So, I've had a very fucked up life. It would take way, way too long to get into the details here, but it's the kind of fucked up that people refuse to believe until I show them some kind of proof. Close family members brutally murdered; severe health conditions left untreated; lifetime of poverty; parental abandonment; repeated sexual violence—those are just the big ones.

Obviously, I'm not going to try and explain the whole thing in three pages, but there are certain things that basically have to be mentioned, either in my personal statement or a diversity addendum. One of those important topics is my intermittent homelessness, so let's just use that as an example.

I have been in and out of homelessness for the past two years, both while working and while unemployed. I've been drifting from city to city for most of that time but on occasion have stayed temporarily with friends and in motels. I'm not too worried about coming off like I'm whining, but I am concerned about two other things:

Firstly, most of the advice I've read online says that when discussing this kind of thing, you should talk about how you overcame such struggles—but what are you supposed to say if you haven't? I'm not sure how to address the fact that I'm going through the application process while living in my car. I'm very concerned that my application will be thrown out because I am judged not to be ready for law school on the basis that I have not yet been able to lift myself up into dignity. The best approach I can think of is to frame as an achievement my being a first-generation college graduate, but this feels lackluster and incomplete.

Second, should I mention my health issues? I don't want to lie or conceal any pertinent information, but I'm intending to get insurance while in law school and address my epilepsy (among other things); and I'm not sure that I want my application to be read in this light. Given the professional and personal experiences of which I have demonstrated I am capable, I do not want to be rejected on account of someone deciding that I'm not physically up to completing law school.

Thanks in advance, all!