you'll be fine.
What is a 'diversity statement' exactly? Should I include a "why I want to go to Law school X' here? A diversity statement is where a school asks you to explain how your background (socio-economic, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, upbringing, personal experience or professional expertise) will contribute to and help enhance the law school community. I would say it is decidedly NOT a place to write about why you want to go to a particular law school. If schools want to know that, they will ask for a specific essay on that topic; what they're asking for here is more information to help them decide why
you're special, not why you think
they're special.
Many applicants mistakenly assume that the diversity essay should only be written if they are an underrepresented minority or have an uncommon ethnic background. However, it is worthwhile to remember that law school admissions deans are always trying to craft entering classes that are balanced among multiple dimensions: political ideology, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, age, gender, geographic origin, undergraduate school and focus, professional interest, work experience, military experience, career goals, and so on. There are many dimensions of diversity that deans consider, and almost every single applicant has something unique or uncommon that they can bring to the diversity table. Therefore, DO NOT underestimate your own diversity or what you bring to the table. Something that you might consider commonplace (because you have lived with it all your life) might strike others as unusual and interesting. It is this kind of “unusual and interesting” aspect that brings diversity to an incoming class, and it is what should be highlighted in a diversity statement. For example, you might be the first person in your family to aspire to law school, or you might be the youngest of 8 siblings. Those things might not seem important or "diverse" to you, but they are very diverse for the purposes of a law school application.
How long should an LSAT addendum be? I typically tell students to stick to one page (around 250 words) and no more--at the very least, it should be considerably shorter than the personal statement. 1-2 paragraphs, at most (typically, if you find yourself writing more than that you're usually teetering on the brink of begging or pleading or writing yourself into a corner). Short, objective, factual--that's what you need to aim for.
I hope that helps!
