Many applications now have a question, sometimes optional, geared to encouraging people with minority backgrounds or unusual educational or family histories to write about their background.
How Are YOU Diverse?
First the easy answer: If you are an immigrant to the US, the child of immigrants or someone whose ethnicity is a minority in the US, you might find this question an interesting one to show how your background will add to the mix of perspectives at the program you are applying to.
Of course if you’re not a minority and don’t fall into one of those categories (and those are elements that you have no control over, so you can’t just jump into one of those categories), that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about. If you are applying to school after having an unusual experience for applicants, like serving in the military, becoming part of a dance troupe, or caring for disabled relative, you can use your experience to evoke the way in which you will bring diversity to campus.
Why Does Diversity Matter?
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.
Different Ways to Show Your Diversity
Your family’s culture, situation and traditions, and the way they have helped you develop particular character and personality traits are of interest, as are unusual experiences that have shaped you. Here are some examples you could write about:
1. You grew up with a strong insistence on respecting elders, attending family events or learning your parents’ native language and culture.
2. You are close to grandparents and extended family who have taught you how teamwork can help everyone survive.
3. You have had to face and deal with difficulties that stem from your parents’ values being in conflict with those of your peers.
4. Teachers have not always understood the elements of your culture or outside-of-school situation and how they pertain to your school performance.
5. You suffered from discrimination and formed your values and personality traits around your success in spite of the discrimination.
6. You learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm – living in foreign countries as the child of diplomats or contractors, performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports, or communicating with a deaf sibling.
It’s not just about who your parents are. It’s about who you are – to the core. Your background, your influences, your religious observances, your language, your ideas, your work environment, your community experiences – all of these factors come together to create a unique individual, an individual who can contribute to a diverse class and a diverse world.
Writing about Diversity
Your answer for the diversity question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your resilience, your character, and your ideas. WHO are you? WHAT have you done? HOW do you think? These elements will serve as the framework for your essay.
Remember: You don’t need to be a tight-rope walker living in the Andes to pass the diversity test. You need to have invested yourself in the world of diversity – to have lived and breathed uniqueness – in order to write successfully about how you will contribute to your school’s diverse population.
Work with an admissions expert to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking!
Related Resources:
• From Example to Exemplary, a free guide to writing outstanding application essays
• What to Do if You Belong to an Overrepresented Applicant Group
• Different Dimensions of Diversity, a podcast episode
i am applying for an internship for working with african american girls this summer in school and in my interview i will be asked how my arab and latina background can help enhance the experience of the girls ? what points should i mention when answering this question.
Malak,
That’s the kind of question where we would really need to know more about you and your internship to advise you or even answer your question. Sorry I can’t be of more help, but specifics would be very important. Perhaps telling the story of an incident that made you feel really different and what you learned from it and how you would bring that lesson to your interactions with the students this summer. I hope this very general suggestion is of help to you.
Can you please review this Essay Linda,
My family has its roots deep in the domain of business. Following the patriarchal culture, my father took up the reigns that were over half a century old. Though business runs in the family it was never imposed or forced on the progeny, who were bestowed with the liberty to pursue their passion and work ceaselessly for gaining knowledge in the same. My father motivated me to zero in on a long-term goal and tirelessly work hard to incubate skills, to effectively help and serve society. This principle of my father inspired me to take my learning a notch higher by pursuing a Masters.
Being the youngest of three brothers, I witnessed my dad struggle to provide us the best education available. Owing to the seasonal ups and downs prevalent in any business, there were times of dire financial crisis. But my father wanted nothing to compromise on our education and quite often went out of his comfort zone to keep us in the city’s best school- from kinder garden to high school. My father’s transcendence from a novice to the president of the same organization, the struggles, and efforts he put, helped me develop an articulate mindset and tackle problems with a positive outlook.
All the experiences and scenarios in my life so far, have helped me understand the nuances of growth and development and the vital role that education plays in both. During my under graduation, I enjoyed the position of a board member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, (ASME). Later assuming the role of Joint Secretary of ASME, I actively participated in conducting various technical workshops and educational events. During the same time, I also volunteered in an NGO, Help Age India, that raised funds to provide medicinal support to the elderly and also providing them the essentials of food, shelter, and clothing. I came to the realization that poverty and lack of education are the umbrellas that shelters various other social misconceptions, which can be eradicated only with proper exposure to education. I resolved to be a part of something that will bring about a change.
