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• How to Write a Diversity Essay | Tips & Examples

How to Write a Diversity Essay | Tips & Examples

Published on November 1, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

Table of contents

What is a diversity essay, identify how you will enrich the campus community, share stories about your lived experience, explain how your background or identity has affected your life, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

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 specifically for students who come from an underrepresented background or identity in higher education. At highly competitive schools, supplemental diversity essays require students to address how they will enhance the student body with a unique perspective, identity, or background.

In the Common Application and applications for several other colleges, some main essay prompts ask about how your background, identity, or experience has affected you.

Why schools want a diversity essay

Many universities believe a student body representing different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community.

Through the diversity essay, admissions officers want students to articulate the following:

• What makes them different from other applicants
• Stories related to their background, identity, or experience
• How their unique lived experience has affected their outlook, activities, and goals

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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. But if you’re having trouble identifying what makes you different from other applicants, consider your life from an outsider’s perspective. Don’t presume your lived experiences are normal or boring just because you’re used to them.

Some examples of identities or experiences that you might write about include the following:

• Race/ethnicity
• Gender identity
• Sexual orientation
• Nationality
• Socioeconomic status
• Immigration background
• Religion/belief system
• Place of residence
• Family circumstances
• Extracurricular activities related to diversity

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.

Keep the focus on you

Tell a story about how your background, identity, or experience has impacted you. While you can briefly mention another person’s experience to provide context, be sure to keep the essay focused on you. Admissions officers are mostly interested in learning about your lived experience, not anyone else’s.

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 509 savings plan for my college education.

When I was in the 10th grade, my grandmother was diagnosed with ALS. We didn’t have health insurance, and what began with quitting soccer eventually led to dropping out of school as her condition worsened. In between her doctor’s appointments, keeping the house tidy, and keeping her comfortable, I took advantage of those few free moments to study for the GED.

In school pictures at Raleigh Elementary School, you could immediately spot me as “that Asian girl.” At lunch, I used to bring leftover fun see noodles, but after my classmates remarked how they smelled disgusting, I begged my mom to make a “regular” lunch of sliced bread, mayonnaise, and deli meat.

Although born and raised in North Carolina, I felt a cultural obligation to learn my “mother tongue” and reconnect with my “homeland.” After two years of all-day Saturday Chinese school, I finally visited Beijing for the first time, expecting I would finally belong. While my face initially assured locals of my Chinese identity, the moment I spoke, my cover was blown. My Chinese was littered with tonal errors, and I was instantly labeled as an “ABC,” American-born Chinese.

I felt culturally homeless.

Speak from your own experience

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 began to despair when the FAFSA website once again filled with red error messages.

I had been at the local library for hours and hadn’t even been able to finish the form, much less the other to-do items for my application.

I am the first person in my family to even consider going to college. My parents work two jobs each, but even then, it’s sometimes very hard to make ends meet. 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.

“We only speak one language here. Speak proper English!” roared a store owner when I had attempted to buy bread and accidentally used the wrong preposition.

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. You should also explain how your background led you to apply to this university and why you’re a good fit.

Include your outlook, actions, 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.

One night, before the midnight premiere of Avengers: Endgame , I stopped by my best friend Maria’s house. Her mother prepared tamales, churros, and Mexican hot chocolate, packing them all neatly in an Igloo lunch box. As we sat in the line snaking around the AMC theater, I thought back to when Maria and I took salsa classes together and when we belted out Selena’s “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” at karaoke. In that moment, as I munched on a chicken tamale, I realized how much I admired the beauty, complexity, and joy in Maria’s culture but had suppressed and devalued my own.

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.

The smell of the early morning dew and the welcoming whinnies of my family’s horses are some of my most treasured childhood memories. To this day, our farm remains so rural that we do not have broadband access, and we’re too far away from the closest town for the postal service to reach us.

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.

Our farm is my family’s birthright and our livelihood, and I am eager to learn how to ensure the farm’s financial and technological success for future generations. In college, I am looking forward to joining a chapter of Future Farmers of America and studying agricultural business to carry my family’s legacy forward.

Tailor your answer to the university

After explaining how your identity or background will enrich the university’s existing student body, you can mention the university organizations, groups, or courses in which you’re interested.

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. Perhaps this particular university has an active affinity group you’d like to join.

Demonstrating how a university’s specific programs or clubs are relevant to you can show that you’ve done your research and would be a great addition to the university.

At the University of Michigan Engineering, I want to study engineering not only to emulate my mother’s achievements and strength, but also to forge my own path as an engineer with disabilities. I appreciate the University of Michigan’s long-standing dedication to supporting students with disabilities in ways ranging from accessible housing to assistive technology. 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.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

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 .

Many universities believe a student body composed of different perspectives, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds will enhance the campus learning and community experience.

Admissions officers are interested in hearing about how your unique background, identity, beliefs, culture, or characteristics will enrich the campus community, which is why they assign a diversity essay .

To write an effective diversity essay , include vulnerable, authentic stories about your unique identity, background, or perspective. Provide insight into how your lived experience has influenced your outlook, activities, and goals. If relevant, you should also mention how your background has led you to apply for this university and why you’re a good fit.

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How to Write a College Diversity Essay – Examples & Tips

What is a diversity essay for college?

If you are preparing for your college application, you have probably heard that you sometimes need to submit a “diversity essay,” and you might be wondering how this is different from the usual admission essay. A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that focuses on the applicant’s background, identity, culture, beliefs, or relationship with a specific community, on what makes an applicant unique, and on how they might bring a fresh perspective or new insights to a school’s student body. Colleges let applicants write such essays to ensure diversity in their campus communities, to improve everyone’s learning experience, or to determine who might be eligible for scholarships that are offered to students from generally underrepresented backgrounds. 

Some colleges list the essay as one of their main requirements to apply, while others give you the option to add it to your application if you wish to do so. At other schools, it is simply your “personal statement”—but the prompts you are given can make it an essay on the topic of diversity in your life and how that has shaped who you are.

To write a diversity essay, you need to think about what makes you uniquely you: What significant experiences have you made, because of your background, that might separate you from other applicants? Sometimes that is obvious, but sometimes it is easy to assume our experiences are normal just because we are part of a community that shares the same circumstances, beliefs, or experiences. But if you look at your life from the perspective of someone who is not part of that community, such as an admissions officer, they can suddenly be not-so-common and help you stand out from the crowd.

Diversity Essay Examples and Topics

Diversity essays come in all shapes and formats, but what they need to do is highlight an important aspect of your identity, background, culture, viewpoints, beliefs, goals, etc. You could, for example, write about one of the following topics:

• Your home country/hometown
• Your cultural/immigration background
• Your race/ethnicity
• Your unique family circumstances
• Your religion/belief system
• Your socioeconomic background
• Your disability
• Your sex/gender
• Your sexual orientation
• Your gender identity
• Your values/opinions
• Your experiences
• Your extracurricular activities related to diversity

In the following, we ask some general questions to make you start reflecting on what diversity might mean for you and your life, and we present you with excerpts from several successful diversity-related application essays that will give you an idea about the range of topics you can write about.

How does diversity make you who you are as a person or student?

We usually want to fit in, especially when we are young, and you might not even realize that you and your life experiences could add to the diversity of a student campus. You might think that you are just like everyone around you. Or you might think that your background is nothing to brag about and are not really comfortable showcasing it. But looking at you and your life from the point of view of someone who is not part of your community, your background, culture, or family situation might actually be unique and interesting. 

What makes admission committees see the unique and interesting in your life is an authentic story, maybe even a bit vulnerable, about your lived experiences and the lessons you learned from them that other people who lived other lifes did not have the chance to learn. Don’t try to explain how you are different from others or how you have been more privileged or less fortunate than others—let your story do that. Keep the focus on yourself, your actions, thoughts, and feelings, and allow the reader a glimpse into your culture, upbringing, or community that gives them some intriguing insights. 

Have a look at the excerpt below from a diversity essay that got an applicant into Cornell University . This is just the introduction, but there is probably no admissions officer who would not want to keep reading after such a fascinating entry. 

He’s in my arms, the newest addition to the family. I’m too overwhelmed. “That’s why I wanted you to go to Bishop Loughlin,” she says, preparing baby bottles. “But ma, I chose Tech because I wanted to be challenged.” “Well, you’re going to have to deal with it,” she replies, adding, “Your aunt watched you when she was in high school.” “But ma, there are three of them. It’s hard!” Returning home from a summer program that cemented intellectual and social independence to find a new baby was not exactly thrilling. Add him to the toddler and seven-year-old sister I have and there’s no wonder why I sing songs from Blue’s Clues and The Backyardigans instead of sane seventeen-year-old activities. It’s never been simple; as a female and the oldest, I’m to significantly rear the children and clean up the shabby apartment before an ounce of pseudo freedom reaches my hands. If I can manage to get my toddler brother onto the city bus and take him home from daycare without snot on my shoulder, and if I can manage to take off his coat and sneakers without demonic screaming for no apparent reason, then it’s a good day. Only, waking up at three in the morning to work, the only free time I have, is not my cup of Starbucks.  Excerpt from “All Worth It”, Anonymous, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

How has your identity or background affected your life?

On top of sharing a relevant personal story, you also need to make sure that your essay illustrates how your lived experience has influenced your perspective, your life choices, or your goals. If you can explain how your background or experience led you to apply to the school you want to submit the essay to, and why you would be a great fit for that school, even better. 

You don’t need to fit all of that into one short essay, though. Just make sure to end your essay with some conclusions about the things your life has taught you that will give the admissions committee a better idea of who you now are—like the author of the following (winning) admissions essay submitted to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) .

[…] I always thought that I had it the worst out of all my family members because I was never allowed to get anything lower than what my brother or a cousin had gotten in a class. My parents figured if they could do it, so could I, and if not on my own then with a little of their help. It was not until recently that I realized the truth in this. In my short life I have seen my father go from speaking no English to excelling in it. I have heard countless stories about migrant farmers such as Cesar Chavez and my grandfather who had nearly nothing, yet persisted and succeeded. […] When I had trouble speaking Spanish and felt like abandoning my native tongue, I remembered my mother and how when she came to the United States she was forced to wash her mouth out with soap and endure beatings with a ruler by the nuns at her school for speaking it. When I couldn’t figure out tangents, sines, and cosines I thought about my father and how it took him nearly a year to learn long division because he was forced to teach it to himself after dropping out and starting to work in the 4th grade. […] All these people, just from my family, have been strong role models for me. I feel that being labeled “underprivileged” does not mean that I am limited in what I can do. There is no reason for me to fail or give up, and like my parents and grandparents have done, I’ve been able to pull through a great deal. My environment has made me determined, hard working, and high aiming. I would not like it any other way. From “Lessons From the Immigration Spectrum”, Anonymous, MIT, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

How will your diversity contribute to the college campus and community?

The admissions committee would like to know how your identity or background will enrich the university’s existing student body. If you haven’t done so, researching the university’s organizations and groups and what specific courses the university offers might be a good idea. If you are applying to a large public school, you could mention that you are looking forward to broadening not just your horizon but also your community. Or maybe your college of choice has a specialized program or student organization that you feel you will fit right into and that you could contribute to with your unique background.

Tailoring your answer to the university you are applying to shows that you are serious and have done your research, and a university is obviously looking for such students. If you can’t find a way to make your essay “match” the university, then don’t despair—showing the admissions committee that you are someone who already made some important experiences, has reflected on them, and is eager to learn more and contribute to their community is often all that is needed. But you also don’t need to search for the most sophisticated outro or conclusion, as the following excerpt shows, from an admission essay written by an applicant named Angelica, who was accepted into the University of Chicago . Sometimes a simple conviction is convincing enough. 

[…] The knowledge that I have gained from these three schools is something I will take with me far beyond college. My roommate, across-the-hall mates, and classmates have influenced my life as much as I hope to have impacted theirs. It is evident to me that they have helped me develop into the very much visible person I am today. I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone, and I have learned that diversity is so much more than the tint of our skin. My small mustard-colored school taught me that opportunity and success only requires desire. I would be an asset to your college because as I continue on my journey to success, I will take advantage of every opportunity that is available to me and make sure to contribute as much as I can, too. Now I am visible. Now I am visible. Now I am visible, and I want to be seen. From “No Longer Invisible” by Angelica, University of Chicago, published in 50 Successful IVY LEAGUE Application Essays Fourth Edition, Gen & Kelly Tanabe, SuperCollege, 2017 .

Tell stories about your lived experience

You might wonder how exactly to go about writing stories about your “lived experience.” The first step, after getting drawing inspiration from other people’s stories, is to sit down and reflect on your own life and what might be interesting about it, from the point of view of someone outside of your direct environment or community.

Two straightforward approaches for a diversity-related essay are to either focus on your community or on your identity . The first one is more related to what you were born into (and what it taught you), and the second one focuses on how you see yourself, as an individual but also as part of society.

Take some time to sit down and reflect on which of these two approaches you relate to more and which one you think you have more to say about. And then we’d recommend you do what always helps when we sit in front of a blank page that needs to be filled: Make a list or draw a chart or create a map of keywords that can become the cornerstones of your story.

For example, if you choose the “community” approach, then start with a list of all the communities that you are a part of. These communities can be defined by different factors:

• A shared place: people live or work together
• Shared actions: People create something together or solve problems together
• Shared interests: People come together based on interests, hobbies, or goals
• Shared circumstances: people are brought together by chance or by events

Once you have that list, pick one of your communities and start asking yourself more specific questions. For example: 

• What did you do as a member of that community? 
• What kinds of problems did you solve , for your community or together?
• Did you feel like you had an impact ? What was it?
• What did you learn or realize ? 
• How are you going to apply what you learned outside of that community?

If, instead, you choose the “identity” approach, then think about different ways in which you think about yourself and make a list of those. For example:

My identity is as a… 

• boy scout leader
• hobby writer
• babysitter for my younger siblings
• speaker of different languages
• collector of insightful proverbs
• Japanese-American
• other roles in your family, community, or social sub-group

Feel free to list as many identities as you can. Then, think about what different sides of you these identities reveal and which ones you have not yet shown or addressed in your other application documents and essays. Think about whether one of these is more important to you than others if there is one that you’d rather like to hide (and why) and if there is any struggle, for example with reconciling all of these sides of yourself or with one of them not being accepted by your culture or environment.

Overall, the most important characteristic admissions committees are looking for in your diversity essay is authenticity . They want to know who you are, behind your SATs and grades, and how you got where you are now, and they want to see what makes you memorable (remember, they have to read thousands of essays to decide who to enroll). 

The admissions committee members likely also have a “sixth sense” about whose essay is authentic and whose is not. But if you go through a creative process like the one outlined here, you will automatically reflect on your background and experiences in a way that will bring out your authenticity and honesty and prevent you from just making up a “cool story.”

Diversity Essay Sample Prompts From Colleges

If you are still not sure how to write a diversity essay, let’s have a look at some of the actual diversity essay prompts that colleges include in their applications. 

Diversity Essay Sample #1: University of California

The University of California asks applicants to choose between eight prompts (they call them “ personal insight questions “) and submit four short essays of up to 350 words each that tell the admission committee what you would want them to know about you . These prompts ask about your creative side (#2), your greatest talent (#3), and other aspects of your personality, but two of them (#5 and #7) are what could be called “diversity essay prompts” that ask you to talk about the most significant challenge you have faced and what you have done to make your community a better place .

The University of California website also offers advice on how to use these prompts and how to write a compelling essay, so make sure you use all the guidance they give you if that is the school you are trying to get into!

UC Essay prompt #5. 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?

UC Essay prompt #7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?  

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team, or 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? 

Diversity Essay Sample #2: Duke University

Duke University asks for a one-page essay in response to either one of the Common Application prompts or one of the Coalition Application prompts, as well as a short essay that answers a question specific to Duke. 

In addition, you can (but do not have to) submit up to two short answers to four prompts that specifically ask about your unique experiences, your beliefs and values, and your background and identity. The maximum word count for each of these short essays on diversity topics is 250 words.

Essay prompt #1. We seek a diverse student body that embodies the wide range of human experience. In that context, we are interested in what you’d like to share about your lived experiences and how they’ve influenced how you think of yourself. Essay prompt #2. We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about? Essay prompt #3. What has been your best academic experience in the last two years, and what made it so good? Essay prompt #4. Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. If you’d like to share with us more about your identity in this context, feel free to do so here.

Duke University is looking for students with a variety of different experiences, backgrounds, interests, and opinions to make its campus community diverse and a place where ambition and curiosity, talent and persistence can grow, and the admissions committee will “consider what you have accomplished within the context of your opportunities and challenges so far”—make sure you tell them!

Diversity Essay Sample #3: University of Washington

The University of Washington asks students for a long essay (650 words) on a general experience that shaped your character, a short essay (300 words) that describes the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of your future university and allows you to submit additional information on potential hardships or limitations you have experienced in attaining your education so far. The University of Washington freshman writing website also offers some tips on how to (and how not to) write and format your essays.

Essay prompt [required] Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

Short response prompt [required] 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 UW.

Additional information about yourself or your circumstances [optional] You are not required to write anything in this section, but you may include additional information if something has particular significance to you. For example, you may use this space if:

– You have experienced personal hardships in attaining your education

– Your activities have been limited because of work or family obligations

– You have experienced limitations/opportunities unique to the schools you attended

The University of Washington’s mission is to enroll undergraduates with outstanding intellectual abilities who bring different perspectives, backgrounds, and talents to the campus to create a “stimulating educational environment”. The diversity essay is your chance to let them know how you will contribute to that.

Diversity Essay Sample #4: University of Michigan

At the University of Michigan, a diversity college essay that describes one of the communities (defined by geography, religion, ethnicity, income, or other factors) you belong to is one of two required essays that need to be submitted by all applicants, on top of the Common Application essay. 

Diversity essay prompt. Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

The University of Michigan prides itself in “looking at each student as a whole package” and recruiting the most dynamic students, with different backgrounds, interests, and passions, into their college, not just the ones with the highest test scores. They also give consideration to applicants from currently underrepresented groups to create diversity on campus and enrich the learning environment for all students—if that sounds like you, then here is your opportunity to tell your story!

Frequently Asked Questions about Diversity Essays

What topics should i avoid in my college diversity essay.

Since the point of a diversity essay is to show the admissions committee who you are (behind your grades and resume and general educational background), there are not many topics you need to avoid. In fact, you can address the issues, from your own perspective, that you are usually told not to mention in order not to offend anyone or create controversy. 

The only exception is any kind of criminal activity, especially child abuse and neglect. The University of Washington, for example, has a statement on its essay prompt website that “ any written materials that give admissions staff reasonable cause to believe abuse or neglect of someone under the age of 18 may have occurred must be reported to Child Protective Services or the police. ”

What is most important to focus on in my diversity essay?

In brief, to stand out while not giving the admissions committee any reason to believe that you are exaggerating or even making things up. Your story needs to be authentic, and admissions officers—who read thousands of applications—will probably see right through you if you are trying to make yourself sound cooler, more mature, or more interesting than you are. 

In addition, make sure you let someone, preferably a professional editor, read over your essays and make sure they are well-written and error-free. Even though you are telling your personal story, it needs to be presented in standard, formal, correct English.

How long should a diversity essay be?

Every school has different requirements for their version of a diversity essay, and you will find all the necessary details on their admissions or essay prompts website. Make sure you check the word limit and other guidelines before you start typing away!

Prepare your college diversity essay for admission

Now that you know what a diversity essay is and how you find the specific requirements for the essays you need to submit to your school of choice, make sure you plan in advance and give yourself enough time to put all your effort into it! Our article How to Write the Common App Essay can give you an idea about timelines and creative preparation methods. And as always, we can help you with our professional editing services , including Application Essay Editing Services and Admission Editing Services , to ensure that your entire application is error-free and showcases your potential to the admissions committee of your school of choice.

For more academic resources on writing the statement of purpose for grad school or on the college admission process in general, head over to our Admissions Resources website where we have many more articles and videos to help you improve your essay writing skills.

How to Answer the Diversity (and Other Related) Supplemental Essay Prompts 2024-2025

After the 2023 SCOTUS decision to ban race-conscious admission was released, many colleges and universities changed their supplemental essay prompts to point pretty directly at diversity in some way. Variations include mentions of identity, race, cultural background, or the importance of inclusivity.

Here’s a running list of colleges that changed their prompts.

FAQ: Do I have to write this essay?

It depends: most of the new supplemental essay prompts are optional, and students are often given the choice between a prompt related to diversity/inclusion or writing about something else altogether. (Side note that in general we recommend writing most optional prompts—they offer another chance to help a college see who you are and how you might fit at their school.)

This guide will walk you through how to answer some of the most common new supplemental essay prompts of this type, including a practical exercise to help you brainstorm essay topics. 

Let’s dive in.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What do colleges mean when referring to diversity—is it only about race, a comprehensive brainstorming exercise to help you generate essay ideas.

• The “How will you contribute based on your background / experiences / identities?” prompt

The “social or community issue” prompt

The “experience/conversation with someone who is different from you” prompt, the “how are you different” prompt, how to answer most of the other new supplemental essay prompts.

In short, no. Diversity isn’t just about race. 

Think about diversity in a broad sense, as an invitation to talk about all the ways that a) you’re different from other students applying, and b) you’ll be able to contribute to a college community.

For great examples of essays that define “difference” in ways that aren’t related to race, check out examples 2 and 3 on the “How are you different?” prompt.

How do you brainstorm different ways that you add to a campus’ diversity? 

For the past several years, we’ve been using the following exercise to help students learn about (and express) how they’re different and how they’ll contribute. 

The “ If You Really, Really Knew Me ” Exercise   Time: 25 min. (or more, if you’re inspired)

How it works: Make a copy of this exercise template and answer all the questions. Once you’re done, you’ll have a whole bunch of potential essay ideas. 

How do all those ideas turn into an essay?   It depends on the prompt. Let’s look at some of the new supplemental essay questions, starting with…

The “How will you contribute [based on your background/experiences/identities]?” prompt

This was, by far, the most popular new prompt released or added in 2023. Here are a couple examples of what it looks like in the wild:

A defining element of the Babson experience is learning and thriving in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives and interests. Please share something about your background, lived experiences, or viewpoint(s) that speaks to how you will contribute to and learn from Babson's collaborative community. 

Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?

How do you write this essay? Three steps: 

Step 1: Brainstorm (all about you).

Do the “ If You Really, Really Knew Me ” Exercise. Yup, the same one mentioned above.

Step 2: Research the college (learn all about them).

Make a copy of the “Why us” Essay Chart 2.0 , research the school you’re writing your essay for, and fill in the first two columns. 

Once you’ve done these exercises, you’ll have a better sense of: 

YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills/identities/qualities that you’ll bring to a college campus, and

THEM: A variety of programs/courses/clubs/affinity groups that your college offers.

Step 3: Connect you… to them (i.e., the college you’re applying to).  

Make connections between what the school offers and what you’re interested in.

For example: 

ME: I’m interested in creating original works of theater… 

THEM: …Northwestern has a student theater group called Vertigo Productions that according to this article “is dedicated to providing solely original work, with the goal of supporting student writers. Every year they host a 10 Minute Play Festival in which students write and produce their own short plays.”

Then write a sentence describing how you would specifically contribute to the specific opportunity the school offers. 

And not like this (bad version, too general): “I’d love to bring my creativity to Northwestern.”   

But more like this (better version, more specific): “I’d love to produce one of my original plays during Vertigo’s 10 Minute Play Festival—or help others produce their work—and I’d be excited to bring both my positive “yes and” vibe (that I learned from improv), as well as my characteristic directness (that I learned from my grandmother) when it comes to giving others feedback.”

Tips:  

Use this list of positive qualities to brainstorm 1-2 specific ways you’d contribute.

Make sure what you’re saying isn’t super obvious from elsewhere in your application.

Make sure you’re connecting a specific offering at the school to specific contributions you’d like to make.

Let’s take a look at a few example essays and see what we might be able to learn from them.

Note to Reader: I’ve elected to keep the essay analysis for each essay relatively brief, as this is a pretty long guide and I feared in-depth analyses would make it suuuuuuper long.

Example Essay #1 for the “How would you contribute?” prompt

A note on Bowdoin’s prompt: You have the option to not write this as a “how will you contribute” prompt, considering the “or an experience you have had that required you to navigate across or through difference” language. But the “you may share anything about the unique experiences and perspectives that you would bring with you to the Bowdoin campus and community” can be treated as asking a version of “how will you contribute,” and the example essay below illustrates the approach you’ll want to take with “contribute” essays in general.

Prompt: Bowdoin believes that only through building a more diverse and inclusive campus community will the College best prepare graduates to be contributing and useful citizens of the world. Every graduate of this institution should be confident in their preparation to be able to navigate through differences and in all sorts of situations. A Bowdoin education does not guarantee these skills, but it does impart a set of tools necessary to bravely enter unfamiliar conditions with the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity. If you wish, you may share anything about the unique experiences and perspectives that you would bring with you to the Bowdoin campus and community or an experience you have had that required you to navigate across or through difference.

I believe in the power of small acts of service. After witnessing the plight of Middle Eastern migrant workers left at sunrise in desert mountains with nothing but a broom, a bottle of water, and a single meal to last the day, I felt helpless. Globalization often comes at the cost of thousands of immigrant lives, but the realization that there was little I could do to ease their anguish affected me deeply. In that moment, I found my calling as an advocate. 

Analysis: This opening illustrates what screenwriters sometimes call the Inciting Incident (i.e., the moment that started it all)—in this case, it was the moment that inspired the author to take action.

