6 Diversity College Essay Examples,Related Articles
WebNov 1, · Through the diversity essay, admissions officers want students to articulate the following: What makes them different from other applicants Stories related to their WebUniversity of Washington Erving Scholars Diversity Scholarship Essay Example Please describe your experience with diversity and your commitment to bring diverse groups WebDec 1, · Factors which are considered in the holistic evaluation of William C. Parker Scholarship applicants include contribution to diversity, test scores, grades, essay, WebYou must demonstrate your diversity (this includes varying cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, nationality, minorities, age, race, or ethnicity) to evaluators. Essay ... read more
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. Colleges want to see that you can follow instructions. If you don't follow the correct format, your essay could be discarded. Brainstorm ideas. Think about what sets you apart from other students. Are you from another country?
Are you a part of the LGBT community? Have you been socially ostracized because of a disorder or disease? Think about how diversity has made you a stronger person and how you will contribute to your college. Open a blank document in Microsoft Word and format your page. This is best to do at the beginning, so that you won't forget later. Start your essay with an introduction that gras your readers' attention. If you have a good anecdote dealing with diversity, start with that, or start with a strong quote or question. Develop a strong thesis. A thesis statement is one sentence that sums up what your essay is about. For example, you might say, "Learning how to adapt to life in the United States after spending the first 10 years of my life in Mexico was a challenge, but taught me how to overcome stigma, look past race and set goals for myself.
Although my childhood had its bright and joyful moments, much of it was weighty and would have been exhausting for any child to bear. I grew up fast. However, the responsibilities I took on at home prepared me to lead and to work diligently, setting me up to later use them in life. Shortly after being cast, I was elected as Freshman Vice-President, a role that put me in charge of promoting events, delegating daily office tasks, collaborating with the administration on new school initiatives, and planning trips and fundraisers. While it demanded a significant amount of responsibility, my childhood of helping my mom manage our household prepared me to be successful in the role.
When I saw the happy faces of my classmates after a big event, I felt proud to know that I had made a small difference for them. Seeing projects through to a successful outcome was thrilling. I enjoyed my time and responsibilities so much that I served all four years of high school, going on to become Executive Vice-President. As I found success in high school, my mother and grandparents began speaking more about the life they faced prior to emigrating from Colombia. To better connect with them, I took a series of Spanish language classes to regain my fluency. After a practice run through my presentation on Bendiceme Ultima Bless me, Ultima, by Rudolofo Anaya with my grandmother, she squeezed my hand and told me the story of how my family was forced from their home in order to live free of religious persecution.
I felt that much of it was erased with my loss of our native language. In elementary school, I learned English best because in class I was surrounded by it. Spanish was more difficult to grasp without a formal education, and my family urged me to become fluent in English so I could be of better help to them in places as disparate as government agencies and grocery stores. When I was old enough to recognize the large part of my identity still rooted in being Colombian, it was challenging to connect these two sides of who I was. Over time I have been able to reconcile the two in the context of my aspirations. I found purpose and fulfillment through student council, and I knew that I could help other families like my own if I worked in local government.
By working through city offices that address housing, education, and support for survivors of childhood abuse, I could give others the same liberties and opportunities my family has enjoyed in this country. Doing so would also help me honor my roots as a first-generation American. I have been a leader for my whole life. Both at Harvard and after graduation, I want to continue that trend. I hope to volunteer with organizations that share my goals. I want to advise politicians on policy-making that will make children and new immigrants safer and more secure. When my family was at their worst, my community gave back. I hope to give that gift to future generations.
This is a great example of how including your hardship can bolster an essay as long as it is not the main focus. Explaining the challenges this student faced from a young age—becoming the man of the house, dealing with legal matters, maintaining good grades, etc—builds sympathy for his situation. However, the first paragraph is even more impactful because he explains the emotional toll these actions had on him. We understand how he lost the innocence of his childhood and how he struggled to remain connected to his Colombian heritage with all his other responsibilities. Pivoting to discuss positive experiences with student government and Spanish classes for the rest of the essay demonstrates that this student has a positive approach to life and is willing to push through challenges.
The tone of the essay shifts from heavy to uplifting. He explains the joy he got out of helping his classmates and connecting with his grandparents, once again providing emotional reflection to make the reader care more. Overall, this essay does a nice job of demonstrating how this student approaches challenges and negative experiences. Admitting that the responsibilities of his childhood had a silver lining shows his maturity and how he will be able to succeed in government one day. The essay strikes a healthy balance between challenge and hope, leaving us with a positive view of a student with such emotional maturity.
