Personal statement wants diversity - discuss sexuality?

[pachel]

Here's my prompt for the personal statement:

 

Outline your research interest and goals and how the Neuroscience Program and our training faculty will help you to achieve your long term career goals. It is also important to describe in your statement how you might contribute to a diverse community and any obstacles that you have overcome in gaining your present level of education. Your personal statement should include information about how your background and life experiences, including social, economic, cultural, familial, education, or other opportunities or challenges motivated you to pursue a graduate degree."

 

Sexuality is a touchy subject still and I'm not sure if it's beneficial to mention it, even in the context of diversity. I'm a white middle-class female and otherwise not very diverse, but I am bisexual, and that would "contribute to a diverse community." I want to facilitate the image of successful LGBT people in the sciences, and I am interested in studying the neuroscience of sexual behavior in humans and animals, but other than that my sexuality is pretty unrelated to my decision to pursue graduate school, and I don't want to sound like I have a chip on my shoulder or anything. 

 

For another one of my applications there is a separate section for you to write a diversity statement, and I do plan on briefly discussing sexuality there since it's specifically about diversity. I'm hesitant to weave it into my personal statement in this context though. Thoughts?

 

[queenleblanc]

I agree with the idea of it sounding like a "chip on your shoulder" if your bisexuality is/was not a pivotal aspect of getting to this point in your educational aspirations.  Surely you aren't the same as the other people applying to that program: maybe the bisexual issue sets you apart, but relevance is critical in your essay.  It's kind of like "playing the LGBTQ card" in a sense -- over-playing the card when it isn't relevant is what makes people doubt the issue has an impact on the situation, much like the melodrama of "playing the race card" (an interesting study, if you want some interesting reading).  Not to say it wouldn't have an impact in any situation, but you will want to be very clear on how it impacted you if you include it.  

 

As far as what CAN add to the diversity statement, think about it from the perspective of "what makes you, you?"  You have a unique worldview, a unique perspective, and those experiences, educational or otherwise, are the things that the ad-comm will want to read.  It's not necessarily a multicultural thing, a "where I was raised" thing, a "my life was really hard" thing, a religious thing, a sexuality perspective, or a "where have you been" statement for its own sake, but when those elements of your background are relevant to what makes you unique, they are worth including.  

[MsDarjeeling]

I don't think your SOP is the proper place to reveal your sexual orientation.  A diversity statement ok, but not the SOP especially if it didn't influence your decision.  Keep in mind if you choose to identify yourself then you stop being just a neuroscience grad student and become a bisexual neuroscience grad student.  That may sound ok now, but you may feel differently at a later time.  I understand wanting to demonstrate that members of the lgbt community can be valuable in the sciences and further research, but it may be better to have people focusing on the quality of your work (because that is what matters) and not who you choose to enjoy adult recreation with.