Inflating one's diversity to enter Stanford, anyone did that?

[hypothesizer]

So I was filling my stanford application today when I noticed a section on diversity. I started wondering if anyone would make up a story to get brownie points on the diversity test and I thought that the easiest way to fake would be to lie about one's sexual orientation. I mean who can check, and you can always say that you are bicurious later.

Thoughts? did anyone do that successfully? I am just intrigued by this possibility and can think of a little john grisham'esque plot for a novel on these lines.

[fuzzylogician]

Getting caught in a lie is one of the worst things that can happen to you as an academic. Nobody will work with you, let alone hire you, if your integrity is suspect.

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I guess I can see fabricating a story to enhance your diversity statement, but pretending to be gay/straight when you're not! Haha are you serious? That's a bit extreme. Then you'd have to basically continue to play out the lie your entire time there. Why not something like making up a story of visiting China with your family while you were a kid? Haha something you can actually get away with.

Personally (this isn't really related, but I just wanted to state it) I think the diversity statement is kinda lame. I mean, there probably are a lot of people applying to grad school who have a difficult time thinking of something. I grew up in the slums of Brooklyn (I'm white). I mean, what am I gonna say? "I lived in the hood. There were a lot of black people around." I don't like having to craft some politically correct commentary about how I have actually come across non-white Americans in my life.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Now I'm curious: What does the "diversity test" ask? Is it a check box, or more involved?

I heard a story about Asian-American undergrads not reporting their race (or emphasizing their white side, if biracial) because, since Asians are statistically "over-represented" they felt they were held to a higher admissions standard. So I guess moral of the story, if you're going to lie, lie wisely?

[kaputzing]

It's actually quite funny in the case of Asian-Americans. I have heard that some don't report their race, but an overwhelming amount of them do simply because they figure their family names will give them away anyways -- excluding the ones who were adopted or who have last names romanized as, for example, an innocent "Lee" as opposed to the dead giveaway "Li." (Lucky Koreans? Perhaps ...)

Back on-topic, I'm also unsure what the "diversity test" actually means. I heard from some that it's a university requirement, not a departmental requirement; that it doesn't determine admissions, only funding and only in the case of Truly Diverse Individuals; etc.

[kaykaykay]

Why do you not say simply that you are a transgendered other gender? Then you could be even straight??? Was adopted into a black family? (who can check?)

Ok apart from the irony: I do not think that diversity statement will help with the admission. this is not undergrad and actually they are looking for the best possible students not the most diverse lot. I am sure you have something in your life you can inflate to fill the space.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

Was adopted into a black family? (who can check?)

"I was born a poor black child.":

http://youtu.be/LNJEAXYrJ38?t=21s

[runaway]

It's a good thing that this forum is basically anonymous, because this thread is embarrassing.

First of all, it's a lot harder to pretend about membership in the LGBT community than you think. I've yet to meet a queer person who would ever use the term 'bicurious.' Kaykaykay, the correct term is 'transgender,' not 'transgendered,' which is quite offensive. Even a small misuse of terminology like this would be a red flag to any LGBT person reading your application-- and there most likely will be one, because it's a minority group well represented in academia. (So it probably won't help you much anyway.)

Regardless, lying about being queer-- when every day, people are assaulted or killed, become homeless, and lose their jobs because of their LGBT identity-- makes you an asshole.

[kaykaykay]

Kaykaykay, the correct term is 'transgender,' not 'transgendered,' which is quite offensive. Even a small misuse of terminology like this would be a red flag to any LGBT person reading your application-- and there most likely will be one, because it's a minority group well represented in academia.

Hey I just tried to be ironic to show how stupid the OP is. I am sorry if it was offensive to any queer people. I know that being in one of the "diverse" groups is an uphill struggle.

[runaway]

Hey I just tried to be ironic to show how stupid the OP is. I am sorry if it was offensive to any queer people. I know that being in one of the "diverse" groups is an uphill struggle.

Sorry, Kay, I must have read your post too quickly because I missed the part about irony-- my fault! (I'm sure nobody took offense from your post, but that term can be taken the wrong way when addressing a person specifically, just fyi.) I know OP was basically trolling, but I do know some people actually think this way, so...

[Lmo0424]

It's a good thing that this forum is basically anonymous, because this thread is embarrassing.

First of all, it's a lot harder to pretend about membership in the LGBT community than you think. I've yet to meet a queer person who would ever use the term 'bicurious.' Kaykaykay, the correct term is 'transgender,' not 'transgendered,' which is quite offensive. Even a small misuse of terminology like this would be a red flag to any LGBT person reading your application-- and there most likely will be one, because it's a minority group well represented in academia. (So it probably won't help you much anyway.)

Regardless, lying about being queer-- when every day, people are assaulted or killed, become homeless, and lose their jobs because of their LGBT identity-- makes you an asshole.

Thank you! Its quite discomforting to think that there are potential graduate students who are attempting to be part of top institutions like Stanford and think that they can just co-opt someone's struggle and lived experience to get "brownie points." It is a shame to think that these type of students will then go on to represent their institution.

So thank you again for this post runaway.

[SeriousSillyPutty]

I thought the OP was more in the spirit of goofy what ifs, like these: http://what-if.xkcd.com/ (but with less math). Like perfectly good decent people may discuss the perfect murder, not because they want to kill someone, but because musing about doing bad things is a classic past time of well-behaved people.

But of course, I agree with everything said that it would be a horrible -- let alone immoral -- idea.

