LGBT on the Application

I second that. I feel it's the same as mentioning if you're the 1st to go to college in your family, or if you're a first generation Ethnicity-American. What's the value it adds to your essays/profiles and how does it make you different and valuable to bschools?

HAHA

you know what you should really write to make you different? your homophobia.

LOL! You win the best zinger award!

a lot of the big firms have special programs/scholarships for LGBT so i imagine schools cater to this crowd as well

Yeah, I guess for the sake of diversity, LGBT would be important.

But all the political correctness aside, I agree with tyemaishu, and no, this statement is not homophobic.

I wonder if someone actually fake it. I mean, you can't fake ethnicity, but if someone REALLY wants to get in, he/she might. It's not like an adcom is gonna track down his/her involvement in LGBT while in MBA.

Mod edit: please be respectful to all in your comments. - shadowsjc.

^^^ I know thats meant to be funny but frankly, its a bit offensive. I think you should take it down, John Wayne is an american hero.

I think diversity is important too chostein.

As for faking it. I remember seeing an interview with Anne Kronenberg, Harvey Milk's campaign manager. She claims to be a lesbian. But she is married to a man; and they have kids together. Anne said something along the lines of, a lesbian is a woman who is connected to another woman emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Althought Anne is connected to a man physically, she is emotionally, mentally, and spiritually connected to women.

Not that I encourage faking it. But it goes to show that women can be married to men, even have sex with men, and still be lesbian. So hey, men can have sex with women, and still be gay.

Thank you for your responses.

Okay, after reading this thread, I feel the need to respond to set the record straight about this issue. I want to make sure that LGBT applicants everywhere know how to handle this issue and aren't riddled with the misinformation found in this thread.


I went to an open-house event exclusively for LGBT students at HBS a few months back, so we literally got an entire day to ask questions about all of this stuff. Let me tell you the gist of what the admissions office said at HBS:

1. Yes, schools love diversity. Therefore, schools do appreciate having people who identify as LGBT within the student body. There is a reason that HBS had an entire open house ONLY for LGBT students - HBS wants LGBT people.. That being said...

2. At a school that is both as highly-ranked and large (in terms of class size) as HBS, disclosing that you are part of the LGBT community doesn't really help you all that much. Since much of the LGBT population is quite talented, driven, and personable, a lot of LGBT students will end up at the top schools. You are bound to be other classmates who are part of the LGBT community.

3. Some people choose to disclose their sexuality on their applications, but others don't. There are a few ways to do this:
- Include it in an essay. Only do this if it something that you're actually passionate about (i.e. a lawyer who fights for LGBT rights, a personal experience that shaped you, etc.) -- don't just throw it in for the "bonus points."
- Include it somehow within your list of college activities and clubs (i.e. a Queer-Alliance type of club)
- Reach out to members of the LGBT student association at the school you are applying to.


That's really it. Please ask if you have any questions.



To clarify a few other points:

1. I can't think of a reason that anyone would "pretend" to be a part of the LGBT community. As stated above, the potential benefits aren't really that great in terms of admissions since there are so many LGBT people who are unbelievably competitive applicants. The potential consequences can be severe, as pretending to be something that you're not is a painful experience. Beyond that, who would honestly want to deal with the ridicule that the LGBT community faces?

2. I am a guy who has a long-term girlfriend, but I still identify as part of the LGBT community. That does not mean that I am faking anything; sexuality lies on a spectrum for many people. We can continue this part of the discussion in the off-topic forum if you have any questions.

It's not about who you sleep with. It's about how your identity as an LGBT influences the way you think and feel. get it?

I'm not sure what you found offensive about that. I certainly didn't slander John Wayne. Using him as a symbol of heterosexuality wouldn't be so blasphemous. Nor would be using him as a symbol of homosexuality. American hero? Not sure what that has to do with his sexual orientation. In any case, I said nothing against John Wayne.

As for it being offensive, I disagree. I can understand how people like to be very p.c., and I'm therefore not surprised at the sudden clamp down, and I now see how quickly things can spiral out of control and how the moderators are inclined to be extremely sensitive. But as someone with "deep roots" in the LGBT community myself, I have to note in defense that satire ≠ homophobia. I truly didn't intend to express a hint of homophobia.

Lesson learned. Apologies to anybody who was actually offended.

Skahuh. I was just being sarcastic. I think the issue was that insinuating that gays are flaming and flamboyant is what got your post deleted.
I know you were just playing around. Nice of u too apologize either way!

Actually I found your "censored" post really funny. haha

Thanks. But jordanhendrix is right. I missed the sarcasm in his post. He missed it in mine. Maybe that's why sarcasm is better avoided altogether in this online setting. Sorry to hijack the initial thread! Hope it can continue now...

I love YourDreamTheater's insight into the HBS information above.

For most of the LGBT-identifying people I know, their personal development and sense of self is largely shaped by the challenges currently faced in our world to those who are LGBT. Thus, it would naturally work its way into any essay that asks about how you got to where you are now, and where you want to go in the future. It can be a pretty defining thing for many people, and I don't think anyone could successfully fake that in an application.

I also concur with YDT's analysis that the LGBT pool of applicants is an impressive one, and one that you would not necessarily want to put yourself in. If HBS is wanting a representative class body that reflects actual worldwide demographics, I think you'd be upping the competition to get in by trying to use some sort of 'LGBT angle'.