I pursued my under graduation down south of the Indian subcontinent, far from my hometown. Though I felt alienated in the beginning, the same helped me develop my Inter and Intrapersonal skills. I had the opportunity to coordinate with diverse individuals who represented various cultural backgrounds and possessed a unique personality. Being extroverted and straightforward, I found it easy to communicate and draw the best out of my peers. I enthusiastically engaged in constructive activities and discussions that simulated social benefiting ideas. During my MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering, I wish to indulge myself in knowledge and personality building exercises, all the while plotting new and better ideas to make education every child’s right and also ensure the same is provided, thus help in building a society whose future thrives on the knowledge of the progeny.
Hi Linda,
I am from India and one of my program requires me to write diversity essay. I am applying for MS in ME. I am a mountaineer and I have climbed extensively in India and Nepal. I have climbed 7th & 8th highest peak in the world. Can I write on these experience and how it shaped me as a person?
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks Linda!
Hi Akshay,
It’s really hard to give specific advice and the wording of the question also influences the answer, but not too many people have done what you’ve done in mountaineering. The key would be how these experiences have not only shaped you, but will allow you to contribute on campus, as a professional after you get your degree, and as an alum. How are you going to contribute to projects differently or be a better mechanical engineer because of your mountaineering experience?
Good afternoon, I am a 15 year old Latina applying to a summer enrichment program at Scripps, an all women’s college. I need to answer the following diversity essay prompt: Given your personal background, describe the qualities and accomplishments you would bring to the program.
I need help on how to start…I will be the first to attend college in my family, and for that reason I want to apply: to seem like a competitive student and potential candidate for a prestigious university or institution. Can someone please help me? I will appreciate any help.
Nat,
How do you feel your background as a Latina female has enriched you? Given you a valuable perspective? The answer to my questions could provide the theme for your essay. If you choose to go this route, then start with an anecdote that reflects your background and reveals the qualities you value about it.
Good luck with it!
Hi Linda
I am applying to university of Minnesota for graduate education, where I need to write the diversity essay. I am an Indian Muslim with a liberal upbringing which culminated in me turning into an Atheist. Do you think it is advisable to write about this change.
Secondly and more importantly, what about diseases and disabilities? I suffer with a chronic disease from childhood. Despite the restrictions it brought, I was able to achieve a decent education in one of the best colleges in India. My plan is focus more on this. Good idea?
Thank you
Rehan
You could write about becoming an atheist in a religious society, if that is accurate. Just remains respectful of other points of view.
Regarding the disability question, I would need to know more details. What is the specific wording of the question you are responding to? How did you illness limit you? How will your having deal with that issue allow you to contribute to class and to the school you are applying to? How are you a different person than you think you would be without having dealt with it?
Hello,
I am applying for a scholarship exclusive to people from different ethnic backgrounds. Just for a little background on me, I am Cuban and my grandfather immigrated to the U.S. when he was a teen.
The essay topic is what this scholarship would mean to me and my family. Should I bring up how this scholarship would allow me to show my grandfather’s sacrifices were worth it because I now have so many opportunities for a great education? Or should I stick to family values and why it is important to me in that way? My only reason for asking this is because it is obvious that everyone applying for this scholarship has some sort of minority background and many probably have similar circumstances of family members sacrificing for their education. Will the essay readers find this answer of family sacrifice too redundant and boring, or should I use my family’s background to my advantage?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Ann,
I’m really sorry, but without knowing more details I simply don’t have enough information to respond. I’m also not sure this is an either/or question.
Hello Linda,
I have run into the diversity question for one of my applications which states “Write about an experience or person that helped you define one of your values.” When I was younger my parents worked a lot and my grandparents had a pretty big influence on me growing up. My grandfather for example was a boy scout and some of his values are trust, loyalty, friendly, obedient, grateful, and being considerate. Should I being writing about how they may have influenced me? I have an Irish and European background but not so much to write about as my great great grandparents lived in the United States. I was also thinking of adding my parents values (which are about the same as their parents) and how they differ from friends values as well as learning skills form a sport that taught me teamwork and sportsmanship. Would love your help and guidance to see if I am on the right track!
Why do you think this is a diversity question? It seems to me to be a values question.
In terms of responding to it, I suggest you identify 1 or at most two of the values that you have imbibed in your home and discuss, discuss what they mean to you (define them), and 1-3 times when you lived those values. Quantity will depend on the essay length guidelines.
To add interest, you may want to start with the experience and then give the background.
HI Linda, I am from India, interested in applying for master’s in aerospace in US, can you help in reviewing my SOP.
Sure. We’re happy to do so. Please see http://www.accepted.com/grad/services/essay-editing .
Hello,
I applying for masters of public health and the program is asking me to write about how I can bring cultural diversity to the field chosen. I am not sure how to respond to this question based on my background.