Notice how the author shares a) what they witnessed, b) how it impacted them, c) why it impacted them, and d) a statement of resolve (decision to do something about it).

Q to consider as you’re exploring your own essays: Was there a moment for you that started it all? What was your Inciting Incident, if there was one?

When I returned home, I was determined to give back to my own community. Working at the NJ Help Center has enabled me to spend a lot of time with immigrant families like mine, translating applications for housing aid and health insurance while immersing myself in stories of their escapes from war-torn countries and crippling economies. Soon, I realized how great an impact small exchanges could have.

Analysis: Here the author highlights specific actions they took as a result of what they witnessed, and again shares the impact it had on their thinking.

Note that even though this particular activity may have been mentioned in their Activities List , one of the important values of your supplemental essays is to bring to life and give context to these experiences.

Q to consider: How did your extracurricular activities impact you? Could you use your supplemental essay(s) to include details and information about your “why” that isn’t and can’t really be shown in your Activities List?

At Bowdoin, I’ll continue to work towards building a community for myself and others. By joining fEMPOWER , I can work alongside peers to directly engage with social justice issues and increase female representation on campus and beyond. Through the Muslim Student Alliance , I hope to facilitate interfaith dialogue. And as a dad jokes connoisseur who thrives on improv, I can’t wait to spread laughter and joy across campus.  And some day, in addition to becoming a universal helping hand, I hope to become the first hijabi U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a journey I embarked on at Bowdoin.

Analysis: Note how this author includes specific opportunities available at Bowdoin: fEMPOWER and the Muslim Student Alliance. (I’ve bolded them above, but you don’t need to highlight these in your final submission.)

The author doesn’t just mention these on their own, however, or simply say “...and these seem great!” Instead, the author includes specific language about how they’ll engage with these opportunities and how they’ll contribute:

• “By joining fEMPOWER, I can work alongside peers to directly engage with social justice issues and increase female representation on campus and beyond” and
• “Through the Muslim Student Alliance, I hope to facilitate interfaith dialogue.

Example Essay #2 for the “How would you contribute?” prompt

Prompt:  A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and live in a community with a wide range of perspectives. How do you or would you learn from and contribute to diverse, collaborative communities? (200 words)

I'm a non-binary neuromarketing nerd, a Renaissance Being at heart. At Columbia, I’d found a neuromarketing club to introduce this emerging field to peers, join the Queer Alliance, cook traditional Estonian sauerkraut for my roommates at Christmas, and join the Chinese Calligraphy club to expand my repertoire and teach others the rare scripts I’ve learned.

Analysis: Many “how will you contribute” prompts ask for essentially two major components:

• Who are you/how did you become you?
• How will you contribute to the diversity of our campus (based on/link to the things in part 1.)?

Notice that Columbia’s prompt doesn’t directly ask for much of part 1, though, and so this student spends most of their word count focusing on great specific examples for part 2 (how they’ll contribute). Both paragraphs point to a few different aspects of identity/background, while the second paragraph below dives into really nice detail and “so what” reflection.

Most significantly, I’d draw from my experience with the Human Library Organization where I’m a book curious people read to learn about embracing stigmatized gender identities. By conducting conversations with international readers, I help ensure non-binary people are not only recognized but celebrated. At Columbia, I’d love to arrange a Human Library event on campus, empowering any minoritized students (international, of color, first generation, neurodivergent, etc.) with a platform to share and process their experiences, simultaneously giving me and others a chance to learn from them. Estonia is 99% white, so I’m particularly eager to learn from non-white students in a safe space promoting open dialogue. A mini version would also make a fun addition to the Queer Alliance’s LGBTQ+ fall mixer and contribute a new way of embracing each others’ cultural differences, ultimately fostering a more cohesive and dynamic community on campus.

Analysis: This paragraph is a great example to emulate regarding really specific details about the school and how you will engage with/through them.

Key element: Notice that every single detail about Columia has a “so what”—a specific discussion of why this is important to the student and how they want to engage. For example: “empowering any minoritized students (international, of color, first generation, neurodivergent, etc.) with a platform to share and process their experiences, simultaneously giving me and others a chance to learn from them.”

Example Essay #3 for the “How would you contribute?” prompt

Prompt: Describe how your experiences, perspectives, talents, and/or your involvement in leadership activities (at your school, job, community, or within your family) will help you to make an impact both in and out of the classroom while enrolled at UT. (maximum 40 lines, or approximately 250-300 words)

As Co-Head of Roman2Roman, a program intended to help integrate incoming ninth-graders into my school community, I have become a creative, open-minded, and empathetic leader by understanding the dynamics of communication and responsibility.  From leading bi-weekly committee meetings to pairing 135 freshmen with older mentors, coordinating with administrators, planning and orchestrating events for 350 people, and finding unique ways to involve the greater community, my role in the R2R program has equipped me with managerial skills that will be helpful in college and beyond.  As a result of my leadership experience, I was selected to be Co-Head of The Student Service Learning Board. In this role, I organized successful food, clothing, and book drives, in addition to planning meal-packing projects for the homeless, card-design activities for veterans, and beach clean-ups to support local parks, all of which involved participants ages K-12. Within my family’s Farm Foundation, I also assumed leadership responsibilities as I coordinated our annual Thanksgiving meal donation at the local fire station which entailed fundraising, communications, purchasing, packaging, and operations. 

Here at the 172-word point the author transitions from “what I’ve already done” to how my experience at UT-Austin might “prepare [me] to "Change the World" after [I] graduate.”

As a Longhorn, I hope to expand my leadership opportunities and make a lasting impact on the UT community. Through establishing meaningful connections among R2R members, and understanding the importance of an inclusive community, I am interested in getting involved with The Transfer Student Agency of Student Government as a way to help incoming transfer students integrate into the UT community. I’d love to participate in The McCombs Leadership Program to hone my leadership skills through retreats and workshops focusing on cooperation, communication, and contributions to society. Hunger and Homelessness Outreach would also be an ideal opportunity for me to continue my leadership and service and utilize my experiences on the SSLB and my family’s farm foundation to organize volunteer opportunities to aid members of the Austin community.

Brief analysis: Note again all the UT-Austin specifics the author includes. For fun, you can usually spot these by scanning for capital letters—these usually signify a particular program, course, professor, club, or extracurricular opportunity.

Again, note that each time the author mentions something specific about the school they connect it back to either a) how they’d benefit from, or b) how they’d contribute to each opportunity.

And here are a couple more example essays without analysis, just to illustrate slight variations in approach, but still include the “how will you contribute” elements.

Prompt: A hallmark of the Columbia experience is being able to learn and thrive in an equitable and inclusive community with a wide range of perspectives. Tell us about an aspect of your own perspective, viewpoint or lived experience that is important to you, and describe how it has shaped the way you would learn from and contribute to Columbia’s diverse and collaborative community. (200 words or fewer)*

Growing up in a family of journalists and economists, I’ve developed an inquisitive, attentive eye for my surroundings. I was raised in Rio de Janeiro and reflected daily on inequality, passing favelas and luxury condominiums on my walk to school. Reading Grandpa’s urbanism articles, I became politically aware and keen on solutions for inclusive, sustainable cities. Family dinners discussing topics from Amazonian ecospirituality to Andean civilizations fed my thirst for the unknown and taught me the value of learning through collaboration. World encyclopedia in my backpack: I set out to explore. My passion for socio-environmental impact and volunteering led me to witness diverse realities. Families’ diets reliant on dumpsites; inflated hospital gloves as refugee kids’ only toy; 13-year-old moms in riverine communities; Amazonian indigenous shamans’ eco-rituals. Immersions exposed me to different perspectives and made me rethink my life and beliefs. At Columbia, I’ll collaborate for fairer realities and further broaden my worldview, learning from my peers’ unique backgrounds. I’ll challenge my beliefs with intercultural dialogues at Symposium, volunteer across NYC with COO, and promote campus diversity by organizing the Brazilian Society’s cultural events and sharing my experiences in class. Columbia will be my micro-scale world to contribute to and explore. (200 words) — — —

Prompt: At Penn, learning and growth happen outside of the classroom, too. How will you explore the community at Penn? Consider how this community will help shape your perspective and identity, and how your identity and perspective will help shape this community. (150-200 words)

I have big feet (size 9.5 to be exact). Unfortunately, the global carbon footprint is much bigger than that. By teaming up with Green Futures Youth and PennEnvironment, I became committed to sustainable living. I realized there is no better feeling than waking up at 6am with a group of strangers and planting a patch of potatoes at your local park or holding a food drive for the community fridge. Out on the field, with everyone’s hands smeared in dirt, friendships are rooted. At Penn, there are numerous opportunities available to students to promote sustainable living. Joining the Student Eco-Reps group, I can promote the Penn Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 that encompasses the very goals—minimizing waste, eating local, learning sustainability—I try to push for in my own community. I hope that I, alongside my fellow Quakers, can help utilize more space on campus for nature and potentially implement a geo-thermally heated campus.  At a university where nature is prescribed (Nature Rx program), it is inevitable that UPenn will encourage me to mark my footprint in the soil, changing the environment for the better, one step at a time.  — — —

Getting clearer? Cool. Now let’s look at some of the other prompts you might run into… 

First, here are some examples of this prompt (underlining is mine): 

Boston University: Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it ?

Boston College: Boston College’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from an immigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today, the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatest needs. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your Boston College education to address it ?

Note the slight differences in these prompts, underlined above. One focuses on how you have already been involved (in high school), while the other asks you to imagine how you will be, or hope to be, involved, and how your education at the college or university you’re applying to can help you do so (but keep in mind that with prompts like the second one, it’s still useful to show how you have already been involved—you’ll just spend a lot more time showing how that school will help you to level up your involvement).

Example Essay #1 for the “social or community issue?” prompt

Prompt for Boston University: Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it? (300 words) (Note: This essay wasn’t originally written for Boston University, but it could have worked well for it.)

The last sliver of the sun disappears over a perfect wave as I ride toward shore. My beautiful home should have made me an idealist, but no… I’m a pessimist.  I was raised on science, not faith, and pessimism is a possible side effect.  I brush my teeth, climb into bed, and think about our future rising sea levels and supervolcano eruptions. I can’t ignore the fish migrations caused by climate change that will ultimately doom my home and, eventually, our world. But, though I know the world is doomed, I love this world, and I’d do anything to prevent it from utter destruction. 

Here at the 104-word mark the author transitions from “Why is it important to you” into answering “how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?”

I joined forces with my sworn enemies, the optimists, with Heal the Bay’s Pier Aquarium and MPA watch, spreading messages of environmental protection while teaching the community about ocean creatures and monitoring wrongdoing at local beaches.  I intensified my battle by interning with UCLA’s LCC Civil and Environmental engineering lab, which designs sustainable building materials. My project focused on the dissolution kinetics of calcite with organic ligands at high pH to simulate cementitious environments, and my results have applications for sequestering CO2. Knowing the future doesn’t make me want to give up, instead it makes me want to test the limits of what I can accomplish. Unlike my optimistic counterparts, I have accepted what’s coming, so I’ll be ready, at least more ready than anyone else, to stop the unstoppable.  And if I fail, what does it matter? That asteroid was totally coming anyway!

Brief Analysis + What You Can Learn from This Essay:

• Here, the author uses their supplemental essay to give context to activities mentioned in their Activities List, sharing with us not simply the details of what they did, but why those experiences mattered to them.
• The author also includes some “geeky language” (like “the dissolution kinetics of calcite with organic ligands at high pH to simulate cementitious environments”) which helps us see just how deep they went into it. Pro tip: If you decide to include a bit of jargon, keep it to a sentence or two—as this student does—no need to write long jargon-filled paragraphs.
• The author also uses the ending to show another value and quality of character that’s important to him—a sense of (dark) humor.

Example Essay #2 for the “social or community issue?” prompt

The essay below was originally written for an old prompt from Barnard (FYI: Here’s the guide to the current Barnard essays), but it could easily be adapted to work for the Boston College prompt above, which reads “Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might you use your… education to address it?”

I am interested in questions surrounding gender justice and sexual violence, specifically their intersection with economics and politics.  At Barnard, I hope to ask difficult questions surrounding women, labor, and safety. Specifically, I hope to research sexual violence, enrolling in Professor Tolonen’s class ECON 3063, “Women in Development Economics.” By joining this class, I will ask: In what ways are the impacts of sexual violence gender-specific? Do such experiences have an impact on the way women’s economic roles are viewed in society? I would also like to lean into the legal implications of sexual violence cases. By taking the colloquium on “Law and Violence,” I could learn about instances where the law warrants different forms of violence. What makes violence permissible in these cases? What are the methods that inform these legal determinations? I believe I can start to answer these important questions as a student at Barnard College.  At Barnard, I also hope to learn about poverty and labor. In high school I started “BISC Comes Forward,” a social media campaign that revealed inequalities faced by janitorial staff. This campaign underlined the poverty experienced by working women. I questioned why the government fails to intervene in helping widowers with children who are living under the poverty line. As I major in Economics and Politics at Barnard, I will explore these intersections between class and gender. Through BC3019: “Labor Economics,” I hope to study various labor theories to understand the government's lack of intervention in cases of earnings gaps.    From a young age, my mother taught me to be an independent thinker. When I was young my questions were small. As I grew up my questions only got bigger. At Barnard, I can ask these big questions, hopefully finding significant answers along the way.

• Note that the first two sentences of the essay address the first part of the prompt: “Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you…?” and the tone here is clear and direct, which works very well.
• Next, the author dives right into the specifics of how they would use their education to address these issues, citing specific courses they would take.
• And notice how each time the author mentions a specific course or opportunity, they connect back to something specific they hope to learn, or a way they hope to grow. You can do this too—in fact, I’d encourage it.

Examples of this prompt type include (again, underlining is mine): 

Vanderbilt University values learning through contrasting points of view. We understand that our differences, and our respect for alternative views and voices, are our greatest source of strength. Please reflect on conversations you’ve had with people who have expressed viewpoints different from your own. How did these conversations/experiences influence you ?

Claremont McKenna College: A critical part of fulfilling our mission is living out the commitments of CMC’s Open Academy: Freedom of Expression, Viewpoint Diversity, and Constructive Dialogue. We want to learn more about your commitment to listening and learning from others with different viewpoints, perspectives, and life experiences from your own. Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else. What was the change that occurred for you, and what facilitated that change? What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others ? 

Note that while there’s a lot of overlap between prompts of this type, there can be subtle differences. For example, both focus on engaging with people with different viewpoints, but for the first prompt above, you don’t need to address at all whether you or the other person changed your/their mind in some way. But for the second prompt, you’re being directly asked about how you or they changed , and also specifically about how the engagement informed how you engage with others (note that you could talk about that in regard to the first prompt as well, but “how did these conversations/experiences influence you?” is more open-ended).

Keep in mind that, in general for prompts like these, it’s not really about being right or wrong—your goal is to show that you can engage in productive dialogue around complex topics. Because you’re going to need to do that a lot in college.

But good news—you can probably write one essay that answers both prompts, assuming you’re applying to two schools with similar prompts. 

Here are a couple sample essay for this type of prompt—see analysis below for more:

Example Essay #1 for the “experience/conversation with someone who is different from you” prompt

A racist culture pervades my small town of Maryville, Tennessee. To outsiders, we seem complicit in this racism through our mascot: the Rebels. In August, my school voted me as Mrs. MHS: awarded to the student who contributes the most to the school and community through extracurriculars, academics, and community service and embodies the “Rebel spirit.” I was grateful for the award, but appalled when the latter label was bestowed upon me. So, the girl who embodied the Rebel spirit rebelled. “Whether you like it or not, our mascot has foundations in racism. Changing the mascot is the bare minimum that we owe to the students that have been affected by the racism this mascot fuels,” began my (now infamous) social media post. My post was reposted, sent in groups, and met with intense hatred.  “The snowflakes won’t let us have anything these days. It’s literally a mascot,” read the most popular comment, insinuating that I was being overly sensitive. The student who wrote this, leader of a group called “Save the Rebels,” ensured that I was alienated as one of the few local supporters.  I messaged him and transformed an argumentative discourse into a healthy, multiple-day discussion about the roots and depiction of the mascot. We researched each other’s sources and began to understand the opposing side’s perspective. Yet, as we made progress, his friends pulled him away from breaking the barriers of polarization with me.  Incorporating the lessons I learned from this experience into future dialogues, I believe it would be increasingly impactful for the defenders of the mascot to hear the testimonials of students of color to substantiate my claim that the mascot brought about pain. I would also want to create a safe space where individuals can exchange differing perspectives and attempt to understand each other’s position without fear of social pressure. At [name of school], I hope to contribute to an environment free of judgment, where I can use the tools that I’ve gained to pave the way for a more effective, respectful dialogue.

The structure used here is one you can learn from, and follows this simple format:

• Set up the Inciting Incident (i.e., moment that started it all) in the first paragraph, or as succinctly as you can.
• Share what you did about it, perhaps including (as this author does) what the response was.
• Finally, share what you learned from the engagement.
• In the end, the author didn’t find a perfect or happy ending—and that can be totally fine. That happens all the time in life. But you still get a sense of what they’ll bring to a college campus and how they’ll engage with difference, which is the point of this essay.

Note that the essay above wouldn’t quite work for the second prompt, since the story doesn’t fit the “Describe a time when engaging with someone about a specific topic resulted in you changing your attitude, belief, or behavior, or you changed the belief or behavior of someone else” aspect. Why? They started to engage, but neither actually changed.

But the final paragraphs can work to some degree for the part of the prompt that reads: “What did you learn from that experience, and how has it informed how you engage with others?”—though ideally they’d address ways they’ve already changed and not just how they hope to engage with others.

If this essay were responding to a prompt that asks about “how has it informed how you engage…”, I’d encourage the author to include a few details about work they’ve already done and how they’ve already changed… before including the part about how they hope to be different going forward.

Example Essay #2 for the “experience/conversation with someone who is different from you” prompt

I probably argue with my grandfather more than I do with most other people combined. It’s not because we’re at odds. We just have different perspectives, influenced by our experiences—his as a life-long resident of India, mine as a first-generation American.  One pretty common argument we have is over Eastern vs. Western medicine. My solution to a headache, for example, is to take Advil. His is to rub Tiger Balm on his forehead and coconut oil on the soles of his feet. I try to convince him of the benefits of taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, describing how it can reduce inflammation by blocking the production of certain chemicals. He tries to convince me that the balm creates a cooling effect, distracting the brain from pain and relaxing the muscles. Rather than becoming sore at or resentful of each other, we’ve grown closer through these debates, and I’ve learned how to disagree without letting the situation get acrimonious. Through these interactions, I’ve learned that a discussion shouldn’t be confrontational. The purpose isn’t to win, but to share my knowledge with the other party and learn from them as well. So rather than saying, “Rubbing balm on your forehead is stupid; you should just take Advil,” I say, “While rubbing balm on your forehead seems to work, I’ve noticed that taking an Advil has a stronger and more immediate effect.” Respecting the opposing party makes them more willing to hear you out.  I’ve also learned there’s a fine line between logic and emotion. I try not to take personally the things my grandfather says in an argument. Just because he doesn’t think taking Advil is the better solution doesn’t mean he thinks I’m stupid. If I take it that way, we begin to move away from what the argument really was about—the facts. I’ll continue to apply these learnings in discussions and debates I have with others, realizing that having a “successful argument” isn’t about winning. It’s about sharing my opinion and learning from theirs, expanding our perspectives without alienating each other.

As with the example essay above, the structure is straightforward, one you could potentially use, and slightly different from the other example:

• In the first paragraph, the author succinctly describes the person with whom they disagree, and is careful to demonstrate understanding and perspective by saying, “We just have different perspectives, influenced by our experiences.”
• Next, the author gets into some specifics. Notice that, here, the author isn’t describing a single example but a variety of examples—either approach can work, depending on the specific phrasing of the prompt you’re working on.
• “I’ve learned how to disagree without letting the situation get acrimonious.”
• “I’ve learned that a discussion shouldn’t be confrontational.”
• “I’ve also learned there’s a fine line between logic and emotion.”
• And the author expands briefly, in each case, on what each lesson means or why the lesson is important to them (e.g., “Respecting the opposing party makes them more willing to hear you out.”)

This essay—in particular the ending—does a nice job describing how these experiences informed how the author will engage with others, and as an admission officer I’d have a pretty clear sense of the kind of person they’d be in a college classroom.

Here’s another prompt you might encounter:

Examples of this prompt include: 

Duke University: “We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.”

Dartmouth College:  “ ‘It’s not easy being green…’ was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?”

Note that, as we mentioned above regarding diversity, “difference” can mean a lot of different things. 

Check out the examples and analyses below to see a few different approaches to this type of prompt.

Example Essay #1 for the “How are you different?” prompt

As a light-skinned, soft-spoken, empathetic, and analytical Black woman, a lot of times I have felt that I am not a part of my own community. Many of my family members ask me why I relate so much to the East Asian community and culture. This, of course, has led me to question whether or not community is only skin deep.      I became engrossed in the East Asian community at a young age. My dad, an international pilot, often brought movies home from China. One day he brought home Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. He described it as something similar to Alice in Wonderland. I could truly see myself in the Miyazaki’s heroines: from how they transcended their roles in life to how they met obstacles with resilience and bravery, these heroines helped me feel less alone.  I evolved from watching Miyazaki movies to joining anime clubs, to reading East Asian philosophy, and eventually studying the works of Japanese author Haruki Murakami. This culminated in a trip to Japan last summer as a People to People: Student Ambassador. Immersed in the culture, I visited a Japanese high school, hiked Mt. Fuji, soaked in an onsen, and experienced a deep connection with my homestay family, the Mishimas.   Through being a part of the East Asian community, I have explored answers to metaphysical questions, prayed at a Shinto shrine, and realized that community is a state of mind, much more than skin deep. 

This essay could work well for either of the sample prompts listed above, as well as others.

Note the clear, straightforward structure—one that you could potentially use if answering this prompt:

• Values she’s gained from the characters she’s connected with (“resilience and bravery”)
• How these values have shaped her (“these heroines helped me feel less alone”)

If you’re writing for this type of prompt, consider answering these two questions:

• What values has your difference (however you define it) helped you develop?
• How have these values shaped you? In short, answer “so what?”

If possible, and with the word limit remaining, continue answering “so what,” as this author does.

Important note: Even though the essay above describes a racial and cultural difference, your “how I’m different” essay does not need to be about race.

Example Essay #2 for the “How are you different?” prompt

Main hobby is ride shirtless on horseback through heart of prosperous land of great mother Russia while contemplating strategy to hack next presidential election of puny United States. This is not in fact a hobby of mine, but it is most certainly a treasured experience of one of my many alternate personalities: Vladimir Putin.  Impressions are my art form. But impressions are not just a hobby, they let me understand the roles I play in my life. Sometimes I’m a nerd. Or an environmentalist. Or a Star Wars fanboy. Or even a surfer dude.  One of my favorite roles is two-sport varsity athlete. During my sophomore year, I received baseball Honorable Mention All-League and Rookie of the Year awards, and our team missed a CIF championship by two runs. Junior year was my chance to help my team break school history. But a bad hop-induced broken finger in the game before playoffs ruined that chance.  So I changed my game plan. I talked to our coach about my helping to manage the team. I traded my glove and bat for a clipboard and pencil, keeping score and tracking pitch counts; I used the data to alter defensive formations based on opponents’ batting tendencies and advise on pitching strategy, allowing us to conserve our ace for the championship. I applied my problem solving skills and led my team from the dugout; our team broke school history for the second year in a row, making it to the CIF championship, falling two runs short of victory.  My impressions have let me not just enjoy my inner semi-dictator with a thick Russian accent, but explore and embrace new parts of my identity. Many people are confined by one-dimensional versions of themselves: I’m a lawyer, I’m an athlete, I’m Batman. In reality, people are so much more complex. Understanding that fact when I broke my finger and could no longer be the “two-sport varsity athlete” allowed me to adapt, to become the honorary coach and contribute to my team. My life is truly one big series of impressions. 

• Again, note that “differences” need not be only about race—we get a lot of interesting detail that shows us who this student will be / what they bring to a community without any mention of race here.
• Just as the previous author did, this author points to specific values that their difference(s) have helped them develop, including the ability to adapt (to a new role), lead (as honorary coach), and contribute.
• One thing that helps this essay stand out is the clever opening—you might consider writing a creative hook to grab the reader’s attention.

And, just to show you that this can go a number of different ways, here’s…

Example Essay #3 for the “How are you different?” prompt

Note: The next essay on “impressions” and the one below it on “construction” were both written for the UC prompt #8, which asks about what else makes you stand out as an applicant, but could have worked for the prompts above and many others.

Five years ago I took up a job in construction from a couple of neighbors who needed help doing a demolition job on an old house. I saw this as an opportunity to help pay bills around the house as well as cover my own personal expenses. I did a good enough job that my neighbors told me that, if I wanted, I could continue working with them.  It has been a demanding job and I made numerous mistakes at first, like using the wrong tools for different tasks or the wrong size screw. On occasion, I was scolded for my mistakes and I felt incompetent, as I wasn’t able to complete tasks as fast as my co-workers. There were even days that I considered quitting, but I stuck with it.   Since then, I've built, repaired, and remodeled numerous homes for family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers. I’ve removed and replaced carpets; broken down walls as well as driveways; installed cabinets, lights, both wood and tile flooring; and painted room after room.  Working in construction has made me feel like a bigger part of society, because I’m shaping the buildings and offices my community uses. Although I don’t make the choices in design, my workmanship is reflected in every job I’ve done. Because of this, my most memorable projects are those that I’ve taken on by myself. It has been a personally fulfilling experience—there’s just something about peeling away the last strip of tape off a new floor that’s indescribable—and getting to see hours of planning, preparation, and work come together is such a rewarding experience. The best part? Knowing that some family will get to enjoy my work. But this is not what I will do the rest of my life.  There are other ways I can help cover my family’s expenses, and getting a degree is the next step. In fact, I have a feeling that would be an even more fulfilling journey.

