Tips and Tricks: Crafting an Effective Inclusive Statement

The Inclusive Admission application stream uses a strengths-based holistic review to identify outstanding candidates for UVic Law that may not be accepted to the program using traditional metrics like LSAT scores and grades alone. This allows applicants who have valuable skills and life experience that are not necessarily reflected by their educational and standardized test records to access a legal education. Ultimately, this process adds diversity and unique perspectives to the legal profession.

As part of the Inclusive Admission process, applicants are required to write two essays – the Personal Statement and the Inclusive Admission Statement. These are distinct from one another. The Personal Statement is expected to explore topics such as why an applicant wishes to study law, why they wish to study at UVic, and why they are a good fit for UVic Law (for tips and tricks on writing your Personal Statement, check out this blog post). The Inclusive Statement, on the other hand, is meant to specifically speak to that which makes an applicant an exceptional candidate for UVic Law, particularly because of or in spite of any relevant challenges or barriers they have encountered or overcome.

While the Personal Statement and the Inclusive Statement are two distinct documents, we acknowledge that it may be natural for them to be inter-connected. Some applicants may choose to share a bit of their story in the Personal Statement to address for example why they wish to study law and then further expand upon it in their Inclusive Statement to address why they are applying within this admission stream. That said, one mistake some applicants make is to copy and paste most or all of the material from their Personal Statement to their Inclusive Statement without acknowledging this distinction. While we understand the material may have some overlap for consistency and flow, each document should speak to the various questions that are asked particular to that document.

Writing essays that speak to topics like barriers overcome and reasons one should not be measured by traditional metrics can be very difficult. These are tough topics to address, and they are tougher to write about, particularly when they are the main focus of the essay. With that in mind, here are a few tips and tricks to craft the most effective Inclusive Statement possible.

1. Ensure you focus on what we are looking for…

There is no quota for Inclusive Admission “seats.” We make offers to and admit students in this admission stream based on who we believe the most outstanding applicants are. We get far more applicants every year than we will make offers to, so it’s crucial to understand what the Admissions Committee is looking for and how to put your best foot forward.

Clearly, we get to know applicants on paper, and this really is all we know of an applicant.  When we read applications, we don’t assume connections that are not stated. We don’t draw conclusions for an author who didn’t write them. Thus, when we tell you to tell a logical, clear, and concise story, we mean that every piece of the story you want to convey should be on paper.  It should be logical and easy to follow, rather than rambling.

We also want to ensure we admit students that we believe have a high likelihood of success in our program. Again, this should be stated without asking us to draw that conclusion. This should include discussion about coping strategies you have, supports you have in place, and the journey you have taken to ensure you are ready to begin school. Readiness is a big part of this discussion, and it should factor into the timing of applying to law school. With this in mind, it’s valuable to draw the distinction between ongoing and passing or past obstacles. If a factor in your life is ongoing, it doesn’t mean you aren’t ready to attend law school, but it does mean you should talk about why now is the right time.

2. …yet make it about you!

We don’t admit just numbers to UVic Law; we admit people that we believe will succeed and who embody the values we hold at UVic Law. Getting to know someone on paper doesn’t always give a clear picture. However, your job is to paint the clearest picture you can. We really do want to get to know you. Tell your story fully. Write from the heart. Make us understand who you are and why you are a good fit for UVic Law.

3. Decide your boundaries and stick to them

Inclusive Statements are highly personal and can contain sensitive information. Sometimes, writing can be cathartic. It can also be triggering. Details can be difficult to write or to read.

While you are writing, please keep in mind that, while you need to tell your story, you should be able to tell it in a way that is not overly graphic or that includes triggering details. Part of telling your story is deciding what information you share and how you share it. Creating boundaries around details or documentation that may be sensitive is important.

A good exercise when deciding what is necessary to share is asking yourself what that detail lends to the story. Is it vital to the reader’s understanding of the narrative? If you feel comfortable, ask a trusted reader to help look at this question with you objectively.

4. Make sure there is a nexus

Your narrative should include a persuasive nexus between any challenges faced and the application requirement that is not met. That is, if you were ill during the Fall 2021 term and did poorly in your classes because of that illness, then recovered and did very well in Winter 2022 classes, you should state that explicitly. We will not assume anything or draw the conclusion for you. If it is not clear that there is a connection between the challenge and the application requirement, it will be unlikely that the Inclusive Statement will be strong enough for admission.

If your narrative meanders off track and includes details that are unrelated to that nexus or unnecessary to the story, you might consider editing them out so that the nexus isn’t lost in extraneous details. Likewise, if there is not consistency between what you are explaining and the application requirements, you will not have crafted a strong Inclusive Statement. An example of this is that perhaps you also received poor grades in three terms unrelated to your illness, but you don’t explain those.

5. Don’t wait until the last minute

Writing an Inclusive Statement is a really tough exercise. There are some people for whom the information just flows quickly and logically, but for most people, they really need to think about the information they are sharing and how best to tell their story.

Also, starting well ahead of time allows you to do research, ask questions, organize your thoughts, edit out mistakes, receive peer reviews and feedback, just generally organize, and make sure it really says what you want it to say.

Good luck! We look forward to reading about you.