I was born and brought up In India. I was with both my parents till 5th grade, after which as I parents moved to United states. I moved to live with my grandparents in a town within India. All my studying till undergraduate in India except for my 6th and 9th grade which was In America.
can You please guide me how to go with this?
You have lived and been educated in two different cultures spending significant time in both. You also have been raised by two different generations. How have both experienced influenced you? your perspective? your interest in public health?
I am a 39 year old gay man in college about to graduate with my associates degree. I live with my mother whom I take care of after my stepfathers death and help raise my two nieces. I am also a native american living on a reservation (for not much longer) and plan on moving to KS to finish up my bachelors degree. I have been through many hardships including being fired for being gay at a restaurant. I can’t really help it since I do act/talk a little feminine but that’s not what defines me as a person. I am scared of the election as Pence and Trump are about to take office and that means a possible step back from how far we’ve come. I need to write a paper on diversity and I am kind of stuck on how or where to start let along talk about. Could you help me out?
Jaysin,
You have a lot of different ways to approach this question in terms of your personal identity and experience. I really can’t advise you much beyond the tips in the post above; I don’t know the question you’re responding to. If it’s a research or academic paper that you are being asked to write, that isn’t really what Accepted focuses on. If it’s a personal statement on diversity, I would start with one event that exemplifies your experience as someone who is different than the majority culture in multiple ways. Then write about the impact of that experience on you and relate it to the question.
Hello Linda,
I’m applying to PhD in civil engineering in Purdue, and I’m struggling with the diversity essay question.
I’m from Jordan, I studied in Saudi Arabia from grade 1 till 4, then 5th in Jordan, 6th and 7th grade in Abu Dhabi, from 8th till 12th grade in Dubai, Bachelor’s in Jordan, now Masters in Dubai.
Can you please guide me or help me with some ideas on how to write, I absolutely have no clue on how start it
Best,
Khaled
Khalid,
Are you aware of some of the cultural differences you dealt with growing up in these different countries. How did you handle them? How has that challenged you and changed you?
does that help?
Hi,
I am a senior who is struggling to write about this topic. I know what I want to write about but I am stuck with the beginning/opening. I am 100% white but attended a bilingual immersion school from kindergarten- eight grade. This school, as well as my high school, are mainly latino based and I have embraced latin culture as my own. I have excelled in my Spanish classes, passing AP Spanish Literature, as well as being a translator for my schools newspaper. Hopefully you can help to tell me where to start and join all my ideas together. Thank you!
Jessica,
There are so many ways that you can start telling your story. Here are a few ideas: You can even open with “How did I get here?” Or “How did I an Anglo end up identifying completely with Latin culture?” Or “Am I member of the majority culture or minority culture? Do I belong in one or both?” then explore your experience and answer your questions.
And there are lots of others I’m sure.
Hi ma’am,
I want to major in astronomy. For the CommonApp prompt 1, can I write about what effects Astronomy has had on me as a 17 year old. I mean it really has. It has changed the way I think and has completely transformed me. In short, it has had a great influence on me so far. Can I write on how it has shaped me?
Thanks for the help. 🙂
Aliya(India)
yes. That’s what the prompt asks for.
HI ,
I am an Indian and I belong from a family where female education is not considered that important and they are married at early age. My father always felt that education is important and helped me with my every education and career goal. But my extended family always had problem with that, my mother was always taunted in family functions and none of my female cousin has ever went out of town to pursue a career. I am the first one. I moved from a village to city for education and from India to London for the job. Now i am married and living in USA and does not like to sit ideal at home, hence want to do graduation. Seeing me perform well my extended family members have started to come around and my female cousins are now allowed to do anything they like with their career. I guess I broke the stereotype. Can i use this in my essay?
Kindly help me with a decent way to put this in my essay. I am supposed to write a diversity essay. Any help will be highly appreciated 🙂
Shweta,
I’m sorry, but I really can’t advise you on this blog about the details of your essay. I don’t have enough information to respond with any specificity.
If you would like an Accepted consultant to advise you or critique what you have written, please see http://www.accepted.com/grad/services/essay-editing.
Thanks. Just one more thing, is it okay to mention the above mentioned story in the diversity essay?
There’s nothing wrong or taboo about mentioning it. I’m just not sure it’s the best story for you to use.
Hello there,
My name is Victoria. I was just recently admitted to the University of Mississippi, and am currently filling out my scholarship resume. They have a diversity question, which is optional but I still want to fill it out, and I am uncertain how to approach it. The prompt is: “A diverse student body enhances the overall classroom experience for all students. A mix of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds value to our University. Given your personal background, describe what you would bring to the diversity of our campus OR describe an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you. (Please note that your essay must be between 500 and 700 words. Your essay will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance).”