Sometimes students ask us, “Is it okay to write about a work experience?” The answer is: Absolutely. In fact, it could be the thing that sets you apart.

Again—and I know I sound like a broken record here—it’s essential to let the reader know what values this experience has helped you develop, as this author did:

• Par 1: Commitment to supporting the family (colleges love to hear about this!) and create autonomy (cover their own personal expenses)
• Par 2: Ability to persevere (even after being criticized)
• Par 3: Ability to adapt to and learn to tackle many different kinds of jobs (see list of responsibilities they’ve taken on)
• Par 4 and 5: The author answers “so what” (being a bigger part of society, feeling a pride in and ownership of their work)
• Ending: The biggest “so what” is the knowledge that there is more for them to do and learn—in college and beyond. (Side note: This author attended Stanford for both undergrad and for their Masters in Engineering—just in case you were wondering whether essays like this work for selective colleges.)

Note: This student doesn’t describe in an in-depth way what they’ll contribute to a college campus (see Duke prompt above), but remember that this was written for a “how are you different?” prompt. If the prompt were asking about how a student might contribute to the campus community, however, the author could have easily added some specifics related to how they’d contribute, as needed.

For more analysis on this particular essay, check out: 

(Blog) Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma in Your College Essay to Stand Out

(Coming Soon) This CEG podcast episode where I interview TEDx speaker Tina Yong 

Get this: We've created supplemental essay guides for 70+ of the most frequently Googled schools. Each offers specific guidance on how to approach a school’s supplemental essay prompts, with example essays and analysis to guide your writing process.

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How to Write a Diversity Essay: 4 Key Tips

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?" essay . 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.

What Is a Diversity Essay for College?

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:

• Your cultural group
• Your race or ethnicity
• Your extended family
• Your religion
• Your socioeconomic background (such as your family's income)
• Your sex or gender
• Your sexual orientation
• Your gender identity
• Your values or opinions
• Your experiences
• Your home country or hometown
• Your school
• The area you live in or your neighborhood
• A club or organization of which you're an active member

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 another diversity statement!

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.

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it.

University of Washington

Like UM, the University of Washington asks students for a short-answer (300 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 UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values, and viewpoints.

University of California System

The UC system requires freshman applicants to choose four out of eight prompts (or personal insight questions ) and submit short essays of up to 350 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.

5. 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?"

7. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place?

Things to consider: Think of community as a term that can encompass a group, team, or 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?

University of Oklahoma

First-year 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 650 words or less.

The University of Oklahoma is the home of a vibrant, diverse, and compassionate university community that is often referred to as “the OU family.” Please describe your cultural and community service activities and why you chose to participate in them.

Duke University

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, four of which are diversity college essay prompts . The maximum word count for each is 250 words.

We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community .

We believe there is benefit in sharing and sometimes questioning our beliefs or values; who do you agree with on the big important things, or who do you have your most interesting disagreements with? What are you agreeing or disagreeing about?

We recognize that “fitting in” in all the contexts we live in can sometimes be difficult. Duke values all kinds of differences and believes they make our community better. Feel free to tell us any ways in which you’re different, and how that has affected you or what it means to you.

Duke’s commitment to inclusion and belonging includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Feel free to share with us more about how your identity in this context has meaning for you as an individual or as a member of a community .

Pitzer College

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?

The Common Application

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 250 to 650 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 prompt that asks you to elaborate on who you are based on a particular identity, a passion you have, or a particular skill that you've cultivated.

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.

In a diversity essay, focus on an aspect of your identity or cultural background that defines you and makes you stand out.

What Do Colleges Look for in a Diversity Essay?

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:

Tell your story.

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. Schools want you to be honest about who you are and where you come from; don't exaggerate or make up stories to make yourself sound "cooler" or more interesting—99% of the time, admissions committees will see right through it! 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:

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.

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 50,000 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.

An excellent diversity essay will represent some aspect of your identity in a sincere, authentic way.

How to Write an Effective Diversity Essay: Four Tips

Here are some tips to help you write a great diversity college essay and increase your chances of admission to college.

#1: Think About What Makes You Unique

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.

#2: Be Honest and Authentic

Ah, there's that word again: authentic . Although 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 OK 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.

#3: Write Clearly, Correctly, and Cogently

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, edit 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.

#4: Take Your Time

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 me or someone else? Are some areas a little too cheesy? Could I 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 effective diversity college essay.

Conclusion: Writing Diversity Essays for College

A diversity essay is a college admissions essay that r evolves 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, age, sexual orientation, etc.

Many colleges—such as the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and Duke—use the diversity essay to ensure diversity in their student bodies . Some schools require the essay; 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:

• Think about what makes you unique: Try to pinpoint an experience or opinion you have that'll separate you from the rest of the crowd in an interesting, positive way.
• Be honest and authentic:  Avoid exaggerating or lying about your feelings and experiences.
• Write clearly, correctly, and cogently:  Edit, proofread, and get someone else to look over your essay.
• Take your time: Start early, preferably during the summer before your senior year, so you can have more time to make changes and get feedback from others.

With that, I wish you the best of luck on your diversity essay!

What's Next?

You understand how to write a diversity essay— but what about a "Why this college?" essay ? 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? Then check out our analysis of 100+ college essays and what makes them memorable .

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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 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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May 8, 2024

The Diversity Essay: How to Write an Excellent Diversity Essay

What is a diversity essay in a school application? And why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you go about writing such an essay?

Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to the diversity on their campus. A diversity essay gives applicants with disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, an unusual education, a distinctive experience, or a unique family history an opportunity to write about how these elements of their background have prepared them to play a useful role in increasing and encouraging diversity among their target program’s student body and broader community.

The purpose of all application essays is to help the adcom better understand who an applicant is and what they care about. Your essays are your chance to share your voice and humanize your application. This is especially true for the diversity essay, which aims to reveal your unique perspectives and experiences, as well as the ways in which you might contribute to a college community.

In this post, we’ll discuss what exactly a diversity essay is, look at examples of actual prompts and a sample essay, and offer tips for writing a standout essay. 

In this post, you’ll find the following: 

What a diversity essay covers

How to show you can add to a school’s diversity, why diversity matters to schools.

• Seven examples that reveal diversity

Sample diversity essay prompts

How to write about your diversity.

• A diversity essay example

Upon hearing the word “diversity” in relation to an application essay, many people assume that they will have to write about gender, sexuality, class, or race. To many, this can feel overly personal or irrelevant, and some students might worry that their identity isn’t unique or interesting enough. In reality, the diversity essay is much broader than many people realize.

Identity means different things to different people. The important thing is that you demonstrate your uniqueness and what matters to you. In addition to writing about one of the traditional identity features we just mentioned (gender, sexuality, class, race), you could consider writing about a more unusual feature of yourself or your life – or even the intersection of two or more identities.

Consider these questions as you think about what to include in your diversity essay:

• Do you have a unique or unusual talent or skill?
• Do you have beliefs or values that are markedly different from those of the people around you? 
• Do you have a hobby or interest that sets you apart from your peers? 
• Have you done or experienced something that few people have? Note that if you choose to write about a single event as a diverse identity feature, that event needs to have had a pretty substantial impact on you and your life. For example, perhaps you’re part of the 0.2% of the world’s population that has run a marathon, or you’ve had the chance to watch wolves hunt in the wild.
• Do you have a role in life that gives you a special outlook on the world? For example, maybe one of your siblings has a rare disability, or you grew up in a town with fewer than 500 inhabitants.

If you are an immigrant to the United States, the child of immigrants, or someone whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the States, your response to “How will you add to the diversity of our class/community?” and similar questions might help your application efforts. Why? Because you have the opportunity to show the adcom how your background will contribute a distinctive perspective to the program you are applying to.

Of course, if you’re not underrepresented in your field or part of a disadvantaged group, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about in a diversity essay.

For example, you might have an unusual or special experience to share, such as serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative. These and other distinctive experiences can convey how you will contribute to the diversity of the school’s campus.

Maybe you are the first member of your family to apply to college or the first person in your household to learn English. Perhaps you have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. You might also have been an ally to those who are underrepresented, disadvantaged, or marginalized in your community, at your school, or in a work setting. 

As you can see, diversity is not limited to one’s religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sexual orientation. It refers to whatever element of your identity distinguishes you from others and shows that you, too, value diversity.

The diversity essay provides colleges the chance to build a student body that includes different ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, backgrounds, interests, and so on. Applicants are asked to illuminate what sets them apart so that the adcoms can see what kind of diverse views and opinions they can bring to the campus.

Admissions officers believe that diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all the students involved. They also believe that having a diverse workforce better serves society as a whole.

The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer people’s discussions will be.

Plus, learning and growing in this kind of 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. Businesses realize that they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences, which is possible when members of their workforce come from various backgrounds and cultures. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st century job market.

Seven examples that reveal diversity

Adcoms want to know about the diverse elements of your character and how these have helped you develop particular  personality traits , as well as about any unusual experiences that have shaped you.

Here are seven examples an applicant could write about:

1. They grew up in an environment with a strong emphasis on respecting their elders, attending family events, and/or learning their parents’ native language and culture.

2. They are close to their grandparents and extended family members who have taught them how teamwork can help everyone thrive.

3. They have had to face difficulties that stem from their parents’ values being in conflict with theirs or those of their peers.

4. Teachers have not always understood the elements of their culture or lifestyle and how those elements influence their performance.

5. They have suffered discrimination and succeeded despite it because of their grit, values, and character.

6. They learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm (e.g., living in foreign countries as the child of a diplomat or contractor; performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports; having a deaf sibling).

7. They’ve encountered racism or other prejudice (either toward themselves or others) and responded by actively promoting diverse, tolerant values.

And remember, diversity is not about who your parents are.  It’s about who you are  – at the core.

Your background, influences, religious observances, native language, ideas, work environment, community experiences – all 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.

The best-known diversity essay prompt is from the  Common App . It states:

“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.”

Some schools have individual diversity essay prompts. For example, this one is from  Duke University :

“We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.” 

And the  Rice University application includes the following prompt:

“Rice is strengthened by its diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders and change agents across the spectrum of human endeavor. What perspectives shaped by your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity inspire you to join our community of change agents at Rice?”

In all instances, colleges want you to demonstrate how and what you’ll contribute to their communities.

Your answer to a school’s diversity essay question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective.

The school might ask how you think of diversity or how you will bring or add to the diversity of the school, your chosen profession, or your community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting distinctive elements of your profile that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. You don’t want to blend in; you want to stand out in a positive way while also complementing the school’s canvas.

Here’s a simple, three-part framework that will help you think of diversity more broadly:

Who are you? What has contributed to your identity? How do you distinguish yourself? Your identity can include any of the following: gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion, nontraditional work experience, nontraditional educational background, multicultural background, and family’s educational level.

What have you done? What have you accomplished? This could include any of the following: achievements inside and/or outside your field of study, leadership opportunities, community service, internship or professional experience, research opportunities, hobbies, and travel. Any or all of these could be unique. Also, what life-derailing, throw-you-for-a-loop challenges have you faced and overcome?

How do you think? How do you approach things? What drives you? What influences you? Are you the person who can break up a tense meeting with some well-timed humor? Are you the one who intuitively sees how to bring people together? 

Read more about this three-part framework in Episode 193 of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk podcast or listen wherever you get your favorite podcast s.

Think about each question within this framework and how you could apply your diversity elements to your target school’s classroom or community. Any of these elements can serve as the framework for your essay.

Don’t worry if you can’t think of something totally “out there.” You don’t need to be a tightrope walker living in the Andes or a Buddhist monk from Japan to be able to contribute to a school’s diversity!

And please remember, the examples we have offered here are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity!

All you need to do to be able to write successfully about how you will contribute to the diversity of your target school’s community is examine your identity, deeds, and ideas, with an eye toward your personal distinctiveness and individuality. There is only one  you .

Take a look at the sample diversity essay in the next section of this post, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for, and experience with, diversity. 

A diversity essay sample

When I was starting 11th 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. 

We roomed in a sprawling farmhouse with a family participating in my dad’s study. I thought I’d experience an “English-free zone,” but the high school students all studied and wanted to practice English, so I did meet peers even though I didn’t attend their school. 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. The pharmacist would drive prescriptions to people who couldn’t easily get out—new mothers, the elderly—not as a business service but as a good neighbor. If rain suddenly threatened, neighbors would bring in each other’s drying laundry. When an empty-nest 50-year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community embodied constant awareness of others’ needs and circumstances. The community flowed!

Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. And it wasn’t idyllic: I heard about ubiquitous gossip, long-standing personal enmities, busybody-ness. But these very human foibles didn’t dam the flow. This dynamic community organism couldn’t have been more different from my suburban life back home, with its insular nuclear families. We nod hello to neighbors in passing. 

This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Blond and blue-eyed, I became “the other” for the first time. 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. I began making extra sure to appear “presentable” before going outside. 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. The toll that feeling—and being— “other” takes on non-white and visibly different people in the US can be extremely painful. 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? I don’t know. 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. I am now far more conscious of people feeling their “otherness”—even when it’s not in response to negative treatment, it can arise simply from awareness of being in some way different.

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 United States? Did she encounter diversity from the perspective of “the other”? 

Here a few things to note about why this diversity essay works so well:

1. The writer comes from “a comfortable, suburban, Wisconsin life,” suggesting that her background might not be ethnically, racially, or in any other way diverse.

2. The diversity “points” scored all come from her fascinating experience of having lived in a Japanese farm village, where she immersed herself in a totally different culture.

3. The lessons learned about the meaning of community are what broaden and deepen the writer’s perspective about life, about a purpose-driven life, and about the concept of “otherness.” 

By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms, you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay.

Working on your diversity essay?

Want to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking?  Work with one of our admissions experts . This checklist includes more than 30 different ways to think about diversity to jump-start your creative engine.

Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications, and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Sundas has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch! 

Related Resources:

• Different Dimensions of Diversity , podcast Episode 193
• What Should You Do If You Belong to an Overrepresented MBA Applicant Group?
• Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions , a free guide

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, examples of diversity essays that worked for college admissions.

Writing about my diverse background feels daunting, and I'm kind of stuck on my college essay. Does anyone have examples of diversity essays that were successful in college applications, or tips for how to approach this topic?

I understand that writing about your diverse background can feel challenging. Rather than looking for specific examples of successful essays, I'd recommend focusing on brainstorming your unique experiences and perspectives that could showcase your diversity. Think about specific stories, events, or aspects of your background that have shaped who you are today.

Once you have pinpointed a few of these, consider which of them would enable you to craft a compelling narrative. The key to a strong essay is to make it personal and engaging. While it's important to remain genuine and true to your own experiences, don't be afraid to get creative in how you present your story.

A good diversity essay shows the reader how your background has shaped your values, given you unique insights, or allowed you to grow in meaningful ways. Perhaps you can discuss how your multicultural upbringing has taught you the importance of understanding different perspectives, or how overcoming language barriers has made you more resilient.

Remember, the admissions officers are looking to get a glimpse into who you are as a person. Use this essay as an opportunity to let your voice and individuality shine. Good luck!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Step by Step Guide To Write a Diversity Essay (Examples + Analysis)

What is a Diversity essay? 

First, let’s understand the diversity question in a school application, and more significantly, what is the value when applying to leading programs and universities?

A diversity essay is an essay that inspires applicants with minority backgrounds, unique experiences, special education, or bizarre family histories to write about how these factors will contribute to the diversity of their target school’s class and community.

Several schools have a supplemental essay prompt that requires students to speculate on their experiences and show how those experiences would enable them to add to the diversity of a college community.

For example, let’s look at Duke’s optional* diversity prompt:

(Optional) Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better-perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke. (250-word limit)

*While this prompt is optional, our team would not recommend you to treat this prompt as optional —it’s a huge opportunity to help yourself stand out from other candidates. 

Or Caltech’s:

The process of discovery best advances when people from various backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives come together. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity of Caltech's community? (Your response should range between 250-400 words.)

So, the question is, why do universities ask variations of this question? At the risk of repeating the above, universities appreciate a diverse student body for several reasons. 

One reason is the notion that a solid education includes encountering values, faiths, and perspectives that are different from your own (Caltech makes this fairly straightforward in its prompt mentioned above). 

Many academic fields, from marketing to history to medicine, are day by day realizing how diversity empowers creativity and understanding. The diversity essay is also another opportunity to show how you and a college fit together. 

One general is what exactly schools mean by “diversity.” While it can indicate things like religion, faith, ethnicity, or sexuality, those can be solid topics to write about, and diversity is limited. 

Open your mind, and then think—what perspective will you bring to college, particularly one that others cannot? 

How can you show that you add diversity?

If you are an immigrant to the U.S. or born to immigrants or someone whose ethnicity is a minority in the U.S., you may find your answer to this question crucial to your application effort. Why? Because you can use it to prove how your background will add to the mix of viewpoints at the program you are applying to.

Of course, if you’re not an under-represented minority and don’t fall into one of those categories, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about.

If you are applying to a school and have an unusual or unique experience to share, like serving in the military, becoming part of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative, use your knowledge to convey how you will bring diverse school’s campus.

You could be the first member of your family to apply to college;  you could have struggle your way through college, worked hard in poverty, or raised your siblings.

Diversity is not limited to one’s religion, culture, language, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. It’s an element of your identity that distinguishes you from others.

Going further, let’s talk about some

Do’s and Don’ts

Some do’s: .

- Think about how this helps the admission committee to understand more about who you are.

- Think about several ways you’re distinct from other people.

In numerous ways, you can approach diversity essays like you do “ community” prompts. 

To save some time and effort, consider writing a combined essay that can be used for prompts that think community and focus on diversity. 

Try to think in terms of identity and perspective (which often align with communities).

Some don’ts

- As I mentioned earlier, don’t assume that “difference” only applies to culture or social class.

There are numerous ways to define “difference.”

 - At all costs, avoid privilege clichés.

A common essay on diversity is like this: The writer watches a person on a street or bus, or train. They see the person, whose skin is of a different color than theirs, wears torn clothes or worn-out shoes. The writer expresses a feeling of disgrace and gratitude for their privileged position. They either help the person somehow and feel good, but also bad, or just neglect the person and feel bad or don’t feel anything. These kinds of stories have several problems: 

• In such a situation, the interaction is minimum, so compelling insights are improbable to occur. As a result, diversity essays often end up displaying a common theme along the lines of “I realized I have so much to be grateful for.”
• It’s crucial to come to recognize privilege. But understanding privilege in an essay like this runs the danger of showcasing blunt negative qualities.

One important thing to do is link the values you’ve developed 

Help readers see how these factors of diversity have shaped your values and insights. 

Step by step process to write the “Diversity” Essay 

Let’s look at two simple approaches for how you can write your diversity essay:

• If you belong to a community that embraces how you’ll contribute to the diversity of the campus, you can create your essay around your engagement with that community. 
• And, if there’s individuality or perspective that represents the diversity you’ll bring to campus, you can work on that also. 

1. First is the “Community” approach 

Step 1: Prepare a “communities” chart by posting all communities you’re a part of. Remember that communities can be defined by ...

• Place: Crowds of people who live, work, and have leisure time near one another
• Action: Crowds of people who bring change in the world by building, doing, or solving something together (Examples: Black Lives Matter, March for Our Lives)
• Interest: Associations coming together based on similar interests, skills, events, experiences, or expertise
• Circumstance: Gatherings brought together either by chance or external emergencies/situations

Step 2: Once you’ve picked a community, use the following exercise to develop your essay content. 

• What did you do in that community? (Important Tip: You can use active verbs like “designed” and “directed” to clarify your responsibilities.)
• What kinds of difficulties/ problems did you solve?
• What particular impact did you have?
• What did you learn (your skills, characteristics, values)? 
• How did you implement the lessons you learned in that community?

Don’t skip that step. It’s significant: it’s easy for students to write just so-so community essays if they don’t take the time to brainstorm specific content.

Step 3: Pick a structure (Narrative or montage).

Narrative Structure works fine for students who have faced a challenge in this community. Otherwise, you can use Montage Structure.

If you choose Narrative, you have to focus on answering the following three-question Structure: 

• What challenges did you face?
• How did you overcome those challenges?  
• What did you learn?

Go with the Montage Structure if you want to approach essays that don’t necessarily focus on a particular challenge.

2. Second is the Identity/Perspective approach 

List out diverse ways in which you identify. Again, think with an open mind. Here an open mind approach is much needed. For example, "I'm a ... writer, rock lover, Indian, dancer, feminist, etc." Try to name as many identities as you think you are. 

Then, in short, describe how these identities reveal different versions of you.

Is there an identity you haven’t spoken about so far in your application that's very important to you, or maybe one you've had a hard time with? If so, what have you found stimulating about it?

Regarding perspective: Talk about some unique experiences that have shaped you. For example, have your values clash with your family’s in complicated ways? Have you been raised differently? What has molded how you see the world and your role in it? (Remember that this can lead to excellent essays, but is a little harder, as “perspective” is a more abstract thing than “identity” or “community.”)

Again, Montage or Narrative Structure can work here.

Option for both approaches: As your prompt and its word count, think about adding some “Why us?” elements to the end of your diversity essay—even if the prompt doesn’t ask you to.

How you’ll contribute to the diversity on campus? Are there groups or communities that allow you to continue what you’ve already done? Or are you planning to start an organization? Express to your reader that you have got an idea about how you want to engage with the school community.

Diversity Essay Example 1

Let’s look at an example that takes the “community” approach:

When I joined the Durham Youth Commission, a group of students chosen to represent youth interests within local government, I met Miles. Miles told me his cousin’s body had been stuffed into the trunk of a car after he was killed by a gang. After that, my notion of normal would never be the same. 

A melting pot of ideologies, skins, socio-economic classes, faiths, and educations, the DYC is a unique collaborative enterprise. Each member adds to our community’s network of stories, that weave, bump, and diverge in unexpected ways. Miles talked about his cousin’s broken body, Witnessa educated us about “food deserts,” supervisor Evelyn Scott explained that girls get ten-day school suspensions for simply stepping on another student’s sneakers, and I shared how my family’s blending of Jewish tradition and Chinese culture bridges disparate worlds. As a person who was born in Tokyo, lived in London and grew up in the South, I realize difference doesn’t have to be an obstacle to understanding. My ability to listen empathetically helped us envision multifaceted solutions to issues facing 21st-century youth. 

My experience in this space of affirmation and engagement has made me a more thoughtful person and listener. I want to continue this effort and be the woman who both expands perspectives and takes action after hearing people’s stories. Reconciling disparate lifestyles and backgrounds in the Commission has prepared me to become a compassionate leader, eager to both expand perspectives and take collaborative action. 

Tips and Analysis

• Hook us, then keep us: We find that hook jolting every time we read i. But that’s the reason it’s effective. So while your hook doesn’t have to be as shocking and mysterious as this one, always spend some time researching options for ways to hook your reader. While the hook does a great job of hooking us, the body does a great job of keeping us engaged.

We get to see how the writer has explored various perspectives, making space for others to share, and tried to establish understanding by offering her own. The insights she gives are quick but effective, and she transitions perfectly into concentrating on how diversity has shaped her, and how she wants to continue engaging and participating in the future.

• Show your engagement: The way she described the final paragraph could be set depending on the phrasing of the prompt—some schools clearly ask how you’ll contribute to diversity on campus. For these prompts, remember to add some “why us”-like details, showing that you’ve found associations and opportunities at the school that inspires you. 
• Save yourself time: Use this essay for various prompts which ask about things like diversity or community, saving her hours of writing. As you brainstorm for your diversity prompts, think about how you can write one essay that can be used for all of them (with needed revisions to fit the prompt’s phrasing and word count).

Diversity Essay Example 2 (with analysis in the essay)

This one focuses more on perspective:

My whole family sits around the living room on a lazy Sunday afternoon when we suddenly hear sirens. Lots of sirens. Everyone stops. My dad peers out the window, trying to get a glimpse of the highway. My mom gets up and goes to the phone. After a few stressful rings, the person on the other line answers. My mom bursts out, “Is Josh ok?”

Great hook! We’re engaged by the questions this essay raises. Is Josh ok? Who is this Josh? Why are there is a lot of sirens?

Josh is my fourteen-year-old cousin, and he lives less than a mile from my house. Whenever we hear sirens, my mom will give their house a call or shoot my aunt a text, just in case. Josh was born with a syndrome that affected the formation of the bones of his head and face. As a result, his hearing, vision, breathing, and some of his brain structures are compromised. He’s unable to do athletics, his tracheostomy always provides a possibility of disaster, and an unwieldy head brace used to grace his head.

Here the writer gives context by describing who Josh is. He also defines “difference” with a few particular details.

