Optional Statement for Top Law Schools

[PianolessPianist]

Hi there

I'm applying to some T5 schools, and trying to understand whether or not it would be in my best interest to write an additional optional statement for these schools. I have a few of questions about this:

1) Does anyone know of any statistics regarding the percentage of accepted students who did/did not write an optional statement?

2) If my application is generally pretty solid, would it be more risky to write an optional statement than to skip it?

3) Are there any examples of successful optional statements?

4) A lot of law schools focus on "diversity" in terms of the optional statement. I do have the following to offer in that regard:
Foreign national
BA from overseas
Served in a foreign military
Lived abroad for a decade
Bilingual (can also get by in a third, but fluent only in 2)
Formerly religious
LGBT
Well-traveled and varied work experience

However, all those elements have already been mentioned in one form or another elsewhere in the application, so I'm not sure what I would want to focus on in an optional statement, even if I have some material to work with.

Overall, I'm fairly confident in my application, but I want to make sure I don't miss any opportunities to improve it further, so advice/insight would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Pianoless Pianist!

We actually have a helpful blog post that addresses this very question!
https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid-15 ... nal-essay/

Also, check out this webinar recording on Supplemental Essays: https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/law-sch ... ions/help/(I can't link you directly to it, but follow the link to our Free Admissions Help area, scroll down to the box title "Law School Application Primers" and click on "Supplemental Essays".)

And here's a link to the PowerScore Law School Admissions Guide with some sections on diversity statements and optional essays: https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/law-sch ... 0Guide.pdf

I think the above resources should cover most of what you need to know but to answer your questions more specifically:

1) I'm not sure if these statistics exist, at least not publicly--would be cool if they did! But I don't know of them.

2) If you feel you have a solid application and there's not much you would be able to add with an optional essay, it might actually do more harm than good. If you can't add additional information in a sincere manner, don't force it.

3) Check out these essay examples from our Free Admissions Help site: http://www.powerscore.com/content/Law%2 ... 3c5eb394bd

4) You absolutely have a lot to offer in terms of diversity! You say most of these have been mentioned, and maybe you've even expanded on some of them elsewhere in your application. But are there any that you haven't expanded on that you think might give them an even better idea of the diverse experiences and viewpoints you have to offer? You don't want to regurgitate what you've already stated on your application, but I'm guessing there are at least a few of these that you haven't yet described in some sort of detail.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your applications!

Best,
Kelsey

[PianolessPianist]

Thank you so much Kelsey!

Your advice has led me to write up a diversity statement, though I am still hesitant because I'm unsure of what it is they're looking for exactly (I have a much better grasp of the personal statement directives). I'm certain this is not the right forum for detailed feedback, but if you could just let me know whether or not it seems like I got the gist, it would go a long way toward assuaging my fears. (Note that the diversity statement compliments my personal statement, so I'm not sure how well it fares on its own)


VERITAS
On paper, it could be argued that I have a fair measure to offer in terms of diversity. I am a gay, bilingual, multinational, ex-military, formerly religious, non-traditional Jewish applicant educated in a foreign country. The truth of paper, however, is that it can be misleading. The diversity I bring with me does not lie within any one of those sobriquets, but rather the unique combination of experiences that they have collectively afforded me, and what I have made – and will continue to make – of them.

At an age in which the quintessential American begins higher education, I was making quick use of my legal independence to move to a foreign country and enlist in their military. I was not much concerned with how such a decision would affect my life on a personal level – my motivation was not based on self-actualization, but rather the belief that I was fulfilling God’s will. In my mind, I knew that serving in the IDF was the right thing to do, just as I knew that the Jewish people belonged in Israel – and that ‘the Arabs’ did not.

A decade later, I am ashamed of the worldviews I once held. Nevertheless, I still consider it the greatest testament to my personal integrity that I was fully prepared to commit my entire self to pursue what I believed to be true. I left my home and my family to crawl through mud and thorns and stones and gravel. I shivered, huddled with my comrades as we lay on the ground during frigid winter nights, drenched in our sweat after hauling equipment for tens of miles and hours on end. I ran for shelter as “code red” sirens warned of incoming missiles – 15 seconds, or you could be dead. I pushed the limits of my (not particularly impressive) physical abilities to give my literal blood, sweat and tears simply because I believed it was right. Because I believed it was true.

How comical, then, that three years after completing my service, I thoroughly overhauled my perception of that same truth. Whereas my life was once devoted to God, I now sought to serve only two entities: myself and humanity. To that end, I moved to Tel Aviv and enrolled in Bar Ilan University. I obtained a nighttime job to support myself and became involved with the LGBTQ community on both a personal and vocational level, working to help religious teens balance their sexual and spiritual identities. Eventually, I helped to found a political platform dedicated to achieving equal rights for the LGBTQ community and other minorities in Israel, including the Palestinians I had once vilified.

