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<p>I think this is completely false at many levels. If an applicant comes from an underrepresented group, s/he WILL receive added attention and will probably have an easier time getting in - at least at universities which have stated commitments to diversity/inclusion/affirmative action (i.e. basically all in the U.S.) </p>
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<p>Eh…what? Personal background, which is largely about families of origin, matters a lot in my opinion. People coming from adverse or disadvantaged family backgrounds often successfully use it as an excuse for less-than-stellar GPAs or for the “wow” factor that will get them in. (e.g. “Although many applicants to your grad program probably have similarly impressive academic records, I can say that I am particularly proud of mine. As a first generation American from Guatemala who has had to continually balance working on my parents’ fruit cart with difficult coursework and lab positions, I feel that I could provide much-needed diversity to your program.”)</p>
<p>OP, another thing you might look at are summer programs for undergraduate research.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/diversity/srop.shtml[/url]”>http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/diversity/srop.shtml</a>
<a href=“http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asis/srp/srpintro.htm[/url]”>http://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/asis/srp/srpintro.htm</a>
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