I was born in Las Vegas, NV, and have traveled across the United States 4 consecutive times since the 4th grade, excluding the visits I have made to Hawaii, Germany, and France. I am currently in my senior year, and I am going to be majoring in Biochemical Engineering. I am unsure whether to approach it through my experience with diversity (let alone how to approach this specifically), or if I should describe how I would bring diversity to the University. What are your thoughts?
Victoria,
Without knowing more about you and the specifics of how you would approach either option, I really can’t give an opinion. I can suggest that you write about the one you would be more enthusiastic writing, the one you find more meaningful and reflective of you.
Hello Linda.
I am completing a college program essay asking about how I define diversity, what diversity means to me, and how I will contribute to a diverse college community. I started the essay about how my experience growing up at a non-diverse private school was a huge transformation for me as I attended a public high school. How do you advise I go about answering how I define diversity? Should i bluntly say “I define diversity as…” or weave it through my story?
Thank you.
I would define it clearly if that’s part of the question.
Hello
I am an Indian American who is Jain.
I’ve practiced vegetarianism for all of my life, and have been bullied about it. I spend a lot of time following religious customs like avoiding the killing of insects, and fasting for 8 days every year.
I also spend time on a Jain TV show that discusses Jain News with the community. I also give speeches at local multicultural events hosted at churches that hope to unify people of different religions.
I also run the Bollywood Culture Club at my school, which raised thousands of dollars in festivities like Holi (where we have color fights) in order to donate to organizations in India and abroad.
I think this material is good for the diversity essay, but I’m not sure where to start. Any suggestions?
You don’t have to list all these activities in your essay . What does being Jain mean you’re going to bring to your class other than a love of vegetarian food? How is it going to make you a better colleague or how has it made you a better colleague?
Don’t think only in terms of things you’ve done. Think in terms of how you’ve contributed to or initiatives organizations or events. How have you solved problems for your community?
Then once you decide on what to focus your essays, think of a moment that illustrated that focus well.
Linda
Hii, I need tips on the following prompt:
An university is a community that is strong because of the diversity of our perspectives and experiences. Please describe how you could contribute to or benefit from campus diversity.
My question is : what exactly the prompt is asking me to do? I am not able to think on what to write.
Adhisha,
I would suggest that you read the post above. Are you in the U.S. or outside the U.S.?
Linda
I am from India.
Adhisha,
Are you a high school student applying to college in the U.S.? Or are you applying to grad school? If yes, in which specialty? Have you spent any time in the U.S.?
I am a high school student applying to college in the US for fall 2017 for food science course. Nope I have not spent any time in The US.
This is going to be a hard questions for you to answer because you don’t know the U.S. academic scene. On the other hand the fact that you grew up in India means that you have a different perspective and life experience from the applicants who grew up in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world. How has your life experience developed your perspective and though processes in a distinctive way. To make it as easy as possible. How are you different from your classmates applying to Indian schools? How would do you contribute to class discussions and team projects?
If you are still struggling with this, I suggest you have a college admissions consultation with one of our college consultants. She can work with you individually and guide you.
Linda
Thanks for your help!! Can we use a quotes in the college essays?
There is no rule saying you can’t, but don’t use more than one. Remember they want to hear from you, not the person you’re quoting.
Hello,
I am applying to undergraduate schools and I was wondering if you could provide me with some feedback on this topic. I was thinking about writing about how when I was younger (elementary-middle school) I was always embarrassed of not being “American”. I use quotes because I was born here but my parents were born and raised in Albania (a country in the Mediterranean) and came here in their 30s to ensure my siblings and I got a good education.
I was ashamed of my culture as a kid and wanted to assimilate to American culture. I was always embarrassed when I was younger about how my last name is hard to pronounce to most, the Albanian food I brought to school for lunch from home, speaking Albanian in public, etc. I was thinking of telling this story in more of a funny way so it’s not too sad or serious. Towards the end I can talk about how I have come to not only accept, but love my country and its traditions and customs.
I think it would be a good idea because there are very few Albanians in this country so it’s memorable but I don’t think it’s interesting or memorable enough.
Thanks!
Sarah,
The devil is in the details. Your idea could work and be effective, depending on the prompt and how well you execute. I would encourage you to focus most of the essay on your recent pride in your culture and heritage You can use your earlier embarrassment as a foil for contrast, but the focus should be on your maturation and growing pride.
Linda
Hello,
I am writing my essay as a flashback, more specifically, an internal analepsis. I never directly mentioned in my essay that “this experience helps me add diversity to ____ college because….” However, I explain how my experiences helped me diversify the world and society as a whole. Do I directly need to answer their question?