[hypothesizer]

After checking the thread today I realized that a lot of people found my example insensitive, I apologize to them. Anyway, I just wanted to get some anecdotal evidence of whether others also felt that the diversity section was inane and it seems that they do. So hopefully people wouldn't read too much into it. As DoubleShot mentioned

the OP was more in the spirit of goofy what ifs

I was just hypothesising, get it

[hypothesizer]

Regardless, lying about being queer-- when every day, people are assaulted or killed, become homeless, and lose their jobs because of their LGBT identity-- makes you an asshole.

I agree that lying to gain admission would be an assholistic(assholish?) thing to do but their is nothing special in lying about being a queer. Every day women are assualted or killed, become homeless and are discriminated against because of their gender yet we have many a movies about this same idea where the protagonist fakes their gender for their goal. I have nothing against any minority (I am part of one) but irrational sympathizing makes me puke.

[runaway]

I agree that lying to gain admission would be an assholistic(assholish?) thing to do but their is nothing special in lying about being a queer. Every day women are assualted or killed, become homeless and are discriminated against because of their gender yet we have many a movies about this same idea where the protagonist fakes their gender for their goal. I have nothing against any minority (I am part of one) but irrational sympathizing makes me puke.

So because these movies exist that automatically makes that okay? I personally find these movies disgusting, both misogynistic and transphobic. They feed into the aspects of society that allow gender-based violence and rape culture to exist. If you think that argument was going to make me come to some glorious epiphany, you're sadly mistaken.

If you're part of a minority, then why post this topic to begin with? You'll notice that the prompt for these diversity essays is incredibly broad. Nowhere does it say 'brownie points if you're queer!!' Nor are they pitting us in some oppression olympics. It's a chance for us think critically about our privileges and disadvantages, not to prove the hand we got dealt was the hardest.

[hypothesizer]

@Latte: All i meant was that lying is wrong no matter what one lies about doesnt matter if you lie about being gay or being a woman or man, nothing's special. Clearly all my analogies are gonna touch a nerve, so I am gonna stop doing that. So ok here's the question that I was really trying to ask,

what is the definition of diversity that one is supposed to address in their diversity statement?

Is diversity measured as the inverse of the probability that a student would apply to Stanford given the student's gender, sexual-orientation, economic status, race, ethnicity, work experience, culture and special interests ? Or

is diversity the inverse of probability that a set of properties coexist in a person, how diverse a person is (e.g. extremely hairy, chinese, black)? and what properties should one include while calculating that probability, race, religion or political beliefs, IQ as well?

[kaykaykay]

hypotheser stop embarrassing yourself. You are a horrible troll. No people do not get "brownie points" for being in a minority in grad applications. Your suggested idea of "brownie points" is really showing your disrespect though for all the people who struggle with real disadvantages in their lives.

And yes you should write about your hairy armpit in your essay or you can write about your intelligence or sense of empathy because one of these two is seriously lacking from you which is a rarity at Stanford.

[hypothesizer]

@kkk: I would not be convinced that one should automatically respect another for struggling with disadvantages. respect commanded is respect deserved.

I still stand by my point that any attempt to elicit a statement from me in defense of my diversity is inane, because diversity is illdefined.

I have proposed two different measures of diversity, let me know if there is an obvious winner between those two.

[kaykaykay]

@kkk: I would not be convinced that one should automatically respect another for struggling with disadvantages. respect commanded is respect deserved.

I still stand by my point that any attempt to elicit a statement from me in defense of my diversity is inane, because diversity is illdefined.

I have proposed two different measures of diversity, let me know if there is an obvious winner between those two.

respect commanded? wtf? Are you into some sort of cult or something? respect is for fellow human beings until they loose it.

And I had a suggestion, the hair on your body ftw..you will perfectly introduce yourself to anyone at the admission committee.

[rising_star]

hypothesizer, I would say that neither of the measures you have proposed makes sense, particularly since they both rely on an inverse probability that cannot be calculated.

[hypothesizer]

@kkk: personal attacks are a well known logical fallacy "Ad hominem" attacking my "supposed" appearance does not prove my arguments wrong, so chill.

@rising_start: Imagine for a moment that I calculate the probability and then find the reciprocal of that. Which definition would make sense then?

[1Q84]

Maybe you should stop being a hypothesizer and be a realizer.

Write both on your diversity statement. See what happens.

Seize the day.

Hug a kitten.

Be the best that you can be.

[Two Espressos]

I agree that lying to gain admission would be an assholistic(assholish?) thing to do but their is nothing special in lying about being a queer. Every day women are assualted or killed, become homeless and are discriminated against because of their gender yet we have many a movies about this same idea where the protagonist fakes their gender for their goal. I have nothing against any minority (I am part of one) but irrational sympathizing makes me puke.

But queer people are objectively more persecuted than woman are today, though the latter group of course still faces sexism, patriarchy, etc. This is visibly evident in marriage laws, visitation rights in hospitals, etc. So I can understand why someone would think that there is in fact something particularly offensive in lying about being queer (and I would happen to agree with the sentiment). In any case, lying about one's background on a diversity statement is wrong.

[kaykaykay]

hypothesizer, why do you attack me personally ? I just tried to give you the advice that you were asking for. I also gave you several reasons to support my answer. Just tell me why talking about the hair on your body would not be a good introduction of you to the admission committee? Alternatively I suggested talking about your IQ or your sense of empathy. You mentioned at least one of them and I thought that you do not feel quite as intelligent as the average Stanford student if you mention that.I dared to mention empathy but gosh I do not know you maybe you are very empathetic. I am just following your logic all the way.

[runaway]

you guys, I think it's time.