habanero Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Is being a female in comp sci considered 'diversity'? Should I even bother mentioning it? I don't really feel like it, but I will if it is a common thing to do. I was one of two women in the upper div courses, so it might be important. Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktel Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 There aren't a lot of women in CS and some Engineering fields, but I wouldn't mention it. I don't know if you list your gender or not on your application, which is as far as I would go with mentioning it. Your gender has no impact on your research or your ability to be successful, it is essentially irrelevant. The only times I ever bring it up is when I'm applying for certain women-only scholarships habanero and stackoverflow 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
habanero Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Thank you. That is what I thought (and what I was hoping for). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 (edited) Perhaps there is a roundabout way that you could mention your gender without it looking like you're "playing diversity card." For example, were you a leader in any "women in engineering" types of programs? Edited December 4, 2011 by zep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmm Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I was the only female in one just-after-intro level CS class I took. It didn't seem to put me at any disadvantage. I liked the other students in the class, and did not feel ostracized or put down at all. So, if women were staying away due to the lack of a welcoming environment, maybe it's not so bad nowadays. Though I didn't mind being the only woman in the class, I thought it was kind of sad that more women weren't getting into the field -- at least at this school. As to whether you should mention it or not -- I vote no. I'm sure the adcomms are aware of the gender imbalances that exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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