Thanks,
Ashley
Ashley,
It’s hard for me to say without actually reading your essay and the specific prompt you are responding to, but if you diversity the world and society it seems like you would also diversify that school.
So. I’m a white male student. I have had a typical middle class upbringing. I’ve gotten straight A’s in school: no adversity there. The rest of my community, except for the straight A’s, is just like me so I really haven’t had any exposure to diversity at all.
What do I do for any diversity essay I may encounter?
See, you and I are white – so no one cares. They want to specifically bring in minorities for “diversity purposes”. But, it’s funny to note, you don’t see anyone promoting bringings minorities or whites into *minority controlled communities* for “equality”. You don’t see anyone saying to legislatures, “We need more WHITE children and more WHITE teachers in these inner city low-grade, run down public schools. They’re not diverse enough!”
Hii,
Is it okay to mention about a stage in my life where I had been diagnosed with clinical depression and that I helped out myself to be a stronger person with a rejuvenated goal.
I really can’t answer that without seeing the essay, the prompt, and knowing more about it. Sorry.
Hi,
I’m writing a diversity essay for a graduate program but I’m having trouble trying not to focus on just my ethnical background. I’m part native american, but I didn’t grow up in the culture. My parents really never pushed me to go to the events, so I’m not familiar with my tribe’s traditions.
I thought about writing about growing up in the rural south and growing up in the farm, but what can I say about farming other than hard work?
Kameron,
I’m a city girl so I’m not sure I can advise you about writing about growing up on a farm. You may find interesting how this med student wrote about his farming background: http://www.accepted.com/medical/sample-essay/field-of-dreams ,
If you are in the north or in a big city write about adapting to the change or some of the differences you have observed. What have you adopted? Rejected? What are you pleased you got from your farming upbringing — a work ethic, a sense of responsibility, maybe an appreciation for rain at the right time and in the right amount? What aspects of life in the rural south do you want to maintain or abandon? What has been the impact on you?
Maybe some of these questions will get your going. Good luck with it.
“get your going” “you may find interesting how”
Do you really think that you’re qualified to advise ANYONE on ANYTHING, much less writing an ENGLISH essay on how to get into a liberal left-wing-nut cloning machine college these days?
I am applying to a physical therapy program and I am having a hard time addressing the diversity question. I’ve written numerous drafts but I do not feel my essay(s) are concise or convey my message. I grew up, for the most part, in a single parent household. I believe it is diverse however how can I differentiate myself from other applicants who grew up in a single parent household?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Megan,
it is very hard to comment on an essay without reading it or to advise you on this question when knowing nothing about you other than that you were raised in a single-parent household.
I can still perhaps give a couple of suggestions: Rather than focusing on how you are like people coming from single family households, you might focus on something that you feel was distinctive about your upbringing. And remember, you don’t have to be “unique” (you already are), just distinctive. 🙂
Is there anything you feel truly blessed with when you think of your upbringing that unfortunately others didn’t have? Are there other elements in your past that were challenges that you had to overcome or even reject, and that have influenced your perspective on life. The answers to these questions could make for a strong essay.
Thank you!
Hi,
I am attempting to write an essay for medical school on diversity, but I have quite the opposite problem from most people. My background is so diverse that I am uncertain how to structure my essay or what to include:
1) I was raised by my grandparents in a foreign country due to my mother’s illness. Once I returned to the US, I did not know the language and had to accommodate.
2) Though I identify as ethnically Hispanic, I have had a very mixed cultural experience growing up because my father is Indian.
3) Our family is of low socioeconomic status, so this has always influenced my choice of activities during school. This has also made me more aware of other’s situations, especially that of people experiencing homelessness.
4) I attended an unconventional high school (early college acceptance) and did not do so well…. not sure if I should justify my drop in academic performance or leave it out.
5) I am a first generation college student, so this has influenced me to become very resourceful, as I have not had anyone to ask for advice.
6) My father has had an accident recently that rendered him handicapped. This event has changed my lifestyle (and is medically relevant, but I’m uncertain whether this is a good thing).
7)…. I can go on and on.
Should I stick to one topic or try to cover multiple? If so, which would you recommend as the best/ better topic(s)? I feel like I could take this so many directions, but I don’t know which I should choose or what I should arrive at.
Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated.
Anonymous,
Your situation is complex and really too complex for me to address in a blog post without seeing your primary application, the experiences you describe and the exact question. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
It may be however that some of the experiences you describe should go in a statement of disadvantage or your personal statement (the impact of your father’s accident for example) while your ethnic heritage and the impact of growing up multi-culturally may belong more in the diversity essay.