Stanford, anyone? (surprise! diversity statement)

[wintergirl]

Anyone else here applying to Stanford? I'm finishing up today and remembered this little hidden surprise I still need to complete:

"How would factors such as your background, work and life experiences, special interests, culture, socioeconomic status, race,or ethnicity contribute to the diversity of the entering class, and hence to the experience of your Stanford classmates? Please describe these factors and their relevance." (700 words, to be typed/pasted directly into the online app)

This a diversity statement in semi-disguise, right? Or is it a personal statement hybrid? Harrumph.

ETA: Just to make it more confusing, this is not a required field on the application.

Edited December 28, 2011 by bespeckled

[Timshel]

A lot of schools have optional diversity statements. If you don't feel like you have anything to contribute, i wouldn't provide one.

[Aubergine]

I wrote something about my experiences living and teaching abroad. Just a heads up: in my Stanford app, I realized when I went to post my statement that the limit was actually 700 characters, not 700 words.

[finknottle]

Since it is only 700 chars, I don't think a lot can go wrong. In the worst case, it won't contribute to the app at all. Hence, no harm in writing a bit if you have a few brief points to mention.

[lolopixie]

If it is not required, and there is nothing worthwhile to contribute, I wouldn't put anything in there.

[wintergirl]

I wrote something about my experiences living and teaching abroad. Just a heads up: in my Stanford app, I realized when I went to post my statement that the limit was actually 700 characters, not 700 words.

Hahaha, thanks for pointing that out before I spent an hour composing some horrid Frankenstein hybrid of my Berkeley and Michigan diversity/personal statements.

And thanks to the rest of you for your advice too. I knew the peeps on this board would have good suggestions. Since I'm a "non-traditional" student, I think I'll touch on my background a bit in ways that my SOP doesn't cover. Can't hurt in 700 characters, right??

[rawera]

What is a traditional student, exactly? And I'm not being sardonic.

[wintergirl]

From my understanding, I'm a "non-traditional student" because I am old went back to school 12+ years after graduating college.

Don't know if it's an official term with grad school adcomms, but my mentors in my current MA program refer to me as such.

[Timshel]

I am also considered "non traditional" because I am married and because I took time off during undergrad and after getting my Masters.

 

[vertige]

oh sweet wounded. I submitted Stanford today (or, rather, had a friend submit it - I have no money left, and Stanford are sticklers for their precious $125 app fees - no fee waiver without a 2012 GRE fee waiver .... which I didn't need because I took the GRE 2 years ago!). Anyhow, I went to look at the PDF print out and saw no documents attached....um.....

Anyone else have this problem? When you click on your PDF or "View Print Copy", do you see your SOP, Writing Sample, Transcripts, Etc.?

Freaking out. A little. Kind of. Maybe it's all the sugar from my overpriced mocha latte and the shrill German girl in the corner of this Starbucks.

In any case, good luck y'all, maybe we'll see each other in March for admitted student weekend! (Ich drucke Ihr die Daumen...)

Edited December 30, 2011 by vertige