Diversity Statement (?) What to Mention

[Kermit]

I'm from Canada and we don't have diversity statements. I'm applying to Stanford and they have a section of 700 characters on the application.

 

The prompt follows: Stanford University regards the diversity of its graduate student body as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the university. We encourage you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as work and life experiences, special interests, culture, socioeconomic status, the quality of your early educational environment, gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity. Please discuss how such factors would contribute to the diversity of the entering class, and hence to the experience of your Stanford classmates.

 

I'm really unsure what is required for this.

 

As far as "hardships" I have an autoimmune disease, epilepsy and mental illness all of which I've overcome for school. I was even homeless for a while but I worked like 15 jobs and paid my way through 4 degrees (BSc, Ba, BFA and double MA) with good grades. I tried to make my response sound positive.

 

THis is my response. I would be super greatful if anyone could tell me about the diversity statement or read mine. thankkkssss.

 

As student with disabilities I've overcome difficult and life threatening situations, engendering a strong desire to help others and pursue higher education. While a child I experienced several illnesses from a compromised immune system, seizures and mental illness. After a grand mal seizure which left me with injuries it was difficult to regain physical and mental strength, however since I've run two half marathons, performed in the 2010 Olympics as a dancer and finished graduate school eight months early. My varied interests, from ballet to banjo, as well as my past hardships increase the diversity of the school by allowing a student with disabilities a chance to succeed.

[Yoni]

I'm curious to hear what others have to say about this, as I'm kind of baffled by the broad description for this particular type of essay.

[Sigaba]

 

 

As student with disabilities I've overcome difficult and life threatening situations, engendering a strong desire to help others and pursue higher education. While a child I experienced several illnesses from a compromised immune system, seizures and mental illness. After a grand mal seizure which left me with injuries it was difficult to regain physical and mental strength, however since I've run two half marathons, performed in the 2010 Olympics as a dancer and finished graduate school eight months early. My varied interests, from ballet to banjo, as well as my past hardships increase the diversity of the school by allowing a student with disabilities a chance to succeed.

 

JK--

 

Find a way to write the above passage more efficiently. For example, one sentence that summarizes the challenges you've overcome, and another sentence (or three) on how the experiences inform your conduct as a person and as an aspiring academic. Please give thought to minimizing the discussion of what you've accomplished physically so that you can spend more time talking about your intellectual development. If you are going to keep the portion about participating in the Olympics, I think you should be clearer IRT your dancing. That is, were you an Olympian--as in on your national team--or did you participate in the opening/closing ceremonies?

 

Also, give some thought to discussing how your perception of "things" (sorry, I need more coffee) as a Canadian national will contribute to the diversity of campus life at Stanford.

[levoyous]

Agree with the poster above. I just had a silly argument with my wife while she was editing mine (ie, way less hardship than jkirtz!), and I decided she was right that it needed to be more positive and focused on what I bring to the department. I would say: lose the vague first sentence, start with the grisly details, and then talk about how those challenges shaped you intellectually, rather than physically. What kind of unique thinker did they make of you? Also agree on the Canada part - play it up.

[Loric]

Imma rewrite it.. cuz I haz fingers and this is the internetz...

 

As I was performing at the 2010 Olympics no one could see the hardships and struggles I had overcome to bask in that moment. As a child I experienced several illnesses ranging from a compromised immune system to uncontrollable seizures and mental illness; at one point I experienced a grand mal seizure which left me with racked with pain from debilitating physical and mental injuries. However, my desire to perservere was stronger than any convulsion. I was not struck down by my disability, but in fact engenedered with a desire to help others avoid the same pain. Be it ballet or banjo, my life experience has taught me that with the right tools and inner strength one can overcome and accomplish so much. It is this strength I wish to embolden within others and through your institution that I seek to share what I have learned.