Living so close to Josh, we have had the opportunity to interact daily. We go on vacations together, I drive Josh to school twice a week, at every holiday we either go down to their house or they come up to my family’s house, we play wiffle ball in the yard behind their house. One of my favorite activities is board games with him—Risk, Monopoly, Settlers of Catan, we play it all. Last Christmas, there were endless laughs when prompted by our fathers’ nostalgia, we constructed a slot car track and raced those miniature cars around tight turns and short straightaways. This game was perfect for Josh, as he could stay in a comfortable seat and still experience the speed and excitement that he is usually barred from.

In this section, the writer shows us how close he is to Josh, and the final sentence shows his sympathy and feeling. 

It goes without saying that Josh has not had an easy childhood. He has had to fight for his life in the hospital when his peers were learning how to multiply and divide in school or playing capture the flag on the beach. A large portion of his childhood has been arbitrarily taken from him. That is most obviously unfair.

Value: Empathy

At our high school, I see Josh every day walking from the second period to the third period, and every day I say hello and have a small conversation with him. One day I was walking with a few of my friends when I stopped to talk with him. During the conversation, I made a little joke at Josh’s expense. It wasn’t at all relating to his disability, but to something completely independent of that—specifically, his Instagram habits. My friends were horrified and chastised me as they saw it appropriate.

He’s setting up for the end and also raised a question: Why did he make the joke at Josh’s expense?

My friends didn’t understand. He is not some extremely delicate dandelion who falls apart at every breath that causes a slightly adverse situation. Everywhere he goes, he’s the most popular guy in the room; people flock to him, surround him, pity him, overwhelm him. All Josh wants is to be treated like any other person. He is my cousin, and he is my friend, so I treat him as such. We joke we make fun of each other, just as any other two friends do.

Insight! The writer treats Josh as he would treat any of his friends—like a normal human being.

Josh has proved to me that people with disabilities are exactly that—people. As if that needed proving. But it’s something that is too easily forgotten. It’s hard to see anything except the handicap. A person’s wheelchair or white cane inevitably trumps any other characteristic. It’s a natural human reaction, but it too often leads to the dehumanizing of disabled people. One of my favorite people on Earth has lived a life of disability. And he plays a mean game of Monopoly.

In the end, he connects the dots and provides a bit more understanding: Treating people differently because of their disability can be degrading.                          

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How to Write the Princeton Diversity Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Yesh Datar i n a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

Breaking down the prompt, writing tips, connecting your topic to princeton.

Princeton University asks its applicants to reply to one of two options for its supplemental essay. The prompt for option 1 asks:

“At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? (250 words)”

In this article, we will discuss how to approach the diversity prompt in a way that keeps your reader engaged. If you are interested in reading about other Princeton essays, read our post of tips on how to write the Princeton University essays for 2022-2023 . 

The first step to writing this essay is to figure out which conversation you want to talk about. Only after that can you explain what helped you discuss a difficult topic respectfully and learn from the experience. This is a serious topic about which you should spend a lot of time brainstorming. You want to make sure to pick an event that showcases you in the best way possible and also answers the prompt. 

This could be something related to an issue in your community, or maybe even religion. There are a lot of difficult conversations happening right now around gender and sexuality, so you could also pick a topic in that realm. Whatever topic you end up choosing, make sure it showcases the unique perspective that makes you a diverse individual that will be a positive addition to Princeton’s campus. 

While answering this prompt, you want to highlight what makes you unique. Diversity can be a lot of things, it doesn’t only mean gender, sexuality, or ethnicity. Diversity can come from your hobbies, interests, or views on life. 

As Princeton mentions in the prompt, they want students to bring a unique and diverse perspective to the Princeton community, so tell them how you will do that. It can be tempting to simply retell the events of the conversation that you are writing about but, remember, it is equally important to talk about the insight you gained from this difficult conversation. Overall, Princeton wants to understand how you approach and learn from difficult situations. 

When you are writing, make sure to show your growth as a person and the progression of your ideas throughout the experience. Include these insights throughout your writing―don’t just include a sentence or two at the end of your essay about what you learned. You want to break down your thought process at every point in the difficult conversation you had. This will help your reader follow along better and feel more connected to your story. By weaving growth and development throughout your essay, it becomes more believable. 

When people read about a difficult conversation, it is natural for them to come up with their own opinions and ideas. This is what the admissions officers will be doing while they read over your topic. By sharing your own thoughts and opinions, you are bringing the admissions officer into your world and having a conversation with them. This is the best way to keep your readers engaged. 

At the end of your essay, you want to have expressed how, going forward, your experience having―and learning from―difficult conversations will help you during your time at Princeton. You want to talk about how you will apply what you learned and how you will act as a Princeton student. 

As mentioned in the prompt, Princeton values diversity , so there are going to be students from all different backgrounds on campus. Ultimately, this will lead to some difficult discussions inside and outside the classroom as no two students will share the same point of view. Princeton wants to make sure the students they admit will not only be able to handle these difficult conversations respectfully, approaching them with an open mind, but also that they will add to them in a way that fosters growth for all students.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• College Application

College Diversity Essay Examples

Institutions of higher learning want to recognize diversity and support students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, making college diversity essay examples more relevant than ever. Your diversity secondary essay will make a big difference in your application, and looking at expertly written essays will help you immensely.

We at BeMo believe that everybody deserves a fair and equal shot at higher education, which is why it is important to us to make sure that persons from underrepresented backgrounds aren’t being left behind.

To that end, we are going to show several examples of diversity essays, with prompts selected from different educational institutions, in addition to giving you general expert college essay tips and a section on how to approach diversity essays specifically.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Article Contents 11 min read

Essay examples.

These essay prompts are taken from various schools as well as the Common App*, and each one will deal with a different kind of diversity. Some of these prompts remark directly on diversity, while others are simply open, or hint at a connection.

*The Common Application is a centralized system used by many schools to streamline the application process.

NYU Supplemental Essay Example (Common App)

Prompt: “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.”

Word limit: 250-650 words. Aim for about 500 words.

The labels that I bear are hung from me like branches on a tree: disruptive, energetic, creative, loud, fun, easily distracted, clever, a space cadet, a problem … and that tree has roots called ADHD. The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder made a lot of sense when it was handed down. I was diagnosed later than other children, probably owing to my sex, which is female; people with ADHD who are female often present in different ways from our male counterparts and are just as often missed by psychiatrists.

Over the years, these labels served as either a badge or a bludgeon, keeping me from certain activities, ruining friendships, or becoming elements of my character that I love about myself and have brought me closer to people I care about. Every trait is a double-edged sword.

The years that brought me to where I am now have been strange and uneven. I had a happy childhood, even if I was a “handful” for my parents. As I grew and grew in awareness of how I could be a problem, I developed anxiety over behavior I simply couldn’t control. With the diagnosis, I received relief, and yet, soon I was thinking of myself as broken, and I quickly attributed every setback to my neurological condition.

I owe much to my ADHD. I have found my paintbrushes to be superb catalysts for the cornucopia of ideas in my mind. I have always known how to have a great time, and my boundless energy has contributed to winning several medals while playing basketball.

My ADHD owes much to me, too. I have received several cards in basketball because I got “agitated.” My grades throughout elementary school – before I had good coping mechanisms and medications – look like yo-yos. Of course, I also have social troubles that I lay at the feet of my brain being wrong.

I have a wrong brain. I am wrong-brained. Imagine carrying that around as a child or as a teenager. I had to.

Only recently did I change my wrong-mind to a right-mind. The way I did it was simple: I stopped thinking of myself as having a brain that was wrong. I have a brain that is different. It supplies me with hurdles and the ability to leap over those hurdles. Sometimes I need extra help, but who doesn’t in one way or another? 

These days, I don’t even like to think of my ADHD as a “neurological condition,” because I just want to feel like it’s a part of me, and of course, it is.

I have recently been volunteering at a mental health resource center, trying to spread that worldview. I believe that it is important to help people with different minds. Part of how we need to do that is by normalizing being abnormal. We are all strange and different. My version of difference happens to be in my mind, and it has a label. So, let’s all be kind and generous to each other and our wonderful, divergent differences.

Prompt: “Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates.”

Word limit: This particular prompt from Harvard is not given a word limit, but we recommend you aim for about 600 words.

Every morning I ride through the park on my bicycle, past a group of yoga practitioners who are connecting with nature in their trendy yoga pants. They're being taught by a tranquil-faced twenty-something with an asymmetrical haircut and a smart phone playing nature sounds. Saying “Namaste,” before rushing home to take the kids to school, they’ll probably buy flavored macchiatos on the way.

I’m not offended, although as a Hindu I have every right to be; I just think that they are probably missing the point of something very profound and important to me. I was taught yoga by my grandfather, who I always thought looked one hundred years old, no matter what he really was.

He would get me up at dawn, and I would complain, but doing the poses did awaken me, stretch my limbs, and move me into a more centered place. Most importantly, he taught me to hold on to that centered place for the rest of the day, to make sure that I carried my yoga with me.

I did carry it with me, too, past shops selling incense and yoga mats, past music stores with baby boomer rock stars who played sitar as a fad, and past a thousand other places that reminded me that my culture was a commodity, my religion a self-help rubber stamp. Lately, it has been my bicycle ride through the park taking me past this yoga group, who I don’t want to disparage too much, because maybe some of them are taking it seriously, but it doesn’t look that way, and it really doesn’t feel that way.

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Prompt: “In 20XX, we faced a national reckoning on racial injustice in America - a reckoning that continues today. Discuss how this has affected you, what you have learned, or how you have been inspired to be a change agent around this important issue.”

Word limit: 400 words, max.

I’m angry and I’m tired of pretending otherwise. There have been too many riots, too many marches, too many people shouting into uncaring ears when Black people get treated the way we do. How many dead fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters have to move from the front page of the news to the bottom of the social media feed before we get recognized and listened to. I just want to be heard. I have given up on the idea of waking up in a world where I am not afraid, angry, and weary. Maybe that world is for my grandkids, or my great-grandkids, but not me.

My mother and my father, my aunts and uncles, they were all very active in the protests – often at the front of the line – and they did not come through unscathed. They had bruises and blood spilt, they had broken bones. I know they will return to that battlefield, to protest peacefully until they cannot maintain that rank any longer. From these noble people I received my sense of righteous anger. But I also got good advice on how to use it well.

They know that protests are one thing, but action is another, and my mind has been geared toward law school for some time now, because I wanted to bring about the major changes that are needed for our society to move on. So, in addition to protests, I have been taking pre-law courses, and I have acquired a part-time job in the law firm where my uncle works, and while it is a small, office job, I get to spend a lot of time with my uncle learning about how to bring positive change by fighting big and little battles. Of course, he is also showing me how to fight those battles.

Anger alone isn’t going to settle anything, which is why I believe in making a better world with my actions and rhetoric. But I am still frustrated and furious, and while I am trying to find a hopeful place to get to, I’ll repeat that I don’t think we’ll see the better world I want. Maybe our grandkids, but not us. Hold on to that, get angry, and join me in pushing forward for them.

Princeton Supplemental Essay Example

Prompt: “At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future?”

Word limit: 250 words

Coming out was harder than I thought it would be. In the months previous, when I knew that I was gay, and when I knew that I wanted to tell my family, I was worried about their reactions. I hoped that they would be supportive, and I suspected that they would be, but it wasn’t just the event that was difficult, it was the next day and the day after that.

One conversation would have been painful but quick, like the proverbial bandage being ripped off. But this was interminable and killing me with kindness. My parents asked little questions or made showy gestures about caring in the days that followed, and the experience wound up lasting several months.

The insight I gained is that we think of life in terms of gateposts and events, but all things take time, and most have a build-up and cool-down surrounding them. Expecting to have something momentous take place in one afternoon was naïve.

Moving forward, I understand that the real problem was thinking of this as an event at all, and it’s not, it’s just who I am, which means I carry it around with me and I have no other recourse. I believe this will serve me well, because it will help me have ongoing conversations instead of quick talks that I wrap up and put away.

That’s better; my life is not a series of tough moments, it is ongoing.

The main thing to do with a diversity essay is to remain focused. First, focus on your subject, and keep in mind that the subject isn’t actually “diversity.” That sounds weird, but remember that this is always about you and the institution you’re applying to. They want to hear about your life, your experiences, and how you connect with their program.

To that end, make sure that you talk about your experiences beyond a general push for diversity. Of course, it’s easy to get behind ideas that are inclusive, but you have a central purpose here.

The second focus is to keep yourself on target with what kind of diversity you’re talking about. You can bring in multiple ways you fit the description of “diverse,” but your essay may be a fairly short one, so focus on one central theme or idea.

There are many different ways that you can be diverse or have a worldview that fits these prompts. Diversity is often thought of in terms of race, sexuality, and gender, but it could also mean neurodivergence, living with a disability, sex, religion, or nationality. With most prompts, diversity could be anything that sets you apart, such as growing up in unusual circumstances. Perhaps you moved a lot as a child, grew up on a military base, or were raised in the foster care system. Before assuming that diversity essays don’t apply to you, check the exact wording of the prompt and really contemplate your background.

Many essays ask about your experiences with diversity, so you might have a friend or relative who fits one or more of these categories; if you have a personal connection and experience with that person, you can speak to that in an essay.

Exploring your diversity, or your experiences with diversity, is the key to success in writing your own diversity essay. Dig deep and share your genuine experiences. The operative word here is “genuine”: do not, under any circumstances, fake this essay. Any falsehood in an application is unacceptable, and co-opting another underrepresented group’s diversity is disrespectful. There is enough room in most prompts to account for your particular branch of diversity without pretending to be someone else.

Essay Writing Tips

When we speak more generally, not just of diversity essays in particular, but with respect to how to write a college essay , most of the rules are going to be more or less the same as with other prompts.

Of course, your approach to how to start a college essay , whether specific to the diversity prompts or not, remains the same: open with your “hook,” the line that snares any reader, ideally even ones who aren’t on the admissions committee. If you open well, you grab your reader’s attention and bring them along for the ride.

After that, follow basic essay structure, including a body to explore your ideas and a conclusion to wrap up.

One way to polish your essay is to make sure that your paragraphs transition nicely into one another – pay extra attention to the flow of your material. Another elite polish tip is to mirror your opening line with your closing, at least in terms of fulfilling the promise of whatever your opening line spoke of.

Inclusion is of maximal importance. Get yourself recognized at your top-choice school with our tips and sample college essays . By working with these prompts, and within the application streams for underrepresented students, you are giving yourself the agency to move forward into a more diverse future.

Everything depends on the individual school’s prompt. If the prompt is mandatory, you write the essay, even if you only have an outsider’s connection. Many schools have optional diversity essays, or reserve them for students from certain backgrounds. In those cases, only write the essay if you feel it is appropriate for you to do so. This might change based on the wording of the prompt. Some prompts invite students with “connections” to diverse communities to respond, which means that you might not be a member of an underrepresented community, but you could be a supporter, activist, or close friend or family member of those communities. Still other prompts cast a wide net for potential types of diversity, which means you might fit into one based on your experiences, even if you don’t immediately think of yourself as fitting in.

If the essay prompt applies to you, or if it is mandatory, write the essay.

Not necessarily. Obviously, if the essay is optional and does not apply to you, your chances remain the same. However, many institutions have programs for underrepresented students, and benefitting from them may depend on writing a diversity statement. In other words, it’s required. In general, we recommend that you take every opportunity offered to make your application stand out, and producing a thoughtful diversity statement or optional essay is an effective way to do that.

As listed above, there are many possibilities. Race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, and sex are some of the categories you might fit into which apply to these essays. If you don’t fit into those categories, you might still be considered diverse based on any experience which sets you apart and gives you a unique background, life, or circumstance, which means that most diversity prompts have a very wide net.

Essays are typically only seen by admissions committees. If the institution wants to use your essay as an example essay, they would need to ask you first. Sharing your essay would require permission.

If you are particularly worried, contact your school and ask about their confidentiality policies, or specifically ask that they do not disclose your essay’s contents.

Try not to worry; these programs are set up for people like you, and the administrations are understanding and sympathetic to your situation. They certainly do not want to hurt you.

You just have to share your authentic connection with diversity. If you have negative emotions or experiences tied to that aspect of yourself, of course you are allowed to share them. Speaking to the frustration, anger, anxiety, and other debilitating emotions around racial violence, for example, is not off the table. You highlight yourself, your diversity, and your connection to the school – that’s it. Don’t feel like you need to hide your personal experiences to play nice or seem “positive.”

No, some do not. Most have essays geared toward your background generally, which can often provide an opportunity to talk about your diversity, but it would not be required. Keep in mind that more general background essays, like personal statements or the near-ubiquitous, “Why this school?” essays, will need more focus on academics or career goals. Diversity essays can be more focused on your own personal experiences.

All admissions essays are personal to some degree. Diversity essays will touch on the essence of yourself, so they will be more personal than a lot of others. Getting personal will also help to show the admissions committee who you really are and why you really need to attend their institution.

Most of the time, yes. Many prompts are open-ended and would allow you to bring that aspect of yourself forward - in your personal statement, for instance. Some application processes, such as the Common or Coalition Applications, have a prompt that allows you to select your own topic.

Definitely write a diversity essay if you believe that is the best way to show your unique individuality and how you will add to the fabric of the school to which you are applying.

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How To Write Diversity Supplemental Essays When You Feel Like You Don’t Have a Story to Tell

The diversity-focused supplemental essay has been gaining traction on college applications for years. These prompts allow admissions to get a sense of a student’s background, culture, and values. They often provide meaningful context for a student’s resume, transcript, and other application materials. And, as of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action , they serve as a crucial opportunity for students of color to discuss the impact and value of their experiences as minorities.

With the above-mentioned Supreme Court ruling came an extra avalanche of diversity essays meant to compensate for a missing tool that aimed to level the playing field. We here at CEA have celebrated the preponderance of opportunities to address race, gender, and other identity-oriented details on the application. We have also found that these prompts can be flummoxing, particularly to students who feel like they don’t have an obvious diversity story to tell. 

So what do you do with a diversity prompt when you don’t feel “diverse”?

1) Truly consider why these prompts are important.

I know this may not seem like an important step in the process, but I believe it’s crucial in providing a reflective, sensitive response. Colleges are aiming to enroll a class with varied backgrounds, experiences, and belief systems. The confluence of a wide range of perspectives in an educational environment is what makes for deep inquiry, valuable debate, and enlightened progress. For too long, privilege has begotten privilege—and, let’s be real, it still does. But an active attempt to level the playing field and value perspectives that have been historically devalued elevates the education process and society as a whole. So even if this question is frustrating at first (and even if it feels like it is meant to elevate the voice of someone else ), consider how this process will actually benefit you and your peers as part of any incoming class. Think about how many challenges marginalized students have to face that are larger and more daunting than a 250-word admissions essay. Take this perspective with you to school. Be part of the solution. 

2) Read the prompts carefully. 

Think of interpretations of the word “diversity.”

Admissions is not trying to stump you. They are well aware that people who do not come from what would be considered traditionally diverse backgrounds will be applying to their institutions (and a lot of them!), which is why many of the prompts are written with an open window for interpretation. Consider this prompt from the University of Virginia :

What about your individual background, perspective, or experience will serve as a source of strength for you or those around you at UVA?  Feel free to write about any past experience or part of your background that has shaped your perspective and will be a source of strength, including but not limited to those related to your community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background that are important to you. (250 words)

With prompts that feel complex to unpack at first, I always suggest students break down their options. Here, a student can write about background, perspective, OR experience. The background, perspective, or experience you choose can be related to any of the following: community, upbringing, educational environment, race, gender, or other aspects of your background. It doesn’t get more open-ended than that. Finally, the prompt indicates they want you to showcase how what you choose to write about has served and will continue to serve as a source of strength (which I believe is a direct nod to the Justice Roberts loophole I discuss in this post ).

Here are some examples of things a student might write about that don’t hinge on race, gender, or what students would describe as obvious components of “diversity” (though those can certainly be elements in these essays, if applicable):

• Perspective + upbringing + strength = a student who grew up with a single mom talks about how they were forced to mature at an early age and under the supervision of a strong female role model. This has generated independence, resourcefulness, and respect for others.
• Experience + background + strength = a student works as a hostess at a restaurant, which introduces her to a wide range of patrons and team members, improving her communication skills and embedding the value of hard work and collaboration.
• Perspective + community + strength = connecting with an online community of Magic the Gathering players brings a student out of their shell, allows them to embrace their authentic interests—inspiring them to build an in-person meeting at their school—and ultimately develops leadership and interpersonal skills.

Let’s take a look at another prompt, this time from Swarthmore :

What aspects of your self-identity or personal background are most significant to you? Reflecting on the elements of your home, school, or other communities that have shaped your life, explain how you have grown in your ability to navigate differences when engaging with others, or demonstrated your ability to collaborate in communities other than your own.  (250 words)

This prompt asks students to identify aspects of their self-identity or personal background, but again, those can be interpreted widely: 

• Maybe a student is a natural teacher and their patience has enabled them to make special connections with students in the special-education program they volunteer for. 
• Perhaps the hostess from the restaurant in the UVA answer above learned about world cuisine during staff meals before her shift, exchanging recipes and stories with the cooks about favorite dishes made by their grandmothers. 
• Has your experience in the drama club required you to inhabit someone else’s circumstances in a way that activated empathy and inspired you to action? Has injustice in the world sparked you to join a protest, watch the news with your parents every night, or build a coalition in your community? 

This question shifts some of the focus from your origins and identity to how that background informs your behavior, which presents a great opportunity to talk about the ways in which encounters from your everyday life inspire you to be more considerate of and engaged with others.

This does bring us to my next and last tip:

3) Avoid saviorism and exaggeration.

As with pretty much every application essay, the key to a successful response is authenticity. I hope I don’t have to remind people to be honest, but I’ll just say it: don’t lie about your background. It’s wrong, and if admissions finds out you’re not really 15% Native American, there will be consequences (and rightfully so). Also, don’t try to make meaning where there is none. Your dad might be Irish, but if that background hasn’t infiltrated your own life or impacted you in a meaningful way, that might not be fodder for a resonant essay. 

Finally, be extremely careful about how you frame your experiences with other cultures, especially if you are coming from a place of privilege. Ask yourself the question: am I making myself the hero of this story when I shouldn’t be? You may have participated in a school walk-out related to the murder of George Floyd, but why did you do it? What did you learn? What did you not know that maybe you wish you had known earlier? Humility is powerful when writing about interactions with the culture of others, and the desire to absorb and really listen is key. If you’re presenting yourself as an ally, be a true ally. Recognize the ways in which privilege has protected you and acknowledge that; as much as you have learned, there is always more to know.

As always, if you’d like to work one-on-one with an Advisor from our team or submit a draft for an expert’s review, we’re here to help !

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Addressing Diversity in a College Application Essay

5 Tips for an Admissions Essay Addressing Diversity

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Nearly all colleges want to enroll a diverse student body, and they also want to enroll students who appreciate diversity. For these reasons, diversity can be a good choice for an application essay. Although the Common Application  dropped a question specifically about diversity back in 2013, the current Common Application essay questions still allow for an essay on the topic. Specifically, essay option one invites you to discuss your background or identity, and these broad categories open the door to an essay about the ways in which you will contribute to campus diversity.

Many of the other Common Application essay options—whether on obstacles, challenging beliefs, solving a problem, or personal growth—can also lead to essays about diversity. Do you see diversity leading to problems that need to be fixed? Has your attitude towards diversity changed over time? Diversity is such a broad topic that there are many ways to approach it in an essay.

You will also find that many colleges and universities have supplemental essays on diversity, even if that word isn't used in the essay prompt. If you're asked to explain what you'll bring to the campus community, you're being asked about diversity.

Key Takeaways: An Essay on Diversity

• Diversity is about much more than race and skin color. Being white doesn't mean you don't contribute to campus diversity.
• If writing about the importance of diversity, be sure to avoid clichés and stereotypes linked to positions of privilege.
• Make sure your essay makes clear how you will contribute to the richness of the campus community.

Diversity Isn't Just About Race

While you can certainly write about race in your application essay, realize that diversity isn't just about skin color. Colleges want to enroll students who have a diverse range of interests, beliefs, and experiences. Many college applicants quickly shy away from this topic because they don't think they bring diversity to a campus. Not true. Even a white male from the suburbs has values and life experiences that are uniquely his own.

Understand Why Colleges Want "Diversity"

An essay on diversity is an opportunity to explain what interesting qualities you'll bring to the campus community. There are check boxes on the application that address your race, so that isn't the main point with an essay. Most colleges believe that the best learning environment includes students who bring new ideas, new perspectives, new passions and new talents to the school. A bunch of like-minded clones has very little to teach each other, and they will grow little from their interactions. As you think about this question, ask yourself, "What will I add to the campus that others won't? Why will the college be a better place when I'm in attendance?"

Be Careful Describing Third-World Encounters

College admissions counselors sometimes call it "that Haiti essay" — an essay about a visit to a third-world country. Invariably, the writer discusses shocking encounters with poverty, a new awareness of the privileges he or she has, and greater sensitivity to the inequality and diversity of the planet. This type of essay can too easily become generic and predictable. This doesn't mean you can't write about a Habitat for Humanity trip to a third-world country, but you want to be careful to avoid clichés. Also, make sure your statements reflect well upon you. A claim like "I never knew so many people lived with so little" can make you sound naive.

Be Careful Describing Racial Encounters

Racial difference is actually an excellent topic for an admissions essay, but you need to handle the topic carefully. As you describe that Japanese, Native American, African American, or Caucasian friend or acquaintance, you want to make sure your language doesn't inadvertently create racial stereotypes. Avoid writing an essay in which you simultaneously praise a friend's different perspective while using stereotyping or even racist language.