My experiences with various “truths” has imparted me with a significant degree of nuance and intellectual honesty – traits that are tragically uncommon in much of human interaction. From my service in the military to reconstructing my entire socio-ideological framework, I have always been committed to acting on my convictions, and it is this commitment to truth that I bring with me to all my endeavors. My contribution to Harvard’s diversity, if it must be summed up in a single word, would be Harvard’s word: Truth. Veritas.

[Dave Killoran]

Thank you so much Kelsey!

Your advice has led me to write up a diversity statement, though I am still hesitant because I'm unsure of what it is they're looking for exactly (I have a much better grasp of the personal statement directives). I'm certain this is not the right forum for detailed feedback, but if you could just let me know whether or not it seems like I got the gist, it would go a long way toward assuaging my fears. (Note that the diversity statement compliments my personal statement, so I'm not sure how well it fares on its own)


VERITAS
On paper, it could be argued that I have a fair measure to offer in terms of diversity. I am a gay, bilingual, multinational, ex-military, formerly religious, non-traditional Jewish applicant educated in a foreign country. The truth of paper, however, is that it can be misleading. The diversity I bring with me does not lie within any one of those sobriquets, but rather the unique combination of experiences that they have collectively afforded me, and what I have made – and will continue to make – of them.

At an age in which the quintessential American begins higher education, I was making quick use of my legal independence to move to a foreign country and enlist in their military. I was not much concerned with how such a decision would affect my life on a personal level – my motivation was not based on self-actualization, but rather the belief that I was fulfilling God’s will. In my mind, I knew that serving in the IDF was the right thing to do, just as I knew that the Jewish people belonged in Israel – and that ‘the Arabs’ did not.

A decade later, I am ashamed of the worldviews I once held. Nevertheless, I still consider it the greatest testament to my personal integrity that I was fully prepared to commit my entire self to pursue what I believed to be true. I left my home and my family to crawl through mud and thorns and stones and gravel. I shivered, huddled with my comrades as we lay on the ground during frigid winter nights, drenched in our sweat after hauling equipment for tens of miles and hours on end. I ran for shelter as “code red” sirens warned of incoming missiles – 15 seconds, or you could be dead. I pushed the limits of my (not particularly impressive) physical abilities to give my literal blood, sweat and tears simply because I believed it was right. Because I believed it was true.

How comical, then, that three years after completing my service, I thoroughly overhauled my perception of that same truth. Whereas my life was once devoted to God, I now sought to serve only two entities: myself and humanity. To that end, I moved to Tel Aviv and enrolled in Bar Ilan University. I obtained a nighttime job to support myself and became involved with the LGBTQ community on both a personal and vocational level, working to help religious teens balance their sexual and spiritual identities. Eventually, I helped to found a political platform dedicated to achieving equal rights for the LGBTQ community and other minorities in Israel, including the Palestinians I had once vilified.

My experiences with various “truths” has imparted me with a significant degree of nuance and intellectual honesty – traits that are tragically uncommon in much of human interaction. From my service in the military to reconstructing my entire socio-ideological framework, I have always been committed to acting on my convictions, and it is this commitment to truth that I bring with me to all my endeavors. My contribution to Harvard’s diversity, if it must be summed up in a single word, would be Harvard’s word: Truth. Veritas.

Hi Pianoless,

Thanks for the statement! I believe this is the right direction, but I'll admit I'm going on a bit of "faith" since I can't see your PS here (but know enough about you to believe the pairing will work well). That said, the execution is really top-level, and I love the "Veritas" tie-in at the end. I might work on that first paragraph though, in part because this sentence applies to every applicant: "...the unique combination of experiences that they have collectively afforded me, and what I have made – and will continue to make – of them." I'm not a fan of statements that sound grandiose but actually apply to everyone because we're all unique Let me also except the "sobriquet" portion of the sentence from that comment because I love the use of that early on here. I might also flesh out or emphasize the "I do have traditional diversity elements" comment simply because you don't want that to get glossed over because it's huge here (although I understand you are counterpointing that vs the "what's really unique about me is the change factor"). That aside, you sound like a Harvard law student, and I can tell you that's more than half the battle! Well done overall!

Side note: even if this doesn't perfectly hit the traditional diversity essay, the way you've done it covers that angle and executes well enough to allow them to get past it. So even if you ran into a an old school/hardliner adcomm as far as essays, you'd be just fine imho.

Thanks!

[PianolessPianist]

Thank you so much Dave!
I really appreciate the advice, and I'm kinda flattered you recognize my username
especially since it's been about a year since our last interaction (i had planned to apply for 2019, but alas, life happened )

Thanks also to Kelsey - i honestly had not planned to write an additional statement, but your input convinced me otherwise.

This forum has really been an invaluable tool for me in completing the application process, and i super appreciate that you guys go above and beyond to provide thorough and helpful responses (pretty fast too!)

Best
Tal