21 Essays About Diversity For Students and Writers,What is a diversity essay?
WebNov 1, · Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc. Diversity essays can come in many forms. Some scholarships are offered WebJan 31, · College Diversity Essay Examples for. Updated: Jan 31, Institutions of higher learning want to recognize diversity and support students from WebNov 1, · Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc. Diversity essays can come in many forms. Some scholarships are offered WebJan 31, · College Diversity Essay Examples for. Updated: Jan 31, Institutions of higher learning want to recognize diversity and support students from ... read more
Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community. Think about what aspects of your identity or background make you unique, and choose one that has significantly impacted your life. For some students, it may be easy to identify what sets them apart from their peers. Include vulnerable, authentic stories about your lived experiences. Maintain focus on your experience rather than going into too much detail comparing yourself to others or describing their experiences. Tell a story about how your background, identity, or experience has impacted you. When I was a baby, my grandmother took me in, even though that meant postponing her retirement and continuing to work full-time at the local hairdresser.
Even working every shift she could, she never missed a single school play or soccer game. She and I had a really special bond, even creating our own special language to leave each other secret notes and messages. She always pushed me to succeed in school, and celebrated every academic achievement like it was worthy of a Nobel Prize. Every month, any leftover tip money she received at work went to a special savings plan for my college education. When I was in the 10th grade, my grandmother was diagnosed with ALS. While my face initially assured locals of my Chinese identity, the moment I spoke, my cover was blown. Highlight your actions, difficulties, and feelings rather than comparing yourself to others.
While it may be tempting to write about how you have been more or less fortunate than those around you, keep the focus on you and your unique experiences, as shown below. I am the first person in my family to even consider going to college. Rather than playing soccer or competing in speech and debate, I help my family by taking care of my younger siblings after school and on the weekends. Speak proper English! In middle school, I had relentlessly studied English grammar textbooks and received the highest marks. Leaving Seoul was hard, but living in West Orange, New Jersey was much harder一especially navigating everyday communication with Americans. After sharing relevant personal stories, make sure to provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your perspective, activities, and goals.
Conclude your essay with an insight about how your background or identity has affected your outlook, actions, and goals. You should include specific actions and activities that you have done as a result of your insight. Her mother prepared tamales, churros, and Mexican hot chocolate, packing them all neatly in an Igloo lunch box. The following semester, I joined Model UN. Since then, I have learned how to proudly represent other countries and have gained cultural perspectives other than my own. I now understand that all cultures, including my own, are equal. I still struggle with small triggers, like when I go through airport security and feel a suspicious glance toward me, or when I feel self-conscious for bringing kabsa to school lunch.
But in the future, I hope to study and work in international relations to continue learning about other cultures and impart a positive impression of Saudi culture to the world. Going to school regularly was always a struggle: between the unceasing demands of the farm and our lack of connectivity, it was hard to keep up with my studies. Despite being a voracious reader, avid amateur chemist, and active participant in the classroom, emergencies and unforeseen events at the farm meant that I had a lot of unexcused absences. Although it had challenges, my upbringing taught me resilience, the value of hard work, and the importance of family.
Staying up all night to watch a foal being born, successfully saving the animals from a minor fire, and finding ways to soothe a nervous mare afraid of thunder have led to an unbreakable family bond. Maybe a larger public school setting will allow you to broaden your community, or a small liberal arts college has a specialized program that will give you space to discover your voice and identity. At the University of Michigan Engineering, I want to receive a top-notch education and use it to inspire others to strive for their best, regardless of their circumstances. In addition to your main college essay , some schools and scholarships may ask for a supplementary essay focused on an aspect of your identity or background. This is sometimes called a diversity essay. So tell us what faculty you'd like to work with, or what research you're interested in.
Tell us why you're a leader—or how you overcame adversity in your life. Tell us why this is the school for you. Tell us your story. Overall, the most important characteristic colleges are looking for in the diversity essay as well as in any college essay you submit is authenticity. Colleges want to know who you are and how you got here; they also want to see what makes you memorable and what you can bring to the school. Coffee not required for writing an excellent diversity essay. Here are some tips to help you write a great diversity college essay and increase your chances of admission to college. One of the main purposes of the diversity essay is to present your uniqueness and explain how you will bring a new perspective to the student body and school as a whole.
Therefore, for your essay, be sure to choose a topic that will help you stand apart from other applicants. For example, instead of writing about your ability to play the piano which a lot of applicants can do, no doubt , it'd be far more interesting to elaborate on how your experience growing up in Austria led you to become interested in classical music. Try to think of defining experiences in your life. These don't have to be obvious life-altering events, but they should have had a lasting impact on you and helped shape your identity. Ah, there's that word again: authentic. While it's important to showcase how unique you are, you also want to make sure you're staying true to who you are.