Keep Much of the Focus on You

As with all the personal essays, your essay needs to be personal. That is, it needs to be primarily about you. What diversity you will bring to campus, or what ideas about diversity you will bring? Always keep in mind the primary purpose of the essay. Colleges want to get to know the students who will become part of the campus community. If your entire essay describes life in Indonesia, you've failed to do this. If your essay is all about your favorite friend from Korea, you have also failed. Whether you describe your own contribution to campus diversity, or if you talk about an encounter with diversity, the essay needs to reveal your character, values, and personality. The college is enrolling you, not the diverse people you've encountered.

• Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application
• Bad Essay Topics for College Admissions
• "My Dads" - Sample Common Application Essay for Option #1
• How to Ace Your University of Wisconsin Personal Statements
• Sample Supplemental Essay for College Admissions: Why This College?
• College Application Essay - The Job I Should Have Quit
• Tips for an Application Essay on a Significant Experience
• "Grandpa's Rubik's Cube"—Sample Common Application Essay, Option #4
• Sample Application Essay - Porkopolis
• "Handiwork" - Sample Common Application Essay for Option #1
• How to Write an Outstanding College Application Essay
• Tips for Writing a Winning College Transfer Essay
• Should an Application Essay Be Single-Spaced or Double-Spaced?
• Sample Short Answer Essay on Running
• How Long Should Your Common Application Short Answer Essay Be?
• 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue

Cultural Diversity Essay & Community Essay Examples

If you’ve started to research college application requirements for the schools on your list, you might have come across the “cultural diversity essay.” In this guide, we’ll explore the cultural diversity essay in depth. We will compare the cultural diversity essay to the community essay and discuss how to approach these kinds of supplements. We’ll also provide examples of diversity essays and community essay examples. But first, let’s discuss exactly what a cultural diversity essay is. 

The purpose of the cultural diversity essay in college applications is to show the admissions committee what makes you unique. The cultural diversity essay also lets you describe what type of “ diversity ” you would bring to campus.

We’ll also highlight a diversity essay sample for three college applications. These include the Georgetown application essay , Rice application essay , and Williams application essay . We’ll provide examples of diversity essays for each college. Then, for each of these college essays that worked, we will analyze their strengths to help you craft your own essays. 

Finally, we’ll give you some tips on how to write a cultural diversity essay that will make your applications shine. 

But first, let’s explore the types of college essays you might encounter on your college applications. 

Types of College Essays

College application requirements will differ among schools. However, you’ll submit one piece of writing to nearly every school on your list—the personal statement . A strong personal statement can help you stand out in the admissions process. 

So, how do you know what to write about? That depends on the type of college essay included in your college application requirements. 

There are a few main types of college essays that you might encounter in the college admissions process. Theese include the “Why School ” essay, the “Why Major ” essay, and the extracurricular activity essay. This also includes the type of essay we will focus on in this guide—the cultural diversity essay. 

“Why School” essay

The “Why School ” essay is exactly what it sounds like. For this type of college essay, you’ll need to underscore why you want to go to this particular school. 

However, don’t make the mistake of just listing off what you like about the school. Additionally, don’t just reiterate information you can find on their admissions website. Instead, you’ll want to make connections between what the school offers and how you are a great fit for that college community. 

“Why Major” essay

The idea behind the “Why Major ” essay is similar to that of the “Why School ” essay above. However, instead of writing about the school at large, this essay should highlight why you plan to study your chosen major.

There are plenty of directions you could take with this type of essay. For instance, you might describe how you chose this major, what career you plan to pursue upon graduation, or other details.

Extracurricular Activity essay

The extracurricular activity essay asks you to elaborate on one of the activities that you participated in outside of the classroom. 

For this type of college essay, you’ll need to select an extracurricular activity that you pursued while you were in high school. Bonus points if you can tie your extracurricular activity into your future major, career goals, or other extracurricular activities for college. Overall, your extracurricular activity essay should go beyond your activities list. In doing so, it should highlight why your chosen activity matters to you.

Cultural Diversity essay

The cultural diversity essay is your chance to expound upon diversity in all its forms. Before you write your cultural diversity essay, you should ask yourself some key questions. These questions can include: How will you bring diversity to your future college campus? What unique perspective do you bring to the table? 

Another sub-category of the cultural diversity essay is the gender diversity essay. As its name suggests, this essay would center around the author’s gender. This essay would highlight how gender shapes the way the writer understands the world around them. 

Later, we’ll look at examples of diversity essays and other college essays that worked. But before we do, let’s figure out how to identify a cultural diversity essay in the first place. 

How to identify a ‘cultural diversity’ essay

So, you’re wondering how you’ll be able to identify a cultural diversity essay as you review your college application requirements. 

Aside from the major giveaway of having the word “diversity” in the prompt, a cultural diversity essay will ask you to describe what makes you different from other applicants. In other words, what aspects of your unique culture(s) have influenced your perspective and shaped you into who you are today?

Diversity can refer to race, ethnicity, first-generation status, gender, or anything in between. You can write about a myriad of things in a cultural diversity essay. For instance, you might discuss your personal background, identity, values, experiences, or how you’ve overcome challenges in your life. 

However, don’t feel limited in what you can address in a cultural diversity essay. The words “culture” and “diversity” mean different things to different people. Above all, you’ll want your diversity essays for college to be personal and sincere. 

How is a ‘community’ essay different? 

A community essay can also be considered a cultural diversity essay. In fact, you can think of the community essay as a subcategory of the cultural diversity essay. However, there is a key difference between a community essay and a cultural diversity essay, which we will illustrate below. 

You might have already seen some community essay examples while you were researching college application requirements. But how exactly is a community essay different from a cultural diversity essay?

One way to tell the difference between community essay examples and cultural diversity essay examples is by the prompt. A community essay will highlight, well, community . This means it will focus on how your identity will shape your interactions on campus—not just how it informs your own experiences.

Two common forms to look out for

Community essay examples can take two forms. First, you’ll find community essay examples about your past experiences. These let you show the admissions team how you have positively influenced your own community. 

Other community essay examples, however, will focus on the future. These community essay examples will ask you to detail how you will contribute to your future college community. We refer to these as college community essay examples.

In college community essay examples, you’ll see applicants detail how they might interact with their fellow students. These essays may also discuss how students plan to positively contribute to the campus community. 

As we mentioned above, the community essay, along with community essay examples and college community essay examples, fit into the larger category of the cultural diversity essay. Although we do not have specific community essay examples or college community essay examples in this guide, we will continue to highlight the subtle differences between the two. 

Before we continue the discussion of community essay examples and college community essay examples, let’s start with some examples of cultural diversity essay prompts. For each of the cultural diversity essay prompts, we’ll name the institutions that include these diversity essays for college as part of their college application requirements. 

What are some examples of ‘cultural diversity’ essays? 

Now, you have a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the cultural diversity essay and the community essay. So, next, let’s look at some examples of cultural diversity essay prompts.

The prompts below are from the Georgetown application, Rice application, and Williams application, respectively. As we discuss the similarities and differences between prompts, remember the framework we provided above for what constitutes a cultural diversity essay and a community essay. 

Later in this guide, we’ll provide real examples of diversity essays, including Georgetown essay examples, Rice University essay examples, and Williams supplemental essays examples. These are all considered college essays that worked—meaning that the author was accepted into that particular institution. 

Georgetown Supplementals Essays

Later, we’ll look at Georgetown supplemental essay examples. Diversity essays for Georgetown are a product of this prompt: 

As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you. 

You might have noticed two keywords in this prompt right away: “diverse” and “community.” These buzzwords indicate that this prompt is a cultural diversity essay. You could even argue that responses to this prompt would result in college community essay examples. After all, the prompt refers to the Georgetown community. 

For this prompt, you’ll want to produce a diversity essay sample that highlights who you are. In order to do that successfully, you’ll need to self-reflect before putting pen to paper. What aspects of your background, personality, or values best describe who you are? How might your presence at Georgetown influence or contribute to their diverse community? 

Additionally, this cultural diversity essay can be personal or creative. So, you have more flexibility with the Georgetown supplemental essays than with other similar diversity essay prompts. Depending on the direction you go, your response to this prompt could be considered a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or a college community essay. 

Rice University Essays

The current Rice acceptance rate is just 9% , making it a highly selective school. Because the Rice acceptance rate is so low, your personal statement and supplemental essays can make a huge difference. 

The Rice University essay examples we’ll provide below are based on this prompt: 

The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice? 

Breaking down the prompt.

Like the prompt above, this cultural diversity essay asks about your “life experiences,” “cultural traditions,” and personal “perspectives.” These phrases indicate a cultural diversity essay. Keep in mind this may not be the exact prompt you’ll have to answer in your own Rice application. However, future Rice prompts will likely follow a similar framework as this diversity essay sample.

Although this prompt is not as flexible as the Georgetown prompt, it does let you discuss aspects of Rice’s academic life and Residential College System that appeal to you. You can also highlight how your experiences have influenced your personal perspective. 

The prompt also asks about how you would contribute to life at Rice. So, your response could also fall in line with college community essay examples. Remember, college community essay examples are another sub-category of community essay examples. Successful college community essay examples will illustrate the ways in which students would contribute to their future campus community. 

Williams Supplemental Essays

Like the Rice acceptance rate, the Williams acceptance rate is also 9% . Because the Williams acceptance rate is so low, you’ll want to pay close attention to the Williams supplemental essays examples as you begin the writing process. 

The Williams supplemental essays examples below are based on this prompt: 

Every first-year student at Williams lives in an Entry – a thoughtfully constructed microcosm of the student community that’s a defining part of the Williams experience. From the moment they arrive, students find themselves in what’s likely the most diverse collection of backgrounds, perspectives, and interests they’ve ever encountered. What might differentiate you from the 19 other first-year students in an Entry? What perspective would you add to the conversation with your peer(s)?

Reflecting on the prompt.

Immediately, words like “diverse,” “backgrounds,” “perspectives,” “interests,” and “differentiate” should stand out to you. These keywords highlight the fact that this is a cultural diversity essay. Similar to the Rice essay, this may not be the exact prompt you’ll face on your Williams application. However, we can still learn from it.

Like the Georgetown essay, this prompt requires you to put in some self-reflection before you start writing. What aspects of your background differentiate you from other people? How would these differences impact your interactions with peers? 

This prompt also touches on the “student community” and how you would “add to the conversation with your peer(s).” By extension, any strong responses to this prompt could also be considered as college community essay examples. 

Community Essays

All of the prompts above mention campus community. So, you could argue that they are also examples of community essays. 

Like we mentioned above, you can think of community essays as a subcategory of the cultural diversity essay. If the prompt alludes to the campus community, or if your response is centered on how you would interact within that community, your essay likely falls into the world of college community essay examples. 

Regardless of what you would classify the essay as, all successful essays will be thoughtful, personal, and rich with details. We’ll show you examples of this in our “college essays that worked” section below. 

Which schools require a cultural diversity or community essay? 

Besides Georgetown, Rice, and Williams, many other college applications require a cultural diversity essay or community essay. In fact, from the Ivy League to HBCUs and state schools, the cultural diversity essay is a staple across college applications. 

Although we will not provide a diversity essay sample for each of the colleges below, it is helpful to read the prompts. This will build your familiarity with other college applications that require a cultural diversity essay or community essay. Some schools that require a cultural diversity essay or community essay include New York University , Duke University , Harvard University , Johns Hopkins University , and University of Michigan . 

New York University

NYU listed a cultural diversity essay as part of its 2022-2023 college application requirements. Here is the prompt:

NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience. We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community.

Duke university.

Duke is well-known for its community essay: 

What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.

A top-ranked Ivy League institution, Harvard University also has a cultural diversity essay as part of its college application requirements: 

Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development, or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates.

Johns hopkins university.

The Johns Hopkins supplement is another example of a cultural diversity essay: 

Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins. 

University of michigan.

The University of Michigan requires a community essay for its application: 

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong and describe that community and your place within it. 

Community essay examples.

The Duke and Michigan prompts are perfect illustrations of community essay examples. However, they have some critical differences. So, if you apply to both of these schools, you’ll have to change the way you approach either of these community essays. 

The Duke prompt asks you to highlight why you are a good match for the Duke community. You’ll also see this prompt in other community essay examples. To write a successful response to this prompt, you’ll need to reference offerings specific to Duke (or whichever college requires this essay). In order to know what to reference, you’ll need to do your research before you start writing. 

Consider the following questions as you write your diversity essay sample if the prompt is similar to Duke University’s

• What values does this college community have? 
• How do these tie in with what you value? 
• Is there something that this college offers that matches your interests, personality, or background?  

On the other hand, the Michigan essay prompt asks you to describe a community that you belong to as well as your place within that community. This is another variation of the prompt for community essay examples. 

To write a successful response to this prompt, you’ll need to identify a community that you belong to. Then, you’ll need to think critically about how you interact with that community. 

Below are some questions to consider as you write your diversity essay sample for colleges like Michigan: 

• Out of all the communities you belong to, which can you highlight in your response? 
• How have you impacted this community? 
• How has this community impacted you?

Now, in the next few sections, we’ll dive into the Georgetown supplemental essay examples, the Rice university essay examples, and the Williams supplemental essays examples. After each diversity essay sample, we’ll include a breakdown of why these are considered college essays that worked. 

Georgetown Essay Examples

As a reminder, the Georgetown essay examples respond to this prompt: 

As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you.

Here is the excerpt of the diversity essay sample from our Georgetown essay examples: 

Georgetown University Essay Example

The best thing I ever did was skip eight days of school in a row. Despite the protests of teachers over missed class time, I told them that the world is my classroom. The lessons I remember most are those that took place during my annual family vacation to coastal Maine. That rural world is the most authentic and incredible classroom where learning simply happens and becomes exponential. 

Years ago, as I hunted through the rocks and seaweed for seaglass and mussels, I befriended a Maine local hauling her battered kayak on the shore. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had found a kindred spirit in Jeanne. Jeanne is a year-round resident who is more than the hard working, rugged Mainer that meets the eye; reserved and humble in nature, she is a wealth of knowledge and is self-taught through necessity. With thoughtful attention to detail, I engineered a primitive ramp made of driftwood and a pulley system to haul her kayak up the cliff. We diligently figured out complex problems and developed solutions through trial and error.

After running out of conventional materials, I recycled and reimagined items that had washed ashore. We expected to succeed, but were not afraid to fail. Working with Jeanne has been the best classroom in the world; without textbooks or technology, she has made a difference in my life. Whether building a basic irrigation system for her organic garden or installing solar panels to harness the sun’s energy, every project has shown me the value of taking action and making an impact. Each year brings a different project with new excitement and unique challenges. My resourcefulness, problem solving ability, and innovative thinking have advanced under her tutelage. 

While exploring the rocky coast of Maine, I embrace every experience as an unparalleled educational opportunity that transcends any classroom environment. I discovered that firsthand experience and real-world application of science are my best teachers. In school, applications of complex calculations and abstract theories are sometimes obscured by grades and structure. In Maine, I expand my love of science and renourish my curious spirit. I am a highly independent, frugal, resilient Mainer living as a southern girl in NC. 

Why this essay worked

This is one of the Georgetown supplemental essay examples that works, and here’s why. The author starts the essay with an interesting hook, which makes the reader want to learn more about this person and their perspective. 

Throughout the essay, the author illustrates their intellectual curiosity. From befriending Jeanne and creating a pulley system to engineering other projects on the rocky coast of Maine, the author demonstrates how they welcome challenges and work to solve problems. 

Further, the author mentions values that matter to them—taking action and making an impact. Both facets are also part of Georgetown’s core values . By making these connections in their essay, the author shows the admissions committee exactly how they would be a great fit for the Georgetown community. 

Finally, the author uses their experience in Maine to showcase their love of science, which is likely the field they will study at Georgetown. Like this writer, you should try to include most important parts of your identity into your essay. This includes things like life experiences, passions, majors, extracurricular activities for college, and more. 

Rice University Essay Examples

The Rice University essay examples are from this prompt: 

The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice? (500-word limit)

Rice university essay example.

Like every applicant, I also have a story to share. A story that makes me who I am and consists of chapters about my life experiences and adventures. Having been born in a different country, my journey to America was one of the most difficult things I had ever experienced. Everything felt different. The atmosphere, the places, the food, and especially the people. Everywhere I looked, I saw something new. Although it was a bit overwhelming, one thing had not changed.

The caring nature of the people was still prevalent in everyday interactions. I was overwhelmed by how supportive and understanding people were of one another. Whether it is race, religion, or culture, everyone was accepted and appreciated. I knew that I could be whoever I wanted to be and that the only limitation was my imagination. Through hard work and persistence I put my all in everything that I did. I get this work ethic from my father since he is living proof that anything can be accomplished with continued determination. Listening to the childhood stories he told me, my dad would reminisce about how he was born in an impoverished area in a third world country during a turbulent and unpredictable time.

Even with a passion for learning, he had to work a laborious job in an attempt to help his parents make ends meet. He talked about how he would study under the street lights when the power went out at home. His parents wanted something better for him, as did he. Not living in America changed nothing about their work ethic. His parents continued to work hard daily, in an attempt to provide for their son. My dad worked and studied countless hours, paying his way through school with jobs and scholarships. His efforts paid off when he finally moved to America and opened his own business. None of it would have been possible without tremendous effort and dedication needed for a better life, values that are instilled within me as well, and this is the perspective that I wish to bring to Rice. 

This diversity essay sample references the author’s unique life experiences and personal perspective, which makes it one example of college essays that worked. The author begins the essay by alluding to their unique story—they were born in a different country and then came to America. Instead of facing this change as a challenge, the author shows how this new experience helped them to feel comfortable with all kinds of people. They also highlight how their diversity was accepted and appreciated. 

Additionally, the author incorporates information about their father’s story, which helps to frame their own values and where those values came from. The values that they chose to highlight also fall in line with the values of the Rice community. 

Williams Supplemental Essay Examples

Let’s read the prompt that inspired so many strong Williams supplemental essays examples again: 

Every first-year student at Williams lives in an Entry—a thoughtfully constructed microcosm of the student community that’s a defining part of the Williams experience. From the moment they arrive, students find themselves in what’s likely the most diverse collection of backgrounds, perspectives and interests they’ve ever encountered. What might differentiate you from the 19 other first-year students in an entry? What perspective(s) would you add to the conversation with your peers?

Williams college essay example.

Through the flow in my head

See you clad in red

But not just the clothes

It’s your whole being

Covering in this sickening blanket

Of heat and pain

Are you in agony, I wonder?

Is this the hell they told me about?

Have we been condemned?

Reduced to nothing but pain

At least we have each other

In our envelopes of crimson

I try in vain

“Take my hands” I shriek

“Let’s protect each other, 

You and me, through this hell”

My body contorts

And deforms into nothingness

You remain the same

Clad in red

With faraway eyes

You, like a statue

Your eyes fixed somewhere else

You never see me

Just the red briefcase in your heart

We aren’t together

It’s always been me alone

While you stand there, aloof, with the briefcase in your heart.

I wrote this poem the day my prayer request for the Uighur Muslims got denied at school. At the time, I was stunned. I was taught to have empathy for those around me. Yet, that empathy disappears when told to extend it to someone different. I can’t comprehend this contradiction and I refuse to. 

At Williams, I hope to become a Community Engagement Fellow at the Davis Center. I hope to use Williams’ support for social justice and advocacy to educate my fellow classmates on social issues around the world. Williams students are not just scholars but also leaders and changemakers. Together, we can strive to better the world through advocacy.

Human’s capability for love is endless. We just need to open our hearts to everyone. 

It’s time to let the briefcase go and look at those around us with our real human eyes.

We see you now. Please forgive us.

As we mentioned above, the Williams acceptance rate is incredibly low. This makes the supplemental essay that much more important. 

This diversity essay sample works because it is personal and memorable. The author chooses to start the essay off with a poem. Which, if done right, will immediately grab the reader’s attention. 

Further, the author contextualizes the poem by explaining the circumstances surrounding it—they wrote it in response to a prayer request that was denied at school. In doing so, they also highlight their own values of empathy and embracing diversity. 

Finally, the author ends their cultural diversity essay by describing what excites them about Williams. They also discuss how they see themselves interacting within the Williams community. This is a key piece of the essay, as it helps the reader understand how the author would be a good fit for Williams. 

The examples provided within this essay also touch on issues that are important to the author, which provides a glimpse into the type of student the author would be on campus. Additionally, this response shows what potential extracurricular activities for college the author might be interested in pursuing while at Williams. 

How to Write a Cultural Diversity Essay

You want your diversity essay to stand out from any other diversity essay sample. But how do you write a successful cultural diversity essay? 

First, consider what pieces of your identity you want to highlight in your essay. Of course, race and ethnicity are important facets of diversity. However, there are plenty of other factors to consider. 

As you brainstorm, think outside the box to figure out what aspects of your identity help make up who you are. Because identity and diversity fall on a spectrum, there is no right or wrong answer here. 

Fit your ideas to the specific school

Once you’ve decided on what you want to represent in your cultural diversity essay, think about how that fits into the college of your choice. Use your cultural diversity essay to make connections to the school. If your college has specific values or programs that align with your identity, then include them in your cultural diversity essay! 

Above all, you should write about something that is important to you. Your cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay will succeed if you are passionate about your topic and willing to get personal. 

Additional Tips for Community & Cultural Diversity Essays

1. start early.

In order to create the strongest diversity essay possible, you’ll want to start early. Filling out college applications is already a time-consuming process. So, you can cut back on additional stress and anxiety by writing your cultural diversity essay as early as possible. 

2. Brainstorm

Writing a cultural diversity essay or community essay is a personal process. To set yourself up for success, take time to brainstorm and reflect on your topic. Overall, you want your cultural diversity essay to be a good indication of who you are and what makes you a unique applicant. 

3. Proofread

We can’t stress this final tip enough. Be sure to proofread your cultural diversity essay before you hit the submit button. Additionally, you can read your essay aloud to hear how it flows. You can also can ask someone you trust, like your college advisor or a teacher, to help proofread your essay as well.

Other CollegeAdvisor Essay Resources to Explore

Looking for additional resources on supplemental essays for the colleges we mentioned above? Do you need help with incorporating extracurricular activities for college into your essays or crafting a strong diversity essay sample? We’ve got you covered. 

Our how to get into Georgetown guide covers additional tips on how to approach the supplemental diversity essay. If you’re wondering how to write about community in your essay, check out our campus community article for an insider’s perspective on Williams College.

Want to learn strategies for writing compelling cultural diversity essays? Check out this Q&A webinar, featuring a former Georgetown admissions officer. And, if you’re still unsure of what to highlight in your community essay, try getting inspiration from a virtual college tour . 

Cultural Diversity Essay & Community Essay Examples – Final Thoughts

Your supplemental essays are an important piece of the college application puzzle. With colleges becoming more competitive than ever, you’ll want to do everything you can to create a strong candidate profile. This includes writing well-crafted responses for a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay. 

We hope our cultural diversity essay guide helped you learn more about this common type of supplemental essay. As you are writing your own cultural diversity essay or community essay, use the essay examples from Georgetown, Rice, and Williams above as your guide. 

Getting into top schools takes a lot more than a strong resume. Writing specific, thoughtful, and personal responses for a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay will put you one step closer to maximizing your chances of admission. Good luck!

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How to Write a Diversity Essay - Step-by-Step Guide

Think of a diversity essay as your chance to share what makes you unique and how your experiences have shaped you. Diversity can include race, ethnicity, gender, background, sexual orientation, religion, etc. 

This essay allows you to show what you bring to a community that values different perspectives. You can highlight why you're a great fit for schools or organizations celebrating diverse backgrounds by telling your story. 

This guide will help you write a strong diversity essay, with tips and advice on sharing your unique journey and what you can contribute. Should you need a faster solution, drop us a line, saying, ‘ write my papers now,’ and our authors will address your concert shortly.

What Is a Diversity Essay

By definition, diversity essays are personal narratives that highlight how one's unique background, experiences, and perspectives contribute to the diversity of a community or institution. 

Colleges and organizations often require a diversity essay as part of their application process to understand how you can enrich their environment with your distinct viewpoints. 

Diversity essays aim to demonstrate how your diversity can bring new ideas, foster understanding, and contribute to the growth and inclusivity of the community you aim to join. Do you need help with this assignment? Our custom research paper writing facilities are at your disposal 24/7.

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Why Writing a Diversity Essay Is So Important

Writing a diversity essay is crucial as it allows individuals to celebrate and promote inclusivity, fostering understanding and empathy within communities. 

What Themes You Can Touch Upon in the Essay

Diversity embraces the issue of differences among individuals, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, religion, and ability. It celebrates the uniqueness and richness that each person brings to the table. 

Inclusion, on the other hand, is the deliberate and proactive effort to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported, regardless of their differences. Here's a list of 10 interesting questions to explore on diversity and inclusion. 

• How does diversity contribute to the social and economic vitality of communities?
• What are the key benefits of fostering a culture of inclusion in workplaces and educational institutions?
• How do stereotypes and biases hinder efforts toward diversity and inclusion, and what can be done to combat them?
• What role do government policies and legislation play in promoting diversity and inclusion?
• How can media representation influence perceptions of diversity and contribute to inclusivity or discrimination?
• What strategies can address systemic barriers to inclusion, particularly for marginalized groups?
• How can educational curricula be adapted to reflect diverse perspectives and histories better?
• What are the responsibilities of individuals and institutions in advancing diversity and inclusion efforts?
• How can intersectionality be better understood and addressed in diversity and inclusion initiatives?
• What are some successful case studies or best practices for promoting diversity and inclusion in various sectors, and how can they be replicated or adapted in different contexts?