Although the content of this essay is very strong, it struggles with redundancy and disorganized information. He mentions his passion for government at the beginning of the student government paragraph, then again addresses government in the paragraph focused on his Colombian heritage, and concludes by talking about how he wants to get into government once more. Similarly, in the first paragraph he discusses the struggle of maintaining his Colombian identity and then fully delves into that topic in the third paragraph. The reader is left trying to piece together a swirling mass of information on their own, rather than having a focused, sequential order to follow. This could be fixed if the student rearranged details to make each paragraph focused on a singular idea.
For example, the first paragraph could be about his childhood, the second about how student government sparked his interest in government and what he hopes to do one day, the third about how he reconnected with his Colombian roots through his Spanish classes after years of struggling with his identity, and the final paragraph could tie everything together by explaining how everything led to him wanting to pursue a future serving others, particularly immigrants like his family. Alternatively, the essay could follow a sequential order that would start with his childhood, then explain his struggle with his identity, then show how student government and Spanish classes helped him find himself, and finally conclude with what he hopes to accomplish by pursuing government.
I never understood the power of community until I left home to join seven strangers in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Although we flew in from distant corners of the U. Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns. Contrastingly, these seven strangers delighted in bird-watching, brightened at the mention of medicinal tree sap, and understood why I once ran across a four-lane highway to retrieve discarded beer cans. Their histories barely resembled mine, yet our values aligned intimately. We did not hesitate to joke about bullet ants, gush about the versatility of tree bark, or discuss the destructive consequences of materialism.
Together, we let our inner tree huggers run free. In the short life of our little community, we did what we thought was impossible. After a week of stimulating conversations and introspective revelations about engaging people from our hometowns in environmental advocacy, we developed a shared determination to devote our lives to this cause. We all have unique things that we geek out over and this student expresses the joy that came when they found a community where they could express their love for the environment. Passion is fundamental to university life and should find its way into successful applications.
The essay finds strength in the fact that readers feel for the student. This student displays clear values: community, ecoconsciousness, dedication, and compassion. An admissions officer who reads a diversity essay is looking for students with strong values who will enrich the university community with their unique perspective—sounds like this student! One area of weakness in this essay is the introduction. Introductions should be captivating and build excitement and suspense for what is to come. Simply telling the reader about how your experience made you understand the power of community reveals the main takeaway of your essay without the reader needing to go any further.
College Essays. If you're applying to college, you've probably heard the phrase "diversity essay" once or twice. This type of essay is a little different from your typical "Why this college? Instead of focusing on why you've chosen a certain school, you'll write about your background, values, community, and experiences—basically, what makes you special. In this guide, I explain what a diversity college essay is, what schools are looking for in this essay, and what you can do to ensure your diversity essay stands out. A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that focuses on you as an individual and your relationship with a specific community.
The purpose of this essay is to reveal what makes you different from other applicants, including what unique challenges or barriers you've faced and how you've contributed to or learned from a specific community of people. Generally speaking, the diversity college essay is used to promote diversity in the student body. As a result, the parameters of this essay are typically quite broad. Applicants may write about any relevant community or experience. Here are some examples of communities you could discuss:. Although the diversity essay is a common admissions requirement at many colleges, most schools do not specifically refer to this essay as a diversity essay. At some schools the diversity essay is simply your personal statement , whereas at others it's a supplemental essay or short answer.
It's also important to note that the diversity essay is not limited to undergraduate programs. Many graduate programs also require diversity essays from applicants. So if you're planning to eventually apply to graduate school, be aware that you might have to write yet another diversity statement! 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. At the University of Michigan , the diversity college essay is a required supplemental essay for all freshman applicants.
Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. Like UM, the University of Washington asks students for a short answer words diversity essay. UW also offers advice on how to answer the prompt. Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the University of Washington. Keep in mind that the University of Washington strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values, and viewpoints.
The UC system requires freshman applicants to choose four out of eight prompts or personal insight questions and submit short essays of up to words each. Two of these are diversity essay prompts that heavily emphasize community, personal challenges, and background. For each prompt, the UC system offers tips on what to write about and how to craft a compelling essay. Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement? Things to consider: A challenge could be personal, or something you have faced in your community or school.
Why was the challenge significant to you? This is a good opportunity to talk about any obstacles you've faced and what you've learned from the experience. Did you have support from someone else or did you handle it alone? If you're currently working your way through a challenge, what are you doing now, and does that affect different aspects of your life? For example, ask yourself, "How has my life changed at home, at my school, with my friends or with my family? Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team or a place—like your high school, hometown or home. You can define community as you see fit, just make sure you talk about your role in that community.
