How is being gay an edge? Is that how competitive college has gotten? Kids just doing and saying anything to be different? What’s next?
Can you show me ANYBODY who has used sexuality just as a way of getting into college? That’s demeaning and insulting.
This is a really controversial topic, so I’ll just quit while I’m ahead.
By no stretch of the imagination will this be considered a hook/give you an edge. This is becoming almost as cliché as the essays discussing “my two dads/moms.”
Instead of looking how to use your sexual orientation as a way to improve your odds for admission, you should reflect on the trailblazing acts of past LGBTQ students who have made sexual identity the (almost) non-issue that it is today.
Well, (everyone), I have to say that I’m not actually sure it gives an edge- that’s what I was told by a professor (who will go nameless for now). I wanted to check in and see if that’s true- and if so how do I report it.
Besides my own personal gain- I really do think it should be a part of affirmative admissions, considering gay men like me are more likely to be homeless than applying to an Ivy League school…
I might write my essay about having a conservative/eastern european family and being gay but I worry that’s too cliche, so I’ll probably write about my social activism.
I’m sure being gay gives you an edge, probably slight though. Having students of all races/ethnicities and sexualities definitely helps a campus to be a more accepting and intellectual place. Having many different perspectives/views definitely helps to debunk stereotypes and benefits the campus community. I got into Cornell and I’m LGBT, but I didn’t write about it for my essays (GSA was part of my common app activities though). Cornell’s LGBT community and diversity are the two biggest reasons why I decided to apply early over other top universities. If you do write your essay about being gay, I would write about your experience coming out and your friends reactions (assuming positive). Talk about how your friends were accepting and supportive. Maybe even talk about how you truly understand how big of an impact just a few words can have, such as “I accept for who you are.” Then front there you can discuss how that’s shaped you as a person (like you go out of your way to be kind to others, always supporting of others, etc…). Be part of the GSA or whatever club your school has and help advance the LGBT community and make school a safer place for everyone. If your gay and do that, then you definitely have a leg up in admission. However, just being gay alone probably isn’t the biggest “hook.” Simply saying you’re gay to get an advantage in admissions isn’t doing it for the right reasons (and unethical imo). @apremonition