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Diversity Essay Topics

Diversity topics that generate significant interest and discussion revolve around intersectionality, allyship, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on marginalized communities. 

Intersectionality explores the overlapping systems of oppression that individuals face based on their intersecting identities, such as race, gender, sexuality, and disability, highlighting the importance of addressing multiple forms of discrimination simultaneously. 

Allyship has emerged as a critical concept, focusing on the role of individuals, particularly those from privileged groups, in actively supporting and advocating for marginalized communities. Here’s a list of topics that will definitely kickstart your creativity:

• Cultural diversity in modern society.
• Gender equality in workplaces.
• LGBTQ+ representation in media.
• First black woman in space .
• Disability rights and inclusion.
• Immigration stories: Siversity's tapestry.
• Religious tolerance: Embracing differences.
• Diversity in technology: Breaking barriers.
• Allyship: Supporting marginalized voices.
• Neurodiversity: Unique abilities, equal value.
• Family diversity: Redefining norms.
• Sports and inclusion: Fair play for all.
• Indigenous rights and environmental advocacy.
• Intersectional feminism: Advocating for all.
• Economic diversity: Bridging opportunity gaps.
• Diversity in literature: Reflecting realities.
• Disability representation in media.
• Multiculturalism: Strength through unity.
• Mental health awareness: Breaking stigmas.
• Global perspectives on diversity.

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Diversity Essay Writing Tips

The most challenging aspect for students writing a diversity essay is often navigating the balance between personal experience and broader societal issues, ensuring their narrative resonates without oversimplifying complex issues. Additionally, grappling with their biases and privileges while discussing diversity can be difficult, requiring introspection and empathy. 

Lastly, when working on a topic such as women in STEM , effectively conveying the importance of diversity and inclusion while avoiding clichés or tokenism requires thoughtful reflection and nuanced storytelling. But with these tips, your next composition will be nothing short of a success!

Start with a Strong Introduction

From the beginning, capture the reader's attention with a compelling opening statement, anecdote, or question. Clearly state the purpose of your diversity essay and what you hope to achieve with it.

Authenticity Matters

Be genuine and sincere in sharing your experiences or perspectives on diversity. Avoid exaggeration or trying to fit into preconceived notions of what diversity should look like. Your unique voice and perspective are valuable.

Reflect on Your Journey

Reflect on your experiences with diversity, whether they involve cultural encounters, overcoming biases, or learning from diverse perspectives. Your personal stories and insights will add depth and authenticity to your essay.

Personalize Your Story

Use specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points. Share personal experiences that highlight your understanding of diversity and inclusion and their impact on your life or community. Personal narratives can make your essay more engaging and memorable.

Focus on Impact

Reflect on the significance of diversity and inclusion in your life or field of interest. Discuss how diversity has enriched your experiences, contributed to your personal growth, or influenced your perspective on various issues. Emphasize the positive outcomes and lessons learned from embracing diversity.

Highlight Your Contributions and Actions

Showcase your efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in your community, workplace, or academic environment. Discuss any leadership roles, projects, or initiatives where you have actively contributed to fostering diversity and equity.

Consider Multiple Perspectives

Acknowledge the complexity of diversity by considering various dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, and ability. Show empathy and understanding towards different viewpoints, even if they differ from your own. Avoid oversimplifying or generalizing diverse experiences.

Address Challenges and Solutions

Discuss the obstacles and challenges marginalized communities or individuals face due to discrimination, prejudice, or systemic barriers. Propose practical solutions or strategies for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in your community, workplace, or society. Demonstrate your commitment to being an agent of positive change.

Seek Feedback and Revise

Before submitting your essay, seek feedback from a peer, mentor, or trusted advisor. Consider their suggestions for improving clarity, coherence, and impact. Revise your essay to ensure your message effectively conveys and resonates with your audience. Also, we recommend that you read this article on how to write a speech that resonates with your audience.

Diversity Essay Examples

Final thoughts.

Diversity essays allow students to explore and articulate their perspectives on inclusivity, equity, and celebrating differences, fostering self-awareness and empathy. 

However, students may encounter challenges articulating their thoughts or ensuring their essays effectively convey their message. In such cases, you can buy an argumentative essay from expert writers who can provide valuable support.

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Why Write a Diversity Essay?

What is most important to focus on in my diversity essay, how to write a diversity essay.

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• Added questions for self-reflection.
• Updated topics.
• Added new essay examples.
• Added FAQs.
• Gundy, A. (2024, April 8). 7 Great Diversity Essay Examples and Why They Worked. Lumiere Education. https://www.lumiere-education.com/post/7-great-diversity-essay-examples-and-why-they-worked
• Futures, I. (2023, November 17). 3 Diversity Essay Examples For Business School. Inspira Futures. https://www.inspirafutures.com/blog/diversity-essay-examples
• Diversity Essay. (n.d.). School of Industrial Engineering - Purdue University. https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/academics/graduate/future/diversity  

College Essays about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In recent years, many colleges and universities have expanded their supplemental college essay prompts to include topics about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). This shift has increased dramatically in the past year, so read on to learn more about some of these prompts and how to prepare for your essays effectively and authentically.

What is the purpose of the DEI essay?

The increase in DEI essays shows that colleges want to know about students’ values and social awareness more than ever. They are looking for applicants who have bettered their communities in some way and who will bring those same contributions to their campus. Not only that, but they want to know about your personal identity; who are you and where do you come from? How do your values fit with their philosophy and how will you contribute to positive change on campus?

Giving students an additional space to discuss their identity and engagement gives admissions officers a more complete picture of an applicant. It also gives students more room to showcase various aspects of themselves without being limited to the personal statement or supplements that have a different focus. However, that is not to say you can’t talk about DEI in a non-DEI prompt! Just be mindful of whether a school has a dedicated space for this information so you’re not repeating the same content in multiple essays.

What questions might I be asked to answer?

DEI essays vary widely in scope and may cover topics such as social activism, identity, and cultural awareness. Some of the newly added prompts include: 

Brown : Brown’s culture fosters a community in which students challenge the ideas of others and have their ideas challenged in return, promoting a deeper and clearer understanding of the complex issues confronting society. This active engagement in dialogue is as present outside the classroom as it is in academic spaces. Tell us about a time you were challenged by a perspective that differed from your own. How did you respond?

Emory : Reflect on a personal experience where you intentionally expanded your cultural awareness.

Lehigh : What would you want to be different in your own country or community to respond to issues of inequality, inequity, or injustice?

Princeton : At Princeton, we value diverse perspectives and the ability to have respectful dialogue about difficult issues. Share a time when you had a conversation with a person or a group of people about a difficult topic. What insight did you gain, and how would you incorporate that knowledge into your thinking in the future? AND Princeton has a longstanding commitment to service and civic engagement. Tell us how your story intersects (or will intersect) with these ideals.

Richmond : Please share one idea for actions or policies that you think would begin to address an issue of racial or social injustice.

St. Olaf : We have a goal to create a community of students from diverse backgrounds with unique ideas, identities, and perspectives. Reflect on an experience that made you reconsider the way you see the world. How did you engage with new and challenging ideas?

Tufts : Where are you on your journey of engaging with or fighting for social justice?

Tulane : Tulane values the lessons gained from pursuing an education alongside a student body that represents a wide range of experiences and perspectives and is reflective of our multicultural world. If you would like to share a perspective related to your family, cultural group, sexual or gender identity, religious group, or some other aspect that has shaped your identity, please do so here.

UNC : Describe an aspect of your identity (for example, your religion, culture, race, sexual or gender identity, affinity group, etc.). How has this aspect of your identity shaped your life experiences thus far? AND/OR If you could change one thing to better your community, what would it be? Why is it important and how would you contribute to this change?

(not a new prompt, but) Duke : Duke University seeks a talented, engaged student body that embodies the wide range of human experience; we believe that the diversity of our students makes our community stronger. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better–perhaps related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background–we encourage you to do so. Real people are reading your application, and we want to do our best to understand and appreciate the real people applying to Duke.

How can I prepare to write a DEI essay?

As mentioned earlier, DEI prompts are a way for admissions officers to learn more about students’ identities, values, and engagement in their communities. So, the first step in writing a DEI essay is to reflect on who you are. There may be clear markers of your diverse background, such as race or gender identity, but remember there are many more traits that make you unique. Do you speak another language? What is your family or personal history? What is your community like? How have your life experiences expanded your awareness? And most importantly, how do all of these characteristics impact who you are and how you see the world? And, don’t feel pressured to write about the most obvious “diverse” trait you have. Write about what is most important to you . 

Once you reflect on what defines your identity, think about your values. What issues are you passionate about and how will you address them? How does your identity impact your positionality in relation to these issues? It’s nice to talk about what you value, but it’s much more significant to show how you have put those values into practice, so consider what you can do to get involved in your community. Community engagement comes in many forms, from volunteering to fundraising to promoting awareness, so choose what you love and thrive doing. At the same time, push yourself to get out of your comfort zone, especially considering that some DEI prompts specifically ask about how you have challenged and exposed yourself to new perspectives. 

Many students shy away from including their community engagement experience on their college applications, thinking it could hurt their admissions chances. What if the person reading my application does not agree with what I did?  

If a school is directly asking about your values through a DEI essay, you should have nothing to worry about. But whether or not this is the case, it is important to be authentic in your application. As long as you did not engage in any irresponsible activities, you should not be penalized for participating in advocacy, no matter what kind. Admissions officers should put their personal biases aside when evaluating applications, but if it were the case that your actions negatively impacted your admission, then it is worth asking yourself: If this school does not agree with my values, is it really the right fit for me anyway?

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How To Write The Best Diversity Essay in Medical School (Explained)

Don’t be fooled into thinking your diversity essay in medical school should only be about your race or gender. It’s more than that. It’s intended as an exploration of yourself.

Putting one together, especially if you feel there’s nothing particularly “unique” about you, is hard.

In this article, I’ll try and help with that. We’ll cover:

• Quick things to think about
• Examples to help guide your writing
• How other successful med students approached it

As a white male med student myself, my background (and upbringing) is pretty standard. But you’ve got to get creative if you ever hope to impress admission committees.

You’ll obviously be restricted a little by whatever prompt you get, but hopefully, the following tips can still help!

Ready? Let’s go.

How to write the best diversity essay

5 quick things to focus on before you start:, 1. unique interests.

Think about what you do when you’re not studying or working. What things do you feel impassioned to learn about or explore?

How far have you taken these interests? Have they led you to interesting places or conversations? What types of people have you encountered through pursuing them?

Personally, this whole project here is a unique interest of mine. I’m keen to explore writing, share tips about medical education and try and effectively help others. This blog forces me to constantly think about you, the reader.

Maybe there’s something similar you can tap into.

2. Unusual experiences

Maybe you’ve studied something weird or you majored in a topic that’s unusual for most med school applications. Diversity is as much what you’ve done as it is who you are.

Perhaps the way you were brought up was a little unorthodox or different from the norm?

If you can learn to trace these experiences back to your application and how they can help shape your approach to medicine (and working with others), you’ve got something valuable on your hands.

3. Important views or beliefs

Have you ever petitioned for something or embarked on a radical change in your lifestyle or political positioning? These are good things that can help show the diversity of thinking you may be experiencing.

It doesn’t matter if you later reversed these beliefs or were proven wrong. Having adopted them once makes you unique in a certain sense. And you’re bound to inevitably face a patient, doctor, or medical staff with a similar ideal.

Show how these things can help you draw connections with a broader set of people.

4. Impactful interactions

Have you ever had a chance meeting that changed the course of your life forever? Maybe a teacher that encouraged you when nobody else would?

These are the types of things that can make for great essays.

5. Failures and struggles

Failure is the best teacher. Highlighting tough lessons learned isn’t something to shy away from when writing about yourself.

It can help ingratiate you to others and show qualities like resilience and perseverance – two things any good doctor is going to need if they wish to be successful.

Diversity Essay Prompts

The prompt you get is critical to how you go about “strategizing” a writing plan.

If you’re curious as to what a prompt can look like (and how to find them), here’s an example…

Geisel School of Medicine values social justice and diversity in all its forms. Reflect on a situation where you were the “other”.  (250 words) – Geisel School of Medicine

You can find a ton more in the following article:

Related : Diversity Essay Medical School Prompts (21 Examples)

Before writing, make sure you familiarize yourself with your target school’s prompt and link it back to their mission statement and core objectives (they’ll usually have this published somewhere on their website).

Following on from Geisel in the prompt, here’s how they talk about theirs…

Matching up your ideas with their principles; “building a diverse and inclusive community etc.” is the best way to go about this.

Keep this in mind with your prompt and you’ll be off to a good start.

Writing Plan

After reflecting on the prompt, and the recommendations above, make a list to see what ideas you come up with.

Step one: brainstorm

Get all your ideas down.

Think about:

• How do you see yourself and what do you think best defines you?
• Do you subscribe/conform to certain societal ideas or expectations?
• What challenges have you had to face and overcome? Did you succeed?
• Have you ever been responsible for someone’s health or care? How did this impact you?
• Do you have experience volunteering or participating in community projects?
• Do you lead or make up any teams? How does this help shape who you are?
• Do you speak and have experience working in different languages?
• Do you have a military service record?
• Have you worked in any positions of responsibility?
• What were the environment/conditions like in your childhood growing up? How did this shape your views/opinions?
• How was your family and personal life growing up?
• Have you participated in events overseas or traveled to unique places?
• Have you experienced illness or injury? How did this shape your worldview?

Step two: be mindful of common mistakes

These are the types of things you want to be mindful of:

• Avoid buzzwords or cliched terms : just because it’s a “diversity” essay doesn’t mean you should use obvious themes. Don’t use anything you yourself would cringe at, especially heavy usage of words like ‘cultural/multicultural’, ‘underserved’, ‘awareness’ etc.
• Don’t state the obvious : figure out why these things make you different and what the result of them is. Don’t just write what they are.
• Avoid falling back on your identity as a minority/immigrant : it’s fine to talk about these things, but what did they change for you and what did they help shape on your journey to becoming a doctor?

Step three: recognize the writing structure

You’ll want to start off with some kind of punchy introduction or hook. Grab the attention of the reader early.

Here’s an example:

“I’m sick and don’t know if I’ll get better.” Hearing those words is probably the most painful memory I have about my mother. And I’m reminded of it often when I talk with family at the Memorial Hospital Cancer Center.

Want 13 more? Check out this article; Medical School Personal Statement Hooks (13 Examples) . These can be a good source of inspiration!

After coming up with hook ideas, choose the best and then expand the essay and detail your experience.

Weave in the parts that make you unique.

Conclude by matching your philosophy to the mission objectives of the school.

Step four: draft

As soon as you have an idea of the types of things you can write about and how you can start, get a rough draft down.

Don’t sweat the details, just match the word count.

The important thing is to make a start and get out of your own head.

Step five: feedback

Taking your draft (but still keeping your ideas in mind), it’s good to start gathering feedback.

You can start out by sharing your essay with current students of the school you’re targeting and asking for criticism.

Besides that, also consider sharing your ideas with student communities like Reddit or Student Doctor Network. Or reaching out to people on Facebook or Discord groups.

It’s important you remain open-minded to feedback and avoid getting too defensive. The whole idea of a draft is that it’s subject to change!

Step six: edit

Once you’ve implemented the ideas from your feedback, start adding polish.

Run the essay through grammar and spelling tools to clear up any errors.

Consider consulting or hiring a secondary essay editor for a little extra boost.

It’s not necessary but it definitely can help!

Diversity essay examples

You’ll find some really interesting examples in the following article…

Related : 6 Medical School Diversity Essay Examples (Ranked Best To Worst!)

My own story is not exactly formatted like a diversity essay (quite the opposite) but it is a personal account of how/why I got into med that can maybe give you some ideas too!

Medical school diversity essay: Reddit ideas

Reddit’s always a great source of real advice from students who’ve successfully made the transition from pre-med to med.

Here are a couple of useful remarks for putting together a good diversity essay…

I’m black, low income, first generation, so plenty diverse. But ultimately I chose to shy away from writing about belonging to those groups for the diversity prompt (or at least not let the entire essay focus on those identities) because I think they speak for themselves in other parts of my application…Instead I wrote about a unique hobby and more about my life experiences growing up. u /len49

I talked about constantly moving as a kid and how that shaped my worldview and view of others. Then I related that back to the prompt. You might have something like a passion for scuba diving. You can talk about how your experiences with that have shaped you and set you apart from others in a med school class. Talk about your growth specifically. Don’t just describe a list of activities. u/VainNGlory

Notice the tip of not centralizing your focus on your gender, race, or sexuality? These things are important but aren’t enough on their own. Adcoms want to see how they directly relate to your philosophy on becoming a doctor.

There’s a ton more great advice from Redditors on the topic of diversity essays here; Tips For Diversity Essays In Medical School (Reddit’s 14 Best) .

Final Thoughts

Diversity essays are a device used by med schools to help weed out superficial applicants; those typically focused on money or prestige etc.

Showing what makes your intentions different is the name of the game when it comes to writing.

Hopefully, by following the process above, reviewing the examples, and really thinking about aspects of your character that make you unique, you might find it a little easier.

If you enjoyed this post, you might find the following articles useful:

• 6 Best MCAT Anki Decks: Crush The MCAT (2021)
• What’s The Easiest Pre Med Major? (Read This First!)

Image Credit: @Aarón Blanco Tejedor at Unsplash

Born and raised in the UK, Will went into medicine late (31) after a career in journalism. He’s into football (soccer), learned Spanish after 5 years in Spain, and has had his work published all over the web. Read more .

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By  Elizabeth H. Simmons

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In a previous column , I described spending a year learning about academic leadership as an American Council on Education ( ACE ) Fellow.  One of the best parts of the experience was talking extensively and honestly with new and experienced administrators from a wide variety of backgrounds, disciplines and institutions.

It was fascinating to hear their viewpoints on the common challenges we all face: rising costs, uncertain revenue streams, shifting public attitudes toward higher education, the challenges of assessing student learning, and the need to support interdisciplinary work.

Some of the most enlightening conversations related to a topic that can be stressful to discuss with people you have not known for very long: diversity. I was glad that so many other administrators were willing to talk about this topic with me, because I needed the practice. Unless I discuss issues related to diversity regularly, I can become timid and tentative, which limits my ability to be proactive about promoting inclusion. I learned several important things through this year of conversation that I would like to share. 

To set the context from which I write, here are a few words about my background. I identify as white, cisgender and straight, which affords me certain kinds of privilege in U.S. society. However, as a woman physicist, I am a member of a small and visible minority within my discipline (fewer than 10 percent of full professors in physics are women).

That status has resounded through my professional life; I’ve experienced everything at work from outright harassment and discrimination to full acceptance and camaraderie. Back in our neighborhood, I can generally relax and blend in as another suburban mom. Yet, as part of a multi-ethnic family with openly LGBTQ members, I have experienced enough examples of racial and gender bias to make the much larger incidents reported in the media feel less abstract and more personal.

Lessons from President Bobby Fong

During the ACE year, I was fortunate enough to take part in a meeting that included the late Bobby Fong , then the president of Ursinus College. In the course of the discussion, he made some insightful remarks about the key elements of responding effectively to public incidents of racial, ethnic, gender or other bias. While he was addressing a group of administrators, his ideas are equally applicable to faculty and staff throughout campus.

First, one’s attention and response to such incidents must be continuous and ongoing, part of regular engagement with the issues, and not a set of singular reactions to supposedly isolated occurrences.  After all, the evidence shows that members of minority populations experience microaggressions and other discouragements almost continuously.  Although only the most egregious situations are reported in the news media, which makes bias incidents appear unusual, the problem exists on a daily level.  

Second, the best response to a given incident is made from a vantage point that is somehow “close” to the occurrence – e.g., it should come from a leader of the department, course or building where the incident happened. That tends to make the response more targeted, more obviously related, and more appropriate in scale. It also underlines that the incident has affected how individual people interact on a daily basis within an office or classroom or dormitory.

Third, in formulating the response, one should adopt a personal and human approach: How did this impact me? How did it make me feel? This draws others into the situation in a way that may let them empathize rather than merely taking sides or becoming defensive. It communicates the harm that has been done without imputing motives to anyone.

Fourth, it is important to recognize that everyone involved in the situation is human. Perhaps the ill-spoken remarks or offensive cartoons did not come off as intended; maybe they were a careless error rather than an intentional slur. 

President Fong talked about how initiating an “avuncular” conversation may help a person see that certain actions actually hurt someone else, however unintentionally. This increases the possibility that the responsible party will be able to make a genuine and heartfelt response to those who were affected.

Appreciating Allies

Over the course of my time as an ACE Fellow, I had numerous conversations with new administrators who were trying to resolve certain longstanding equity issues in their units and found themselves stymied by unexpected challenges. A couple of examples particularly stood out:

One department head faced a tricky issue related to teaching assignments, and was trying to handle it in a way that would be equitable across gender, rank and other factors.  Some female faculty members did not realize that the teaching configurations they had requested were unusual, in terms of the distribution of courses across semesters and the balance between introductory and advanced classes. When those requests were not granted, they attributed the decision to gender bias. 

Exacerbating the issue was the fact that some of their male colleagues had requested superficially similar (but technically quite different) accommodations that were granted. When the department head tried to explain the distinction and propose an alternative solution, the faculty members’ assumption that gender bias was involved undermined the attempts at resolution.

Another new unit leader had discovered that longstanding compensation patterns in the department displayed signs of gender bias. This person immediately set to work on rectifying the issue, but had to do it in a confidential way. So those in the marginalized group, who stood to benefit from this individual’s efforts, were not aware of the time-consuming effort being made on their behalf. In the meantime, they openly expressed suspicion about the administrator’s commitment to diversity.

In both cases, individuals whom I knew to be deeply invested in promoting inclusive practices wound up being mistrusted because of their genders. This was particularly frustrating for them because they were also simultaneously engaged in both local and institution-wide efforts to improve the climate for all faculty members. In other words, just when they were actively trying to make a difference, they were also feeling unappreciated and even under siege.

This made me reflect on how important allies are. As someone who is a gender minority in my field, I have benefited greatly from the assistance of mentors and allies from the majority population. I have tried to thank and appreciate them along the way.  

However, until I heard these stories, I don’t think I had ever realized the personal risks these allies take in standing up for minority groups in my field. Being human, they may sometimes try an imperfect solution or use the wrong words or simply come across as awkward and uninformed.  This can lead to their being mistakenly labeled as hostile or prejudiced by the individuals they were trying to assist.

Those of us who are in the “underrepresented” role in a given situation should strive to appreciate the efforts of those who try to help us, even when those efforts are flawed. Instead of focusing exclusively on their shortcomings, we should also try to understand their underlying intentions.

For instance, switching the methods we are using to communicate with them (e.g., emails vs. phone calls, hallway chats vs. sit-down meetings) or including a neutral party in the conversation might help us determine whether the bias we perceive is personal, structural, or mostly a product of miscommunication. 

Early in my career, I encountered an administrator who often made ill-judged off-the-cuff remarks, some of which came across as sexist. I feared that he would not take me as seriously as he took my male peers. But then I had an individual meeting with him about my career plans and found that he listened carefully, asked questions, and followed up as promised. 

With that experience in mind, I was suddenly able to discern other ways in which he was treating male and female faculty members equivalently. Moreover, I acquired enough perspective to realize that his verbal gaffes were mainly unfortunate attempts at humor, and shrug them off.

Where time and opportunity allow, one might even reach out to help potential allies do a better job of being inclusive. Building on President Fong’s third point, if we let our allies know how their words or actions have impacted us personally, it can enable us to communicate a nuanced message that pushes for change while maintaining an important relationship. For example, one might be able to say: “Because you are generally an advocate for inclusion, I want you to know that I felt uncomfortable when I heard your ‘joke’ during the faculty meeting. It made me acutely aware that I was the only woman in the room.”

By the same token, those in the “majority” role who want to be inclusive should check frequently to see whether their intentions are being communicated clearly and whether their efforts are actually useful to those they hope to assist. In fact, initiating explicit conversations about inclusive practices and goals may forge a collaboration that takes the participants beyond their original roles as “majority” and “minority” and improves the workplace for everyone.

The Dangers of Assumptions

At each of the ACE cohort retreats, the Fellows held many long discussions during and between our formal sessions. Some were overtly about topics related to race or privilege. Others, ostensibly about fiscal or logistical matters, revealed how class-based perspectives can unwittingly bias our perceptions of seemingly neutral topics. After one retreat, I found myself pondering three different, yet related, experiences I’d had that week:

• In a plenary session, my analysis of a case study was called into question specifically because I worked for a university deemed to be elite.
• At times, I found myself feeling inwardly apologetic about my background, as if the experiences of those coming from different circumstances were somehow more valid or genuine.
• During a project, I abruptly realized that I needed to start paying better attention to the very grounded and astute comments of a team member whose accent differed from mine.

I am glad to have had those awkward experiences while within a group of trusted peers. With the best of intentions, we will all make flawed unconscious assumptions and step on one another’s toes from time to time. It is good to have the chance to think about the implications when one is among friends and feels safe enough to attempt some honest self-reflection.

