<p>how exactly do i write this? what should i talk about? it's this little statement on how your experiences have shaped you or whatever...</p>
<p>aren’t they optional? if you don’t know what you should talk about then maybe you shouldn’t write it? like, if your background has shaped your career future and goals, then i think it is relevant, but if it didn’t, because it doesn’t have to… then maybe you shouldn’t. that’s just my opinion… totally my opinion. i’m ambivalent about the fact that the option for these statements exists. i understand the rationale, but i’m not sure i like the idea of them.</p>
<p>if you lost your one of your legs or been top 10 of American Idol, or you are native American, then it’s worth to write one. Just my opinion haha, unless you have something shiny, no need for one.</p>
<p>Very often, these statements help the admissions committee identify students who could be eligible for particular funds. At my place, for example, there is funding for graduate applicants who were first-generation college students. There are also funds available for students who are members of groups that are underrepresented in their fields (women in engineering, for example). </p>
<p>In sum, write the statement. It could help secure funding for you if you are admitted.</p>
<p>Here’s a list of some elements that could be mentioned in a “diversity statement”:</p>
<ul>
<li>first generation college student</li>
<li>gender (if your gender is underrepresented in your field)</li>
<li>immigrant (if your country of origin is underrepresented in US grad schools in your field)</li>
<li>ethnic background / minority status (i.e. African-American, Hispanic, Native American)</li>
<li>physical disability</li>
</ul>
<p>oh it’s optional? i’m none of the above so i guess i don’t need to write it. there’s something for stanford that’s like a paragraph about why you would be a good fit or something. anyone know what i’m talking about?</p>
<p>for the 10 programs I applied to, only 2 (NWU+Penn) had diversity statement as optional, other schools don’t need it at all. so yes it’s optional and not common</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>That thing…I don’t need to answer it?</p>
<p>Answer it – unless it explicitly says “optional.”</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that they weren’t optional. I think stanford and berkeley had one? I don’t know if they care what you say, but I think you have to say something-- it could be something (bs) that you want to do when you get to the school (work with URMs, etc), or it could be something in your background. I Wouldn’t stress too much, but you do have to come up with something</p>
<p>Think of this.</p>
<p>Diversity statements like these allow you to tell a more personal side of you- leaving your SOP to be much more concise and direct. They expect that you jump right into your research interests in your SOP instead of telling a bit about how you got to where you are. Go back to your SOP, find personal life stuff and move them out of there into a new document- your diversity statement.</p>
<p>UCSF also has one, and it’s marked non-optional.</p>