What experiences have made you the person you are today? What kind of impact did these have on your identity, accomplishments, and future goals? Being honest also means not exaggerating or lying about your experiences or views. It's okay if you don't remember every little detail of an event or conversation. Just try to be as honest about your feelings as possible. Don't say something changed your life if it really had zero impact on you. Ultimately, you want to write in a way that's true to your voice. Don't be afraid to throw in a little humor or a personal anecdote. What matters most is that your diversity essay accurately represents you and your intellectual potential.
This next tip is of a more mechanical nature. As is the case with any college essay, it's critical that your diversity essay is well written. After all, the purpose of this essay is not only to help schools get to know you better but also to demonstrate a refined writing ability—a skill that's necessary for doing well in college, regardless of your major. A diversity essay that's littered with typos and grammatical errors will fail to tell a smooth, compelling, and coherent story about you. It will also make you look unprofessional and won't convince admissions committees that you're serious about college and your future. So what should you do? First, separate your essay into clear, well-organized paragraphs.
Next, proofread your essay several times. As you further tweak your draft, continue to proofread it. If possible, get an adult—such as a teacher, tutor, or parent—to look it over for you as well. Our final tip is to give yourself plenty of time to actually write your diversity essay. Usually, college applications are due around December or January , so it's a good idea to start your essay early, ideally in the summer before your senior year and before classes and homework begin eating up your time. Starting early also lets you gain some perspective on your diversity essay. Here's how to do this: once you've written a rough draft or even just a couple of paragraphs of your essay, put it away for a few days.
Once this time passes, take out your essay again and reread it with a fresh perspective. Try to determine whether it still has the impact you wanted it to have. Ask yourself: does this essay sound like the real you, or someone else? Are some areas a little too cheesy? Could you add more or less detail to certain paragraphs? Finally, giving yourself lots of time to write your diversity essay means you can have more people read it and offer comments and edits on it. This is crucial for producing an altogether effective diversity college essay. A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that revolves around an applicant's background and identity, usually within the context of a particular community.
This community can refer to race or ethnicity, income level, neighborhood, school, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Many colleges—such as the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and UNC—use the diversity essay to ensure diversity in their student bodies. Some schools require the essay, whereas others accept it as an optional application component. If you'll be writing diversity essays for college, be sure to do the following when writing your essay to give yourself a higher chance of admission:. You understand how to write a diversity essay— but what about a "Why this college? What about a general personal statement? Our guides explain what these essays are and how you can produce amazing responses for your applications.
Want more samples of college essay prompts? Read dozens of real prompts with our guide and learn how to answer them effectively. Curious about what a good college essay actually looks like? Want to improve your SAT score by points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From to , she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.
com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers. How to Get a Perfect , by a Perfect Scorer. Score on SAT Math. Score on SAT Reading. Score on SAT Writing. Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. What ACT target score should you be aiming for? ACT Vocabulary You Must Know. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score. How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League.
How to Get a Perfect 4. How to Write an Amazing College Essay. What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For? Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide. Should you retake your SAT or ACT? When should you take the SAT or ACT? Choose Your Test. SAT Prep ACT Prep. How to Write a Diversity Essay: 4 Key Tips. Posted by Hannah Muniz Oct 18, PM. What Is a Diversity Essay for College? Diversity Essay Sample Prompts From Colleges Now that you understand what diversity essays for college are, let's take a look at some diversity essay sample prompts from actual college applications. University of Michigan At the University of Michigan , the diversity college essay is a required supplemental essay for all freshman applicants.
University of Washington Like UM, the University of Washington asks students for a short answer words diversity essay. Tip Keep in mind that the University of Washington strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values, and viewpoints. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place? Tell your story. Let the Board of Admission discover: More about you as a person. The side of you not shown by SATs and grades. Your history, attitudes, interests, and creativity. Your values and goals—what sets you apart.
Speak with an Accepted admissions expert for FREE! What is the diversity question in a school application, and more importantly, why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? If you are an immigrant to the U. Because you can use it to show how your background will add to the mix of perspectives at the program you are applying to. Download this sample personal background essay, and see how one student won over the adcom and got accepted into their top-choice MBA program. For example, you may have an unusual or special experience to share, like serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative.
You could be the first member of your family to apply to college or the first to learn English in your household; you could have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. Admissions officers believe diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all students. The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer the discussions will be and the more creative the teams will become. Plus, learning and growing in this multicultural environment will prepare students for working in our increasingly multicultural and global world.
In medicine, for example, a heterogeneous workforce benefits people from previously underrepresented cultures in medicine. Businesses realize they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences and markets. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st-century job market. Adcoms want to know about your diversity elements and the way they have helped you develop particular character and personality traits , as well as the unusual experiences that have shaped you. Your background, influences, religious observances, language, ideas, work environment, community experiences — all of these factors come together to create a unique individual, one who will contribute to a varied class of distinct individuals taking their place in a diverse world.
