Dreamers who went to Grad School: Do you mention DACA in your personal statement?
 

Old timer here! Just wondering if anyone has applied to doctoral degree programs (PHD/MD/JD, etc) and mentioned DACA in their statement? I'm applying to PHD programs and struggling with whether or not I should mention DACA at all. For my statement, I need to be talking about my research interests, career goals, academic background so does it make sense to talk about DACA? I'm in a filed that is predominantly white. Maybe 90% of the professors in this field are white, so I have a bit of concern about who will be reading and making judgments about what i say.
Thoughts?

Re: Dreamers who went to Grad School: Do you mention DACA in your personal statement?
 

I applied for doctoral degrees and was accepted into two UC systems ones when I was about to graduate from undergrad. I did mention DACA, but those where different times. I'm not sure if DACA will be a drag now.

Re: Dreamers who went to Grad School: Do you mention DACA in your personal statement?
 

I applied earlier in the year, did not mention it, and got in.

You can always research the school and see their opinion of DACA.

If you have a strong resume and other compelling experiences to speak on, you do not need to.
You should also think about how you are crafting your story, does DACA play a significant part, or are you just adding it to score some bonus points?

Re: Dreamers who went to Grad School: Do you mention DACA in your personal statement?
 

I applied during the 2016 cycle and I did not mention it.
In addition to what others have said, I would also think about the field you are applying to.
Like, I would think Math PhD programs would not care as much compared to say, a sociology department.

Re: Dreamers who went to Grad School: Do you mention DACA in your personal statement?
 

Thanks for the responses. I talked to one of my reference letter writers (white male) who said I should include info on my DACA because it makes my resume make sense, and provides a compelling story. He's a leader in a related field. @kyungwc, your point about the type of program makes sense. I'm in a field where DACA is an issue that comes up often enough that the readers of my statement would at least know about it.