Was there a problem that you wanted to fix in your community? Why were you inspired to act? What did you learn from your effort? How did your actions benefit others, the wider community or both? Did you work alone or with others to initiate change in your community? Think about your community: how has it helped you? What have you done for it? Freshman applicants to the University of Oklahoma who want to qualify for a leader, community service, or major-based scholarship must answer two optional, additional writing prompts , one of which tackles diversity. The word count for this prompt is words or less. Please describe your cultural and community service activities and why you chose to participate in them. In addition to having to answer the Common Application or Coalition Application essay prompts, applicants to Duke University may but do not have to submit short answers to two prompts, both of which are diversity college essay prompts.
The maximum word count for each is words. We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. At Pitzer, freshman applicants must use the Common Application and answer one supplemental essay prompt. One of these prompts is a diversity essay prompt that asks you to write about your community. At Pitzer, five core values distinguish our approach to education: social responsibility, intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary learning, student engagement and environmental sustainability.
As agents of change, our students utilize these values to create solutions to our world's challenges. Reflecting on your involvement throughout high school or within the community, how have you engaged with one of Pitzer's core values? At the University of North Carolina , both freshman and transfer applicants must submit short answers words to two of four prompts. One is a diversity college essay prompt that wants to know more about the influence of your background on your current self. Describe an aspect of your identity and how this has shaped your life experiences or impacted your daily interactions with others? Many colleges and universities, such as Purdue University , use the Common Application and its essay prompts.
One of its essay prompts is for a diversity essay, which can be anywhere from to words. This prompt has a strong focus on the applicant's identity, interests, and background. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. ApplyTexas is similar to the Common Application but is only used by public colleges and universities in the state of Texas. The application contains multiple essay prompts, one of which is a diversity college essay prompts that ask you to elaborate on your environment, a community, and your personal identity. Essay B: Some students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way.
If you are one of these students, then tell us about yourself. Be the red apple. With the diversity essay, what colleges usually want most is to learn more about you , including what experiences have made you the person you are today and what unique insights you can offer the school. But what kinds of specific qualities do schools look for in a diversity essay? To answer this, let's look at what schools themselves have said about college essays. Although not many colleges give advice specific to the diversity essay, many provide tips for how to write an effective college essay in general.
For example, here is what Dickinson College hopes to see in applicants' college essays:. It may be trite advice, but it's also true. Admissions counselors develop a sixth sense about essay writers who are authentic. You'll score points for being earnest and faithful to yourself. Authenticity is key to writing an effective diversity essay. Remember: admissions committees read thousands of applications, so they can spot a fake story a mile away. Next, here's what Wellesley College says about the purpose of college essays:. It's important to not only be authentic but to also showcase "what sets you apart" from other applicants—that is, what makes you you.
This is especially important when you consider how many applications admissions committees go through each year. If you don't stand out in some positive way, you'll likely end up in the crapshoot , significantly reducing or even eliminating your chances of admission. And finally, here's some advice from the University of Michigan on writing essays for college:. Your college essay will be one of nearly 50, that we'll be reading in admissions—use this opportunity to your advantage. Your essay gives us insights into your personality; it helps us determine if your relationship with the school will be mutually beneficial. 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.
Scholarship Essays,Table of contents
WebDec 1, · Factors which are considered in the holistic evaluation of William C. Parker Scholarship applicants include contribution to diversity, test scores, grades, essay, WebYou must demonstrate your diversity (this includes varying cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, nationality, minorities, age, race, or ethnicity) to evaluators. Essay WebUniversity of Washington Erving Scholars Diversity Scholarship Essay Example Please describe your experience with diversity and your commitment to bring diverse groups WebNov 1, · Through the diversity essay, admissions officers want students to articulate the following: What makes them different from other applicants Stories related to their ... read more
Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities. Although my parents spoke English, they constantly worked in order to financially support my little brother and I. I want to advise politicians on policy-making that will make children and new immigrants safer and more secure. For example, you might say, "Learning how to adapt to life in the United States after spending the first 10 years of my life in Mexico was a challenge, but taught me how to overcome stigma, look past race and set goals for myself. One week later, we both brought pages of notes, evidence cards, and I had my Iron-Man bobblehead for moral support. If so, what have you found challenging about it?
So if you're planning to eventually apply to graduate school, be aware that you might have to write yet another diversity statement! Community might refer diversity scholarship essay your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, diversity scholarship essay, co-workers, etc. But each time he's re-built himself with more resilience. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. Lots of sirens. Counselor Home. College Admissions Counseling.
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