Your answer to the diversity question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your resilience, your character, and your perspective. The school may well ask how you think of diversity or how you can bring or add to the diversity of your school, chosen profession, or community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting a distinctive you that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. Learn more about this three-part framework in this blog post.
Think about each question and how you could apply your diversity elements to the classroom, your school, or your community. Any of these elements will serve as the framework for your essay. And please remember, the examples I have listed are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity! There is only one you. Take a look at this sample diversity essay and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for and experience with diversity:. When I was starting 11 th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata northwest Honshu in Japan.
Rather than stay behind with my mom and siblings, I begged to go with him. As a straight-A student, I convinced my parents and the principal that I could handle my schoolwork remotely pre-COVID for that stretch. It was time to leap beyond my comfortable suburban Wisconsin life—and my Western orientation, reinforced by travel to Europe the year before. Of the many eye-opening, influential, cultural experiences, the one that resonates most powerfully to me is experiencing their community. It was a living, organic whole. Elementary school kids spent time helping with the rice harvest. People who foraged for seasonal wild edibles gave them to acquaintances throughout the town. In fact, there was a constant sharing of food among residents—garden veggies carried in straw baskets, fish or meat in coolers.
When an empty-nest year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community flowed! Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. We nod hello to neighbors in passing. This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Except for my dad, I saw no Westerner there. Curious eyes followed me. Stepping into a market or walking down the street, I drew gazes. People swiftly looked away if they accidentally caught my eye. It was not at all hostile, I knew, but I felt like an object.
The sense of being watched sometimes generated mild stress or resentment. Returning to my lovely tatami room, I would decompress, grateful to be alone. I realized this challenge was a minute fraction of what others experience in my own country. Experiencing it firsthand, albeit briefly, benignly, and in relative comfort, I got it. Unlike the organic Niigata community, work teams, and the workplace itself, have externally driven purposes. Within this different environment, I will strive to exemplify the ongoing mutual awareness that fueled the community life in Niigata. Does it benefit the bottom line, improve the results? But it helps me be the mature, engaged person I want to be, and to appreciate the individuals who are my colleagues and who comprise my professional community.
What did you think of this essay? Does this middle class Midwesterner have the unique experience of being different from the surrounding majority, something she had not experienced in the U. By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay. Want to ensure your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking? Work with one of our admissions experts and download our FREE Diversity Checklist. By Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted.
Linda earned her bachelors and MBA at UCLA, and has been advising applicants since when she founded Accepted. Linda is the co-founder and first president of AIGAC. She has written or co-authored 13 e-books on the admissions process, and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal , U. Linda is the host of Admissions Straight Talk , a podcast for graduate school applicants. Want an admissions expert to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch! About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service. Accepted S. Robertson Blvd. Business School Free MBA Admissions Consultation MBA Admissions Services School-Specific MBA Essay Tips Executive MBA Essay Tips MBA Admissions Calendar Free Guides Video Tips Podcast Selectivity Index EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants Medical School Free Med School Admissions Consultation Med School Admissions Services Med School Admissions Secondary Essay Tips by School Student Interviews Free Guides Video Tips Podcast Selectivity Index Law School Free Law School Admissions Consultation Law School Admissions Services Law School Admissions Selectivity Index Free Guides Podcast Video Tips Graduate School Free Grad School Admissions Consultation Grad School Admissions Services Grad School Admissions Free Guides Video Tips Podcast College Free College Admissions Consultation College Admissions Services Free Guides Supplemental Essay Tips Video Tips Podcast.
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Addressing Diversity in a College Application Essay,In This Section
WebNov 1, · Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc. Diversity essays can come in many forms. Some scholarships are offered WebNov 1, · Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc. Diversity essays can come in many forms. Some scholarships are offered WebJan 31, · College Diversity Essay Examples for. Updated: Jan 31, Institutions of higher learning want to recognize diversity and support students from WebJan 31, · College Diversity Essay Examples for. Updated: Jan 31, Institutions of higher learning want to recognize diversity and support students from ... read more
Our Story. Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community. How has your role within this group defined who you are as a person today, and how will it influence you in the future? What did you think of this essay? We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. Maintain focus on your experience rather than going into too much detail comparing yourself to others or describing their experiences.
Take a look at this video: Essay Writing Tips When we speak more generally, not just of diversity essays in particular, but with respect to how to write a college essaycollege essay diversity, most of the rules are going to be more or less college essay diversity same as with other prompts. Why was the challenge significant to you? Since colleges promote diversity so heavily, you are likely to find primarily positive outcomes for this topic. We nod hello to neighbors in passing. Include vulnerable, authentic stories about your lived experiences. This essay lets you explore potential drawbacks.
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