Looking back on the incidents later in the week, I could appreciate that I need to be vigilant about not making unwarranted assumptions based on appearance, accent, or other irrelevant items. This is not truly surprising: as Project Implicit amply demonstrates, we must all constantly work to keep our implicit biases from influencing our behavior. At the same time, I realized that I deserve the same consideration in return – people should not make superficial assumptions about my competence based on my looks or background either.  

Similarly, I came to appreciate that, while I must strive to be aware of the various forms of unearned privilege I enjoy and to understand how they influence my perspective, I should not be ashamed of where I come from. The fact that my colleagues and I have had different life experiences should be a source of additional richness in our conversations, not walls that prevent us from communicating. 

In confronting the assumptions that others make about us (or that we make about them), we should remain mindful of President Fong’s fourth point, which he phrased quite aptly as “cutting people some slack.”

This idea resonates particularly strongly with me. After all, reaching out across lines of difference in any direction can be scary. I am often apprehensive that I may say something wrong and end up being unintentionally insensitive. But I attempt to reach out anyway because it’s the only hope we all have to establish comradeship and effect change. 

In memory of the eloquent and inspiring Bobby Fong, when a tricky situation arises, I will try to remember to “cut some slack” to those on the other side of the conversation… and hope they will do likewise for me.

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How Does "Very Average" White Male Write a Diversity Essay?

I am writing my supplemental essays and I have three different schools asking me to talk about how I'll contribute diversity to the campus. I am a white male with a very average background. How am I expected to answer this?

"Diversity," in the college admissions universe, seems to have emerged as a stand-in for "non-white." Essay topics like this one appear to be saying, "We're trying to figure out if we can count you as a student of color." And if an applicant is indeed non-white, it's pretty easy to comply. Gay, transgender, and non-binary teenagers these days can usually tackle that "diversity" essay topic without much of challenge, too, as well as those who grew up outside the US, even if Caucasian. It's mostly the folks like you, who view themselves as white and unexceptional, who wrestle with this prompt.

Yet, when "The Dean" worked at Smith College , I constantly insisted that I could interview five blonde girls from Connecticut named Emma, all on the same day, and no two were remotely alike. One would be an avid pro-life champion while the other was stumping for pro-choice. One was an artist who sculpted endangered animals out of hairpins while another was researching the effects of tire pressure on atrial fibrillation. "Isn't that diversity?" I would ask. "Does it always have to be about skin color or sexual orientation?"

So ask yourself what you do that's different. Do you have any interests or hobbies that set you apart from your peers? Do you play underwater football (yes, that's really a thing) or the didgeridoo? Check out this old College Confidential thread on "Hidden Extracurriculars" for inspiration.

How about your family? I read a poll once that claimed that a large percentage of teens believe that their family isn't "normal." A parent may be struggling with mental illness or substance abuse; a sibling has special needs; Aunt Esther lives upstairs. Sometimes, too, families are atypical in less noticeable ways ... perhaps you go on annual camping trips with 23 first cousins or celebrate every Flag Day at a beach clean-up. Dig deep and consider what separates you from your friends. (Really, is there any adolescent alive who never once thinks, "I'm weird"?) And this could provide your essay topic.

But once you've detailed the differences in your own life in your essay, it's fine to use a paragraph at the end to point out that one reason you're applying to ___________ college is that you want to expand your horizons. You can explain — if it's true — that your community and school are mostly white and US-born; perhaps the LBGTQIA students in your high school aren't often comfortable coming out. So you're now eager to study in an environment that is more representative of the world at large. Although admission committees may be disappointed when they learn that they can't add you to their multicultural rosters, at least they'll be reassured that you will be comfortable when you encounter others from unfamiliar backgrounds on campus and that you will embrace the mosaic that your classmates create, even if you're only a blip on its border. ;-)

About the Ask the Dean Column

Sally Rubenstone is a veteran of the college admissions process and is the co-author of three books covering admissions. She worked as a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years and has also served as an independent college counselor, in addition to working as a senior advisor at College Confidential since 2002. If you'd like to submit a question to The Dean please email us at [email protected].

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.

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More About How to Answer the Challenging Diversity Question

Schools like Yale, UC Berkeley, and many public universities ask their applicants questions about diversity. While this question is most common in graduate school applications, it does come up in undergraduate admissions. Yale requests that applicants for a supplementary scholarship respond to this prompt:

“A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.”

The Common Application also provides students with the opportunity to talk about some aspects of diversity in the first and fifth prompts.

What Does Diversity Mean?

Many students are baffled about what to write about themselves concerning diversity.  Contributing to a school’s “diversity” doesn’t simply refer to the fact that you are a member of a racial or cultural minority. Diversity includes anything about a person’s background that will make his or her perspectives and skills unique. A person’s diverse skills and perspectives are from his or her geography, gender, socio-economic status, race, spiritual beliefs, family background and experiences, special skills and talents, etc.

For example, you might be a strong debater because you grew up in a family of eight, where everyone gave their opinion about a news article over dinner. Or, you might wake up at dawn to start reading and exercising, because you were raised on a farm where the work day started at sunrise. Colleges want a diverse student body so that students can learn about life from each other, as well as from their professors.

Why Do Colleges Ask About Diversity?

Colleges want students to be teachers as well as students. In college, students learn not only from books and professors, but from each other.  However, if everyone is exactly the same, what can they learn from each other?  So a diverse student body made up of different races, family backgrounds, and beliefs brings a wider viewpoint and perspective and helps in the educational process. Colleges also want students to learn to accept new ideas. A diverse student body does that.  The new idea you learn could be something very simple, like your roommate may prefer to eat with chopsticks,  has her own pair, and teaches you how to hold them correctly.  Harvard’s stated goal is to “promote equity, diversity & inclusion within our School and the greater community.”

What is a Common Mistake in Diversity Essays?

Common mistakes: The college you are applying to will already know your racial and socio-economic demographics through their application form. This means when they ask you to write about diversity in the essay, they are not simply trying to determine your race or ethnic background. In addition, don’t make the mistake of writing something along the lines of “I am diverse.” One person is not diverse on his or her own.

Questions about diversity are looking to determine how your skills and talents make you just the right puzzle piece to fit into the jigsaw puzzle made up of all students on a campus.

Also, students will sometimes think they have nothing to say about diversity because they are not a member of a minority. You might think, “I’m white, what can I write in a diversity essay?” The answer is: A lot!  A thousand experiences from your past and dreams for your future make you different from your best friend and from someone you’ve never met.  Your essay on diversity should show the college how you will bring your unique point of view to the classroom and campus.  What has your grandmother taught you? What book has affected you?  Is there a person you try to emulate?  Depending on the exact essay question, your essay could also discuss a time when you learned something from someone with a very different background.

A sample diversity essay:

Below is a good example of a college admissions essay about diversity, written by an Essay Coaching student in 2005.  Since then, the author has been admitted to his top choices for both undergraduate and professional education, both of which are ranked in the top 10 by US News and World Report.

Why is this a good example of a diversity essay?  Read the essay, and read the explanation underneath.

People see me as tall and black, but I am more than that: I am a lawyer in the making. As a 6 foot 5, 220 pound black man, I walk through the crowded corridors of Northern High School drawing looks from nearly everyone. Often people stop to ask me, “Are you on the basketball team?” To most I simply answer “No.” However, when it is someone I know, and I would like to give them more information, I tell them, “No, but I play lacrosse.” On the rare occasion that a Northern basketball player asks me, I answer yet another way. Anticipating a chance to join in an after-school pick-up game, I tell them that I don’t play basketball—but I’m good. My tall white friends have told me they are rarely asked about their involvement in sports and it is mostly black people who ask me these questions. I have come to the conclusion that everyone looks at me from the outside in, looking at my height, my race, even my size 16 feet to determine what they think of me. I wish people could see the logic in my veins, the law in my lungs, the mock trial on my mind, and the admiration in my heart for both Clarence Darrow—for his willingness to take on challenging cases, and Johnnie Cochrane—for his ability to win them. I will bring to your university the same qualities I see in my role models: drive, determination, and a logical mind.

Why is this a strong diversity essay?

This is a strong diversity essay NOT because this essay discusses the author’s racial minority status. Rather, this is a strong essay because it:

• Gives the reader a memorable, distinct image of the writer (for example, size 16 feet)
• Reveals the writer’s self-insight (“To most I simply answer “no”… I have come to the conclusion that…)
• Shows his tolerance of others’ views (“When it is someone I know, and I would like to give them more information, I tell them “no, but I play lacrosse”.)
• Provides a great deal of impressive detail about his goals and interests in a compact, compelling way.  Although he the writer is talking about ideas, he relates them to his physical self and his activities, so the reader can “see” and remember his ideas more easily.   “I wish people could see the logic in my veins, the law in my lungs, the mock trial on my mind, and the admiration in my heart for both Clarence Darrow—for his willingness to take on challenging cases, and Johnnie Cochrane—for his ability to win them.”

Are You Looking for a College That Emphasizes Diversity?

The literature from many colleges emphasizes increasing diversity on their campuses, and many schools, including Harvard , UC Berkeley , and the University of Kentucky , have entire departments dedicated to diversity. Harvard’s stated goal is to “promote equity, diversity & inclusion within our School and the greater community.”  Frank Bruni argues here that diverse demographics are not the entire solution. Bruni admires colleges with programs that encourage a diverse student body to interact:

“Davidson is coaxing campus organizations and even using off-campus trips to orchestrate conversations between white and black students, between religious students and atheists, between budding Democrats and nascent Republicans. By prioritizing these kinds of exchanges, the school sends the message that they matter every bit as much as the warmth and validation of a posse of like-minded people. At Denison University, near Columbus, Ohio, there are special funds available to campus groups that stage events with other, dissimilar groups. Adam Weinberg, the college’s president, told me that he’d attended a Seder at which Jewish students played host to international students from China.”

Read more how to answer the about the diversity question for a college application essay here.

Need more assistance with writing your story or your college application essay? No one was born knowing how to write, let alone write an application essay. Write debbie@essaycoaching.com . We educate and motivate. You create.

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• How to Answer the Challenging “Diversity Question” (December 6, 2011)

Responses (2)

I am currently in the process of filling out my secondary applications for medical schools and they always ask about how I’m going to add and enrich their community. Any tips will be greatly appreciated

Hi Noor, Thanks for writing this question. Of course, medical schools are looking for a subset of the characteristics that colleges are, since med students are a specialized group of people. Think about the ideal medical student. I would see that person as someone who can work hard and play as well, in order not to get consumed by the intensity of the education. Someone with the proven discipline to work the ridiculous hours needed. You have to be reliable, flexible, confident yet questioning. Someone who enjoys memorization, science and math, and can communicate well. Someone who can work and play well with others, and has any type of skills to help the college/professor’s goals for students to learn, help others, and not collapse from the incredible amount of work involved in learning how to keep people alive. Of course, you can’t say, “I’m a leader and great at memorizing,” because that is telling and not showing. It sounds braggy because you’re not giving new information about what you’ve done, you’re only giving yourself a label–(a leader who is great at memorizing) that may or may not be true. But you could, for example, talk about how much you’ve loved Science Olympiad. You could write that you loved it so much that you decided to coach a Science Olympiad team at a nearby middle school, and you developed methods to show the kids how to memorize science facts quickly. I am sure you can come up with your own anecdote that will help the reader be impressed with one or two of your unique characteristics.Good luck, and congrats for picking a wonderful and challenging profession. My husband is a physician and I remember his medical school years vividly, so this is a question near and dear to my heart.

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Medical School Secondary Essays: The Complete Guide 2024 (Examples Included)

Proven strategies to write your diversity, challenge, “why us,” gap year, “anything else you’d like us to know,” leadership, and covid medical school secondary essays.

(Note: This article can also be found in our free, 102-page comprehensive guide to medical school applications, Get Into Medical School: 6 Practical Lessons to Stand Out and Earn Your White Coat . )

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: the medical school diversity essay, part 3: the medical school adversity essay, part 4: the medical school “why us” essay, part 5: the medical school gap year essay, part 6: the medical school leadership essay, part 7: the medical school “anything else you’d like us to know” essay, part 8: the medical school covid essay, appendix: frequently asked questions.

As a medical school applicant, you’ve worked hard on your submitting the best AMCAS application you can. You’ve written a compelling medical school personal statement , a detailed AMCAS Work and Activities section , and more. Now med schools are sending you school-specific secondary applications that require you to write additional essays?

Given that you’ll need to submit multiple essays for most med schools you’ve applied to, the secondary essay writing process can be incredibly grueling, even more so than completing your primary application.

While secondary essay prompts vary in length and topic, there are two pieces of good news:

Secondary essays are typically shorter than your personal statement.

Some topics come up over and over and over again.

You can use this second fact to your advantage by recycling certain “core essays” with a few modifications for multiple schools. Moreover, you can pre-write recurring essays using our medical school secondary essay prompts database .

( WARNING:  Make sure to always answer each school's specific prompt, especially when secondary application fatigue inevitably kicks in. In addition, double check that you've referred to the correct medical schools' names in your secondaries. For example, if you're writing an essay for Tufts, be careful not to mistakenly leave in “Emory” if you're recycling your Emory essay for Tufts.) 

Gain instant access to med school secondary essay examples for every single prompt required by every medical school in the United States and Canada. Subscribe today to lock in the current investments, which will be increasing in the future for new subscribers.

In our nearly 20 years of experience working with medical school applicants, the following six essays—with varying prompts—come up most often:

Diversity essay

Challenge essay (e.g., “Describe a significant challenge you overcame and what you learned from it.”)

“Why us?” essay (e.g., “Why do you hope to attend [our school]?”)

Gap year essay

Leadership essay

“Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay

Rather than list a bunch of general tips on how to write your secondary application essays, in this guide we’ll provide some background for each essay topic before listing and challenging some common misconceptions that limit students’ thinking. Then we’ll offer fresh ways to write each one, as well as strong samples from students who got into prestigious medical schools.

Struggling to write your med school application essays?

Get our free  guide to help you with every step:  Get Into Medical School: 6 Practical Lessons to Stand Out and Earn Your White Coat

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Thank you! Your guide is on its way. In the meantime, please let us know how we can help you crack the the medical school admissions code . You can also learn more about our 1-on-1 medical school admissions support here .

Part 2: The medical school diversity essay

Example diversity essay prompts.

Example 1:  “We seek to train physicians who can connect with diverse patient populations with whom they may not share a similar background. Tell us about an experience that has broadened your own worldview or enhanced your ability to understand those unlike yourself and what you learned from it.” ( Wake Forest School of Medicine )

Example 2: “ The Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) strives to ensure that its students become respectful physicians, with cultural humility, who embrace all dimensions of caring for the whole person. With our Jesuit values of Cura Personalis, People for Others, and Community in Diversity, we are steadfast in our commitment to racial justice and to addressing the health inequities exacerbated by the recent pandemic. Please describe how your values, life experiences, and your identity will contribute to these GUSOM priorities.” ( Georgetown University School of Medicine )

Diversity essay background

Medical schools love  advertising the diversity of their student bodies through their class profile statistics, brochures, and pictures of smiling students from various backgrounds. Is this just for show?

Unlikely. Medicine—and other healthcare fields—are most effectively practiced when clinicians are able to understand and respect whomever is seeking service, regardless of their backgrounds. Thus, having a diverse student body creates a stimulating learning environment that incorporates multiple perspectives.

Before we get into misconceptions about the diversity essay, let’s clarify the meaning of “cultural competency” by first offering the NIH’s definition : “Deliver[ing] services that are respectful of and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patients."

In other words, cultural competency refers to:

The awareness that patients have diverse health beliefs, practices, and needs

The effort and willingness to understand these differences

The effort and willingness to incorporate these differences to provide effective care that fits patients' contexts

On the other hand, cultural competency does not mean:

Believing you know everything about a particular group of people—including your own—and therefore knowing exactly how to treat them

Having to learn everything about a particular group of people before you are able to effectively treat them

Diversity essay misconception 1: “I don’t come from a minority background, so I have nothing to write about.”

Let’s clear this up right away: your diversity essay does not have to be about your or others’ ethnocultural or socioeconomic backgrounds. Moving past this notion will expand your thinking and options for choosing a compelling topic many fold.

Diversity can refer to anything that makes you unique or interesting, including:

Your great qualities (e.g., being a social connector)

Unique experiences (e.g., working as a certified scuba diving instructor)

A commitment to service

Visions and goals (e.g., using artificial intelligence to improve healthcare).

Think about why diversity is interesting in the first place: everyone is different. If all people came to medicine from a certain ethnic minority or low socioeconomic background, that wouldn’t be so interesting, would it?

If you do want to focus on ethnocultural and socioeconomic diversity, strong essay topics include:

Extracurricular activities , pursuits, or organizations committed to diversity and social justice issues

Health disparities

Demonstration of multicultural competence during patient interactions

Navigating your own multicultural identity

Diversity essay misconception 2: “I come from an ethnic minority background that’s already well represented in medicine, so I have nothing unique to share.”

We hear this most often from students of various Asian backgrounds who feel their demographic is so well represented in medicine that they cannot make a case for their uniqueness as a medical school applicant.

However, given Asia's many countries, and the races, cultures, subcultures, languages, religions, and philosophies across and within countries, there's probably a ton you could write about. Although you may feel your background is common in medicine, don’t sell yourself short.

Possible topics include:

(If you’re an immigrant) Your immigration and assimilation experience

(If you’re not an immigrant but your parents immigrated to the U.S.) A thoughtful account about the values/perspectives/goals your parents tried to instill in you, how they may have clashed with your values growing up in a bicultural environment, and how you resolved these differences

Different cultural views on healthcare and how both can be valuable for treating patients

Regardless of the topic you choose, as with all essays, make sure to link it back to your identity and experience by answering these questions:

How did you feel?

What qualities did you demonstrate?

What did you learn?

What do you have yet to learn?

How do you plan to apply these lessons throughout your education and career?

Diversity essay misconception 3: “The more I write the words ‘diversity,’ ‘cultural/multicultural,’ and ‘underserved,’ the more admissions committees will be impressed by my cultural sensitivity/awareness/competence.”

Quite the opposite. These terms, especially when used repeatedly or inappropriately, can be cliché and come off as dishonest. The best essays are those that are written honestly about who you are and your actual perspectives and interactions with diverse individuals.

Medical school diversity essay example

There are many things a girl could be self-conscious about growing up, such as facial hair, body odor, or weight gain. Growing up with a few extra pounds than my peers, I was usually chosen last for team sports and struggled to run a 10-minute mile during P.E. classes. As I started to despise school athletics, I turned towards other hobbies, such as cooking and Armenian dance, which helped me start anew with a healthier lifestyle. Since then, I have channeled my passions for nutrition and exercise into my volunteering activities, such as leading culinary workshops for low-income residents of Los Angeles, organizing community farmer’s markets, or conducting dance sessions with elderly patients. I appreciate not only being able to bring together a range of people, varying in age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, but also helping instill a sense of confidence and excitement that comes with making better lifestyle decisions. I have enjoyed encouraging kids in the inner city to combat similar issues of weight gain and low self-esteem through after-school gardening and physical activity lessons. Now, I hope to share my love for culinary nutrition and fitness with fellow medical students at UCLA. As students, we can become better physicians by passing on health and nutrition information to future patients, improving quality of life for ourselves and others.

Part 3: The medical school adversity essay

Example adversity essay prompts.

Example 1:  “Share with us a difficult or challenging situation you have encountered and how you dealt with it. In your response, identify both the coping skills you called upon to resolve the dilemma, and the support person(s) from whom you sought advice.” (University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine)

Example 2:  “Tell us about a challenging problem you faced and how you resolved it. Include how the experience contributed to the person you are today.” ( University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine )  

Adversity essay background

Medical school admissions committees ask about adversity simply to understand how you respond to difficult situations. They want to see that you have the maturity, resilience, and capacity for growth to do well in med school.

In other words, medical schools are not  trying to start a competition to determine which students have experienced the greatest adversity in their lifetimes.

Rather, they want to know how you:

Manage stress

Attempt to resolve issues

Reflect on challenges

Apply learned lessons in your life

Adversity essay misconception 1: “Nothing really bad has ever happened to me. Neither my family members nor I have suffered a serious illness or death. I also did not overcome poverty or flee to America as a political refugee, etc.” 

Let’s say it again: this is not a competition, so it’s perfectly fine if you haven’t experienced an extreme challenge in your life. If you have, you’ll have an obvious topic to discuss, but a significant difficulty alone doesn’t make a great essay.

There are multiple ways to approach adversity essay prompts, including writing about:

Relatable life events (e.g., letting your best friend down, facing major criticism, making new friends after a big move)

Situations beyond your control (e.g., your parents’ divorce, a friend’s drug use).

Adversity essay misconception 2: “Fine. I was able to identify some challenges I’ve faced in life. It still doesn’t matter because none of them are significant enough!”

We get it. Medical school admission is a high stakes process, and you want to stand out in every part of your application.

Remember, however, that the best essays aren’t necessarily the ones with the greatest challenges or sob stories. It's your thoughtfulness and handling of those challenges that will set you apart.

To make this process easier, we ask students to create the following list of 3–4 challenges to help them choose a strong topic. Below we’ve also included a common topic as an example:

Challenge: Difficult academic adjustment from high school to college with corresponding drop in confidence and drive, as well as questioning fitness for medicine

Response: Acknowledged poor study habits and corrected them, humbly asked for help from faculty and classmates

Result: Sustained improvement in study habits and grades, developed mentorships with professors

Lesson: No shame in asking for guidance and help, better to strengthen weakness than rely on false confidence

Once you’ve listed some challenges and their aftermath, choose the one that demonstrates the greatest maturity, thoughtfulness, and growth. Transparency about your hardships and honesty about your growth help to write great essays. It’s also more than acceptable to discuss how you’re still a work in progress and mention the areas you’d like to continue improving on.

Medical school adversity essay example

I named my one-year-old beagle Fitch, after my favorite clothing store. That fact recurred through my mind as I shouted her name for hours at the break of dawn, wondering how I left the door open and where she could have gone. Was she attacked by roaming bands of coyotes? Killed in a hit-and-run? Lost in the desert mountains? I had raised and taken care of Fitch for years, and so I believed I was solely responsible for her loss and her safe return. Yet, my mother admonished me to not let guilt interfere with my judgments and to reach out for help. Therefore, I enlisted the support of the community, including friends, fellow dog owners, and neighbors, some of whom I had never met before, to find my pudgy, spotted beagle.

Over the next two days, this dedicated group helped me create flyers to post in nearby parks, organize teams for day and night searches, and send neighborhood-wide emails. It’s hard to be prepared for difficult situations like these, so between the sleepless nights and uneventful status updates, I found myself learning to be calm and patient like my neighbors, Bill and Susanna, encouraged me to be. Finally, on the third day, a biker found Fitch behind a dumpster, shivering beneath a pile of debris and branches. Although she was eventually safe, I would not be able to hold and feed her to this day had I not knocked on that first neighbor’s door, opening me up to both the physical and mental strength of the surrounding community.

Example “Why us?” essay prompts

Example 1:  “What makes LLUSM particularly attractive to you?” (Loma Linda University School of Medicine)

Example 2:  “Why have you chosen to apply to the Georgetown University School of Medicine and how do you think your education at Georgetown will prepare you to become a physician for the future?” ( Georgetown University School of Medicine )

“Why us?” essay background

These are everyone’s favorite prompts (we wish our sarcasm could jump through the screen).

The first step to writing an effective “Why us?” essay is to restrain yourself from writing about how great their medical school is or where it's located.

Glad that’s out of the way. Now consider why admissions committees want you to answer this question. After all, they know you’re applying to many other schools and that your GPA and MCAT scores are at least reasonably close to their admission averages.

(Suggested reading: How Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To? Which Ones? and Average GPA and MCAT Score for Every Medical School )

Admissions committees read thousands of essays annually and want to know that you’ve considered them for reasons beyond the obvious (location, prestige, average GPA and MCAT, etc.).

By integrating your qualities, experiences, and aspirations with their specific mission, programs, and resources, you will have a unique opportunity to demonstrate "fit" in your application. Don’t take this for granted!

“Why us?” essay misconception 1: “I should just read a school’s mission statement and research available resources on their website, and then rewrite the same information in essay form.”

The vast majority of students approach the “Why us?” essay this way, so it won’t make your response seem very special.

We basically see the expanded version of the following essay 90+ percent of the time:

I want to go to [School Name] because of their wonderful [program name] and incredible [resources]. {Program] cultivates [attribute] that helps their students become great physicians. In addition, [resources] provide support to help students reach their potential.

You should be able to see how this essay says nothing about why YOU want to go to their school.

Moreover, medical schools already know about all of the programs and resources they offer, so you wouldn’t be providing much value through writing solely about those offerings.

The better approach to this essay would be to look through schools’ websites to find programs and resources that actually interest you and to identify what each school keeps boasting about (e.g., perhaps they mention diversity or early clinical experience multiple times on their homepage). Then consider:

How YOUR experiences fit with their offerings

What YOU could contribute

How YOU would uniquely benefit from their program

For example, if a school focuses a lot on community service and you have similar experiences, mention that. In addition, let the school know how you want to further focus your skills while there. On the other hand, if you have a more research heavy background and are applying to the same school, you could either focus on research or discuss how community service will make you a more well-rounded physician. The more specific you can be, the better.

“Why us?” essay misconception 2: “There’s no other way to find out information about a medical school than by reading their site.”

Looking at a school’s website and demonstrating fit is certainly a tried-and-true approach to answering "Why us?" essay prompts, but it isn’t the only one.

