For People of Color

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

http://www.forpeopleofcolor.org/

[wellpreserved]

Which website are you guys even talking about?  I don't see a link/name in the OP.

http://forpeopleofcolor.org/register.htm

[Denny Crane]

I didn't use this website.

As for what Denny Crane said, it is part right, part wrong.  Sure, adcoms will know you are a URM if you check a box.  But that is exactly what they aren't looking for.  They want to know how that "classification"  has shaped you and what parts of that designation, and what other parts of you, make you who you are and why they would be useful in a law school classroom.  

Sure, if you don't have anything to say, don't say anything.  But socioeconomic statements can be especially useful in scholarship and financial aid applications and processes.  It gives the ad coms a real picture of you financially.  But only if you are specific and concrete.

I did write  what they are calling a "socioeconomic disadvantage" statement--because it has shaped who I am today, in so many different ways.  And it paid off big time.  

Use every opportunity that you can to tell the adcomms something about yourself.  I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to tell adcomms about your socioeconomic situation, if it has shaped who you are.

Not sure how I'm part wrong.  The socioeconomic statements probably play a very small role in influencing financial aid decisions, especially considering that the Admissions Department and the Financial Aid Office at most law schools operate independently of one another.  Your FAFSA/NeedAccess forms will determine your financial aid package, not a PS.

You might get merit aid, but that won't be the result of you simply writing about your socioeconomic status. 

[smujd2007]

Everything you said is very school specific.

What you said is part right, part wrong because there are some schools that know that people who don't have a lot of money, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, where the AD Coms will never know this unless you say something, or how it has impacted you. And adcomms know that sometimes they have to work a little harder to sell minorities on coming to certain schools. And there are some schools where it pays off to write these statements, because financial aid decisions are based partially on merit, and some awards look at both need AND merit.

And, like I said again, its not just about writing about socioeconomic status.  You don't just write it to be writing it. You write it because it has shaped you in some way.

I didn't use this website.

As for what Denny Crane said, it is part right, part wrong.  Sure, adcoms will know you are a URM if you check a box.  But that is exactly what they aren't looking for.  They want to know how that "classification"  has shaped you and what parts of that designation, and what other parts of you, make you who you are and why they would be useful in a law school classroom.  

Sure, if you don't have anything to say, don't say anything.  But socioeconomic statements can be especially useful in scholarship and financial aid applications and processes.  It gives the ad coms a real picture of you financially.  But only if you are specific and concrete.

I did write  what they are calling a "socioeconomic disadvantage" statement--because it has shaped who I am today, in so many different ways.  And it paid off big time.  

Use every opportunity that you can to tell the adcomms something about yourself.  I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to tell adcomms about your socioeconomic situation, if it has shaped who you are.

Not sure how I'm part wrong.  The socioeconomic statements probably play a very small role in influencing financial aid decisions, especially considering that the Admissions Department and the Financial Aid Office at most law schools operate independently of one another.  Your FAFSA/NeedAccess forms will determine your financial aid package, not a PS.

You might get merit aid, but that won't be the result of you simply writing about your socioeconomic status. 

[Denny Crane]

Everything you said is very school specific.

What you said is part right, part wrong because there are some schools that know that people who don't have a lot of money, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, where the AD Coms will never know this unless you say something, or how it has impacted you. And adcomms know that sometimes they have to work a little harder to sell minorities on coming to certain schools. And there are some schools where it pays off to write these statements, because financial aid decisions are based partially on merit, and some awards look at both need AND merit.

And, like I said again, its not just about writing about socioeconomic status.  You don't just write it to be writing it. You write it because it has shaped you in some way.

Ideally this is the case, except I feel a lot of people feel compelled to write these kinds of statements because they think they need to write about how they grew up walking uphill both ways to school in order to convince an adcom to accept them. 

Also, I'm not sure how writing a statement on socioeconomic status will affect a merit aid decision.  Merit decisions tend to be made on the basis of numbers, and an essay may affect it, but the essay can be on any topic.  And non-merit aid is determined by hard finances (ie: FAFSA/NeedAccess), not on personal accounts of socioeconomic status.

I'm not sure adcoms really care at all whether someone is rich or poor when they apply.  There are enough of both to make it not unique.  They care about people with a demonstrated ability for success more than anything. 

I agree that an SE statement is best written when it talks about how your SE status shaped you in some way, but I don't agree with you that it influences aid decisions or really influences the adcom in any unique way.

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

Everything you said is very school specific.

What you said is part right, part wrong because there are some schools that know that people who don't have a lot of money, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, where the AD Coms will never know this unless you say something, or how it has impacted you. And adcomms know that sometimes they have to work a little harder to sell minorities on coming to certain schools. And there are some schools where it pays off to write these statements, because financial aid decisions are based partially on merit, and some awards look at both need AND merit.

And, like I said again, its not just about writing about socioeconomic status.  You don't just write it to be writing it. You write it because it has shaped you in some way.

Ideally this is the case, except I feel a lot of people feel compelled to write these kinds of statements because they think they need to write about how they grew up walking uphill both ways to school in order to convince an adcom to accept them. 

Also, I'm not sure how writing a statement on socioeconomic status will affect a merit aid decision.  Merit decisions tend to be made on the basis of numbers, and an essay may affect it, but the essay can be on any topic.  And non-merit aid is determined by hard finances (ie: FAFSA/NeedAccess), not on personal accounts of socioeconomic status.

I'm not sure adcoms really care at all whether someone is rich or poor when they apply.  There are enough of both to make it not unique.  They care about people with a demonstrated ability for success more than anything. 

I agree that an SE statement is best written when it talks about how your SE status shaped you in some way, but I don't agree with you that it influences aid decisions or really influences the adcom in any unique way.

I think that one should write a SES DS if, like you said, show how it shaped/affected you.  For example, mine was about how a hs teacher basically told me I was too poor to even think about sending an application to my ug.   That had a big effect on me and for a few days I doubted myself, my abilities, and my worth.  So I think that showed another facet to me as a person.  To write it just to write it, is pointless.

And like SMU said, if it helps for non financial based MERIT aid, then by all means, knock yaself out if it's a good statement.

[Denny Crane]

Way to pwn your HS teacher, jem.



Did you pimp slap him/her w/ your acceptance letter in your hand?

[Special Agent Dana Scully]

Way to pwn your HS teacher, jem.



Did you pimp slap him/her w/ your acceptance letter in your hand?

nah...i remember her asking me where i was going to school and i told her--and she went of into this rant about how i could have gotten a free ride plus stipend from one of the catholic schools in the city (you know, St. Josephs, St. Johns, etc--catholic schools seem to like to feed into each other).  I just nodded--mind you, my efc was less than my schools tuition.  whatever, i graduated debt free, thats more than many ppl can say!

a hs teacher basically told me I was too poor to even think about sending an application to my ug.  

That's terrible 

yup...and i almost didn't apply!

[smujd2007]

Lol. 

You're pretty high on yourself.

Like I said, schools are different.  You will learn quickly in law school that there are almost no absolutes in the world.

I speak from personal experience of talking to adcomms and actually getting to know one at my school,and my own personal experience in admissions and financial aid processes when I was applying to law school,  and from other people's personal accounts.  Where is your opinion regarding the socioeconomic statement coming from? Why would they give people the option to write it if it wasn't meaningful? They have enough stuff to read to make decisions with the personal statement.  At any rate, that's about all I have to say about it.  I just want people to know that I am not just shooting off the cuff by saying that the statement can be important both for admissions and for financial aid.

Everything you said is very school specific.

What you said is part right, part wrong because there are some schools that know that people who don't have a lot of money, or from disadvantaged backgrounds, where the AD Coms will never know this unless you say something, or how it has impacted you. And adcomms know that sometimes they have to work a little harder to sell minorities on coming to certain schools. And there are some schools where it pays off to write these statements, because financial aid decisions are based partially on merit, and some awards look at both need AND merit.

And, like I said again, its not just about writing about socioeconomic status.  You don't just write it to be writing it. You write it because it has shaped you in some way.

Ideally this is the case, except I feel a lot of people feel compelled to write these kinds of statements because they think they need to write about how they grew up walking uphill both ways to school in order to convince an adcom to accept them. 

Also, I'm not sure how writing a statement on socioeconomic status will affect a merit aid decision.  Merit decisions tend to be made on the basis of numbers, and an essay may affect it, but the essay can be on any topic.  And non-merit aid is determined by hard finances (ie: FAFSA/NeedAccess), not on personal accounts of socioeconomic status.

I'm not sure adcoms really care at all whether someone is rich or poor when they apply.  There are enough of both to make it not unique.  They care about people with a demonstrated ability for success more than anything. 

I agree that an SE statement is best written when it talks about how your SE status shaped you in some way, but I don't agree with you that it influences aid decisions or really influences the adcom in any unique way.

[Denny Crane]

Your patronizing aside, I never said that the SE statement was not meaningful, I just said that it wasn't unique in its impact on adcoms.  Adcoms, more than anything, are going to be swayed by well-written, well-thought out statements regardless of the subject.

Maybe at some schools financial aid decisions are made by the adcoms (and thus writing an SE statement might influence your aid decision), but I'm unaware of any schools that do it this way.  If you know of any, let me know, I'm curious.