To really impress admissions committees, you could integrate information from current students or recent alumni into your response. Ask these individuals whether they would be willing to share their experiences attending a particular school, and also whether you would be a good fit there given your background and goals.

How do you find these people? The easiest people to contact are those you know personally or through a mutual acquaintance. Otherwise, you could contact a school’s administrative staff and ask whether they could connect you to a current student. While this requires additional work, it will be well worth it for your top school preferences.

If you have to contact a stranger, use the following email template:

Dear [Student Name],

I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name}, and I am currently completing my med school applications. I’m especially interested in attending [School Name] and am therefore hoping to get some more information about the program. [School Name]'s admissions committee gave me your email address as someone who could help me out.

I'd really appreciate it if you would spare 15-20 minutes to answer 3-5 quick questions in the upcoming days. If so, please let me know some days and times that are most convenient for you, your time zone, and the best number to reach you. I’ll do my best to accommodate.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

[Your Name]

If you have the opportunity to take a campus tour, you should also make it a priority to meet with students and faculty (the latter may require arranging an appointment in advance). Even a brief conversation might generate some interesting insights that you can refer back to in your secondary essays.

Medical school “Why us?” essay example

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Throughout my undergrad years, I’ve found that working hard to involve myself with others and their unique perspectives is one of the most productive ways in which I can learn. For example, I used to believe that illnesses were just a set of tangible symptoms that resulted solely from maladaptive genes. However, after working closely with families in Boston's inner city, I have come to realize how racial, physical, and social factors, such as a lack of access to fresh produce or primary health services, can influence the likelihood of disease. As I obtained a broader understanding of the many factors that contribute to health, I find myself asking new questions and wanting to learn more. How can we properly assess a community’s needs and design appropriate solutions? How can an understanding of sociocultural factors be used to heal current patients and prevent new ones?

I believe that the answers to these questions and others will come from the Community Health Program at the University of Washington (UW). The year-round lecture series on topics, such as “Health Disparities: An Unequal World's Biggest Challenge,” will allow me to engage closely with faculty and students to work towards developing holistic community-based solutions. Furthermore, the UW PEERS clinic and Friends of UW provide an opportunity to work closely with urban Seattle neighborhoods similar to those I have worked with in Boston.

Having connected with a range of Boston families, varying in age, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, I have improved my sense of self-awareness and cultural sensitivity, attributes I hope to continue developing with the surrounding Seattle community. I am confident that UW and the Community Health Program can further prepare me to be a physician who not only improves the lives of individual patients, but also addresses the needs of entire communities.

Example gap year essay prompts

Example 1:  If you are not attending college during the upcoming academic year, what are your plans? ( Weill Cornell Medical College )

Example 2:  Are you planning to matriculate into medical school immediately after completing your undergraduate education? If not, please explain what activities and/or careers you have pursued in the time between your college education and your application. ( Baylor College of Medicine )

Gap year essay background

Essay prompts that ask about  gap years tend to be fairly straightforward. Given that the average age of med school matriculants is currently 24, these days, it’s more common than not for applicants to have taken one or more years off between undergrad and med school. 

If that describes you, here’s how to think about your gap year essay: medical schools simply want to know what you’ve been up to since graduation and how those activities have prepared you to succeed in med school and beyond.

To approach this essay, begin with the factual. Here are the questions you should try to address in your gap year essay:

What was your goal in taking a gap year?

What did you do during your gap year? Or, if you haven’t taken it yet, what are your plans? Be specific in regard to dates, durations, jobs worked, places traveled to, etc.

How did your gap year experiences enhance your preparedness for medical school, your future skill set as a physician, and enrich your point of view about the world and/or the healthcare field? In other words, what did you learn that you’ll carry with you into medicine?

Bonus points if you can also connect your gap year experience to a specific program or feature of the medical school you're applying to.

Gap year essay misconception 1: “My gap year was unrelated to medicine so I have nothing to write about.”

If you’ve spent your gap year engaged in something directly related to medicine—say you worked in a research lab or were employed as an EMT —it’s easy to argue that you’re better prepared for med school now than when you were right out of college. But what if you’ve spent your gap year doing something else? 

Even if your gap year experiences were non-medical in nature, you should still explain how they’ve helped you become a stronger med school candidate. 

For example, say your main goal in taking a gap year was to improve your MCAT score, and you spent the year studying for the test while supporting yourself through a bartending job. Not only would you want to talk about much you were able to improve your score, you’d also want to discuss the skills you gained from bartending that are relevant to being a physician, such as social skills, teamwork, and adaptability.

Gap year essay misconception 2: “Writing about how I took a gap year to become a better candidate will make me look bad.”

Sometimes applicants who took a gap year to improve their medical school application profile in some way (a better MCAT score, more clinical experience, completing prerequisites, etc.) worry that talking about this in their essays will make them come off as an underqualified candidate. 

This could not be further from the truth. In reality, so long as your time off has yielded meaningful results, medical schools will see your efforts as evidence that you’re resilient, mature, and working towards constant improvement. It doesn’t matter that you weren’t the ideal candidate straight out of college—what matters is that you’re ready for med school now. 

Medical school gap year essay example

After graduating from college in May, I moved to Mexico City in order to attend a Spanish language school full-time and volunteer on the weekends at a low-income women’s health clinic. My goals in taking a gap year have been to improve my Spanish language skills to fluency while gaining experience in an international health setting. 

I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and plan to return to the area after medical school. While I studied Spanish through the intermediate level in college, given that 45 percent of residents in the LA metropolitan area currently speak Spanish at home, I feel that advancing my Spanish skills beyond the conversational is critical to becoming the best healthcare provider that I can be to patients in LA.

Volunteering at the women’s clinic has also been illuminating. Not only has it accelerated my language acquisition, particularly in that it’s helped me pick up valuable Spanish medical vocabulary, it’s also opened my eyes to how many women do not have adequate access to prenatal care and routine preventative services like cervical cancer screenings. I know that these issues are not unique to Mexico; too many women face the same barriers in the United States. 

As the result of my gap year experiences, I am committed to providing compassionate care for all patients, especially those without financial resources or English fluency, and plan to work towards creating greater healthcare access for disadvantaged patients. I look forward to the opportunity to begin this work as a volunteer at Columbia’s student-run free clinics for vulnerable populations in New York City.

Example leadership essay prompts

Example 1: “Describe your most unique leadership, entrepreneurial, or creative activity.” ( UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine )

Example 2: “The pillars of our curriculum are Leadership, Curiosity, and Commitment. Tell us about how you have embodied one or more of these attributes in your path to medicine thus far. In which of these areas do you see the most opportunity for personal growth and why?” (University of Colorado School of Medicine)

Example 3: Please describe your most meaningful leadership positions. ( Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons )

Leadership essay background

Medical schools are looking for students who are going to drive change in healthcare. They don’t want students who only want to be physicians; they want leaders, too. 

Why is leadership important in a medical context? There are several problems that plague the United States healthcare system today, including rising healthcare costs, inequities in access to care, racial discrimination in medicine, and more. Change begins with doctors—think of Paul Farmer, Vivek Murthy, and Atul Gawande. All of these doctors are leaders in their respective fields and have created structural change in specific areas of medicine, whether it was through research, writing, or policy. 

Medical schools want students who are going to make an effort to solve problems, like the aforementioned physicians. The leadership essay is an opportunity to show admissions committees that you have what it takes to make a difference by reflecting on your own experiences as a leader. 

Over 90% of our students get into med school—the first time.

Leadership essay misconception #1: “i haven’t had any experiences as a leader.”.

One does not have to hold formal leadership positions to be considered a leader. For example, working as a teacher could be considered a leadership position even though a teacher might not have a formal title like “President” or “Treasurer.” Leadership could also entail taking care of a family elder or directing a group project. By reflecting on positions and scenarios in which you have made an impact and demonstrated initiative, you will likely find an example of your own leadership.

Of course, it is to your benefit if you have formal leadership positions—it means that someone thought you were worthy enough to be chosen for some sort of responsibility. But, if you don’t, that’s perfectly okay as well. The most important takeaway of this essay won’t necessarily be the status or level of the experience you describe—it’s what you learned and how you describe it.

Leadership essay misconception #2: “It is enough to just describe my leadership experiences and what I did in them.”

These essays are a place for you to reflect on your experiences as a leader and demonstrate what you’ve learned—simply describing your work isn’t going to cut it. 

The idea in this essay is to show growth. If you are applying to medical school, it goes without saying that you have a lot more to learn before you can become a practicing physician. This is true not only when it comes to medical and scientific knowledge, but also when it comes to the personal qualities necessary to be an effective doctor.

In this essay, you will want to discuss your past growth as a leader—highlighting this experience is how you can indicate to medical schools that you will continue to learn and develop as a leader on your road to becoming a physician. Therefore, your essay must be reflective: to discuss past growth, you must deeply analyze your own experiences.

Medical school leadership essay example

During my sophomore year of college, I was selected as the Executive Director of BerkeleyShelter, an undergraduate volunteer organization that operates a shelter for students experiencing houselessness. The next year, I founded HealthGroup, a nonprofit focused on increasing access to affordable medications for individuals with chronic conditions. From these activities, my understanding of what it means to be a leader has begun to change. At HealthGroup, we tried to drive change by drafting legislation, working with elected representatives, and launching campaigns to raise awareness about issues surrounding medication prices. As the founder, I took it upon myself to come up with a plan for other staff and members to follow. I thought it was my job as a leader to direct the organization’s work. But, initially, HealthGroup struggled to create any sort of tangible change in prescription medicine prices; there were too many obstacles generated by pre-existing problems within the American healthcare system. In fact, one year after HealthGroups’s conception, not much had changed. Of course, I wasn’t expecting to fix the healthcare system overnight, but I didn’t expect my efforts to have yielded so little. Before my senior year of college, I began to wonder how I could change HealthGroup: what could I do differently as the leader of the organization? I came to recognize that I hadn’t really given others an opportunity to share their own ideas—I had just assumed that I needed to run the group by myself. Maybe, as a leader, it wasn’t my job to single-handedly decide the organization’s direction but, rather, to create an environment where others could share their thoughts. Today, HealthGroup has written several bills that have created significant changes in prescription drug access—the results of a 40-person collaboration. 

Example “Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay prompts

Example 1:  “Is there anything else you would like us to know?” ( Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons )

Example 2:  “Please reflect on your primary application and share something not addressed elsewhere that would be helpful to the Admissions Committee as we review your file.” ( Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine )

“Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay background

The open-ended nature of “Anything else you’d like us to know?” essays tends to cause confusion for many applicants. Being invited to share anything you want can be intimidating!

The good news is that these types of essays allow you to highlight something about yourself that isn’t well represented elsewhere in your application, and you may even be able to use one of your pre-writes to do it.

There are two basic ways to approach “Anything else you’d like us to know?” essays:

You can submit one of the above pre-writes that hasn’t already been asked for. For example, say a medical school asks you for an “Anything else?” essay but not a “Why us?” essay. In that case, you could slot in your “Why us?” essay here. Just be sure the content of the essay doesn’t repeat details and anecdotes that you’ve already mentioned in another essay you’re submitting to that school.

You can write a completely new essay— if time permits you to do it well. For applicants who choose this route, common topics include strengths that haven’t gotten much attention yet, such as:

Extensive volunteer work

A strong research background

Other impressive achievements or skills

If you decide to write a new essay, take care not to treat the space like a catch-all by simply listing a bunch of skills or experiences, which will make your response sound like a résumé rather than an essay. Instead, give your essay focus by first deciding what you want to communicate to adcoms (for instance, your research bona fides), and then choose a few related examples that can together create a through line towards medicine. Despite the vagueness of the “Anything else?” prompt, your essay should still make an argument.

Even if you choose to write about a strength that isn’t explicitly related to medicine, such as an artistic or athletic achievement, you’ll still want to draw a connection to how it has made you a better medical school candidate.

“Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay misconception 1: “I must answer this prompt even though it’s optional.”

“Anything else you’d like us to know?” essays are often optional, which leaves many applicants struggling to determine whether they should answer the question at all. Some applicants erroneously believe that they must answer it, no matter what.  

Our advice is to not force it. We generally consider these types of essays as falling somewhere between optional and required. 

If you have something to add that would help further differentiate you as an applicant, you should do so, and if you’re able to do this using a pre-write, even better. However, if submitting an essay here would seem completely forced, or if you aren’t able to use a pre-write and don’t have the time to commit to writing a new essay that’s high quality, it probably isn’t worth it. 

The bottom line is to always optimize for quality.

“Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay misconception 2: “Any unused pre-write will work here.”

In many cases, you will be able to take advantage of your unused pre-writes to answer “Anything else you’d like us to know?” prompts. However, before shuffling through your already-written essays, consider whether there indeed  is  something you want adcoms to know beyond what you've been able to communicate through AMCAS or secondaries. In other words, you should ask yourself if the pre-write you want to use adds anything meaningful to your candidacy. 

You also don't have to necessarily use your “best” secondary here. Instead, consider which of your answers will best  fit  with the remainder of your application to that school, based on what you've already written for them and what they're looking for in candidates.

Medical school “Anything else you’d like us to know?” essay example

On the first Sunday of every month, I leave the house at 5:30 AM, coffee in hand, so I can be among a group of 20 volunteers who greet a new group of “bully breed” dogs ready to find loving families. Despite being sensitive, loyal pets, these dogs face pervasive negative stereotypes of aggression that make them among the most vulnerable to abuse and euthanasia. Fortunately, the Paws Please rescue culls bully breeds from high-kill shelters in the greater Houston area to give them a second chance at adoption. 

I first became acquainted with Paws Please when my own family adopted an American Staffordshire Terrier, Mary, through them when I was 15. Mary quickly bounded her way into the center of our family, and as a teenager it deeply distressed me whenever I attempted to reconcile the joy she brought us with the fact that she’d come close to being put down. A year later, I decided that I would become a Paws Please volunteer in order to help save dogs like Mary. I began attending the monthly “homecoming day” when I was a junior in high school, and have continued this work through my four years at Rice. 

On homecoming day, every new dog receives grooming, vaccines, microchips, and more. For six years, it’s brought me immense gratification to provide these initial moments of care, sometimes for the first time in a dog’s life. While many dogs come from troubling situations and arrive frightened or in need of medical attention, being part of the experienced volunteer team has taught me a great deal about taking stressful or even upsetting moments in stride, not to mention making effective use of teamwork to “process” large numbers of dogs efficiently but with thoroughness and compassion. In fact, as I’ve completed shadowing hours, medical volunteer work, and other clinical experiences as a premed, I’ve frequently found myself leaning on skills that I first developed through Paws Please, and I believe that these experiences will help shape my competence as a physician. I’m grateful for what my work in animal rescue has taught me and for the chance to make a difference in these dogs’ lives.  

Example COVID essay prompts:

Example 1: “Describe how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted your pathway to medical school. Include any academic, personal, financial or professional barriers, as well as other relevant information.” ( UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine )

Example 2: “What have you done during the recent COVID-19 pandemic that will better prepare you to be a medical student and future physician?” (University of Miami Miller School of Medicine)

COVID essay background

During the 2020–2021 application cycle, many medical schools added COVID secondary essay prompts—usually optional—that allowed applicants to discuss how the pandemic had impacted their applications. In the 2021–2022 cycle, as the long-term effects of the pandemic became more evident, many of those formerly optional prompts became required of all applicants.

However, starting in 2023–2024, some schools have reverted to making their COVID prompts optional, and others have removed the prompts from their applications entirely.

Most COVID essay prompts can be divided into the following categories, with some med schools asking for a combination of the two:

Prompts that ask you to explain how the pandemic has negatively affected your medical school applications. In these essays, you can discuss disruptions to your education, test taking, and extracurriculars, plus any relevant personal circumstances that prevented you from presenting your best self to adcoms.

Prompts in which you’re tasked with reflecting more broadly on the pandemic, whether that’s in the realm of personal challenges you’ve faced or medicine in general.

COVID essay misconception 1: “I should make excuses for everything that’s less than ideal about my application.” 

It’s likely that the pandemic has thrown plenty of obstacles in the way of your medical school applications, but that doesn’t mean they should all receive equal weight in your COVID essay.

Keep the following in mind, particularly when answering prompts that ask how COVID has affected your preparedness for medical school, and especially if those prompts are optional: the essays are meant to account for appreciable challenges to your application process, allowing you to be seen holistically. Med schools want to understand how you’ve been kept from putting your best foot forward.

“Appreciable challenges” will differ for everyone. For some applicants, they might include illness, the death of a loved one, or financial difficulties. For others, they might mean a lack of access to required extracurriculars, like shadowing or research, or fewer opportunities to take the MCAT.

Whatever circumstances affected you, we suggest trying not to lament relatively insignificant frustrations, like receiving a worse grade in a virtual class than you might have in person or having to complete an extracurricular online. If your essay reads like you’re looking for sympathy regarding something minor, you’ll risk seeming insensitive or out of touch.

That said, it’s fine to write that you found virtual learning challenging or that certain opportunities were unavailable to you. Pick the circumstances that affected you most, stick to the facts, and make sure to talk about how you adapted and what you learned, with the goal of showing that you’re still a strong applicant.

COVID essay misconception 2: “Nothing bad happened to me during the pandemic, so I have nothing to write.”

As we just mentioned, everyone’s pandemic experience has been different, and it’s certainly true that some people have been much more fortunate than others. Nevertheless, COVID has affected everyone, and to reiterate what we wrote in the adversity essay section earlier, it’s not a competition to see who’s suffered the most.

Even if you’ve been relatively fortunate during the pandemic, you can still write about your COVID experience if it’s required of you. Describe the ways that you were affected and what you did to meet those challenges. Again, the key is to remain factual rather than seem like you’re seeking pity for relatively minor inconveniences. It’s also okay to acknowledge that you’ve been fortunate.

Additionally, bear in mind that a COVID essay doesn’t inherently need to describe something difficult. If appropriate to the prompt, you can also discuss:

Unexpected events or silver linings of the pandemic

Ways you’ve changed, lessons you’ve learned, or perspectives you’ve gained

How the pandemic informed your views of medicine

COVID essay example

When my college campus closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, just a few months before my graduation, the momentum I’d felt propelling me into the future was suddenly put on hold. Nevertheless, I recognized that I was fortunate in many ways, including as a student. Although transitioning to online classes was admittedly disorienting, I’d already completed the vast majority of my coursework in person, including all my premed requirements .

However, my post-graduation plans changed dramatically. I was set to take a gap year, during which time I’d planned to complete my medical school applications while working full-time in the genetics lab I’d been a part of for the past year. Because the lab shut down along with the rest of the university, my position was paused and then a few months later cancelled entirely. As a result of losing this additional research experience, I decided to delay applying to medical school for another year.

Looking for ways to stay busy and help others after graduating, I became a virtual volunteer with a domestic abuse crisis text hotline and an online MCAT tutor. After a few months of job searching, I also began working as an ER scribe in August 2020. Although an intense experience, it was deeply gratifying to work with patients during the pandemic, and my clinical knowledge increased rapidly.

In April 2021, I was invited to come back to the genetics lab, which had reopened months before with just a couple researchers. While I’m grateful that, improbably, I’m now able to complete the gap year I’d envisioned pre-pandemic, I also know that the unexpected experiences of the past 16 months have made me a better future physician and reinforced my certainty that medicine is a field I’m excited and proud to be a part of.

Final thoughts

Secondary applications will likely be one of the most time-consuming, stressful, and exhausting parts of your application process (the other is the medical school admission interview circuit if you’re fortunate to receive multiple invitations).

Nevertheless, you should give yourself some breaks to recharge so that you never rush submissions for the sake of rolling admissions and sacrifice quality.

Like every other piece of written material you submit, aim not only to answer the prompt, but also to give admissions committees deeper insights into what makes YOU so great for their school specifically.

About the Author

Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.

Enjoyed this guide? Get the FREE, 102-page  guide we use to help over 90% of our students get into med school—the first time.

Get into medical school: 6 practical lessons to stand out and earn your white coat.

Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) we receive about medical school secondary essays that are not answered in this guide.

We encourage you to ask any other questions you have about secondary essays in the comments section below. We’ll make sure to answer your questions ASAP and add some of them to this FAQ section to make it easier for other students to find this information.

When should I expect to receive secondary applications?

Once you certify and submit your primary application and AMCAS receives your official transcripts, they begin verifying your application. You will receive your secondary applications after AMCAS completes verification and releases your primary applications to medical schools.

Because the verification process can take several weeks, it's important to submit your primary application as soon as possible after AMCAS opens submission on May 28. Students who submit AMCAS by early June can expect to begin receiving their secondary applications in late June to early July, positioning themselves to take full advantage of rolling admissions.

Note: Some DO schools send out secondaries as early as mid- to late-June.

(Further reading: The Ideal Medical School Application Timeline )

Will all medical schools send me a secondary application?

The majority will. However, whereas most schools send secondary applications without screening your primary application, some competitive schools will screen. You may experience a slight delay in receiving secondary applications from schools that screen.

How soon after receiving a secondary application should I aim to submit it?

As soon as possible, without sacrificing quality. While you should aim to submit secondaries within two weeks after receiving them, this is not required and you should never forfeit essay quality to do so. Many students believe there is a two-week “rule,” but very few schools actually expect the secondary to come back within two weeks. Moreover, the schools that have this expectation will make this explicit. In the grand scheme, a few days to a week later won’t make a huge difference.

Is it really a good idea to pre-write secondary essays? What if a school changes their secondary prompts during my admissions cycle?

Yes, you should absolutely pre-write secondary essays whenever possible because medical schools rarely change their prompts. In the event that a medical school does  change their prompt, you'll likely be able to recycle your already-written essay for other schools.

Are “optional” essays really optional?

Yes. You should only answer an optional prompt when you have appropriate information to discuss. Forced responses will annoy admissions committees and can cast a negative light on the rest of your application.

Which secondaries should I work on first?

We recommend prioritizing your target schools, and specifically those that have the longest secondaries (so you can recycle more material for future applications) and those that you're most interested in attending. (so you can maximize the rolling admissions process at those institutions)

Do I need to submit my secondary essays two weeks after I receive my secondary applications?

Try not to get too caught up on the idea of a “two week” submission deadline. Unless a school has explicitly set a deadline of two weeks, your goal should just be to submit your essays as early as possible while still maintaining the quality of your essays.

If a secondary prompt asks me to explain my preference for a particular location, can I be honest about my reasons?

Various factors impact a med school applicant’s decisions about where to apply. Many applicants make these decisions based on proximity to family or home, for example. There’s nothing wrong with being transparent about your desire to stay close to home, but don’t leave it at that. You don’t want to give adcoms any reason to think that you might have only chosen their school out of convenience, so be sure to also describe how your connection to the local community will make you a great fit on the campus and vice versa. How will you utilize your existing networks and cultural knowledge of the local area to benefit the school?

Is it okay to repeat some information from my primary application on my secondary applications?

As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t be repeating the same anecdotes or details in your secondary essays that you used in your personal statement. However, the experiences listed in the Work & Activities Section of your primary application will almost certainly reappear in your secondary essays. You’ll want to use your secondary essays to provide additional context, so it may help to think of the Work & Activities Section as the movie trailer and the secondary essays as the feature film.

Enjoyed this guide? Get the FREE  guide we use to help over 90% of our students get into med school—the first time.

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College essays matter. Here's how to write one that stands out | College Connection

Students facing the college application process typically dread one component: the Common App essay. 

Students are presented with six essay prompts, as well as a seventh option, which is “topic of your choice.” Students therefore have limitless possibilities for this essay which will be carefully reviewed by each college to which the student applies.

The goal of college admissions officers is to learn about the student who is applying: personal qualities, struggles, ambitions, priorities. On other parts of the application a student’s “data” is detailed. So, this is not the place to write about one’s SAT scores, GPA, or intended major, or to enumerate one’s activities. It is the place to write about an event, situation, or life circumstance that has influenced the student’s attitudes, goals, and perceptions of life.

The options are limitless. Students can write about life occurrences that impacted them: an illness, a learning disability, a relocation. They can use a sport, club, organization, or volunteer group as the overarching framework within which they learned important life lessons. 

More: The biggest key to college acceptance | College Connection

One student’s essay, which went viral after its author was accepted to a multitude of Ivy League schools, focused on lessons she learned from visits to Costco over the years. In short, students can write about anything that has impacted them – hopefully in a positive way.

Then, students face supplemental essays. Many colleges, including almost all the most competitive ones, require an essay that is specific to the school. Typically, the question is along the lines of, “Why do you want to attend this institution?” or “Why did you choose your particular major and how will our school prepare you to meet your future goals?”

More: These are the latest trends in college admissions | College Connection

Colleges are aware that students typically apply to 8 to 12 different schools, and they are trying to discern “demonstrated interest,” or, in other words, the likelihood of a student enrolling if accepted. So, students should utilize each supplemental essay as an opportunity to demonstrate their interest in the particular college, and should specifically state the courses, programs, study abroad options, internships, and any other characteristics that make the institution a perfect match for their college ambitions.

By showing enthusiasm for each school and sharing their attributes through the Common App and supplemental essays, students will greatly enhance their prospects of experiencing a successful college application process.   

Susan Alaimo is the founder & director of Collegebound Review, offering PSAT/SAT ® preparation & private college advising by Ivy League educated instructors. Visit CollegeboundReview.com or call 908-369-5362 .

How to make friends in college: 8 tips from real students

Is one of your biggest concerns how to make friends in college? You aren’t alone. Every college student wants to find their people who they can comfortably confide in and enjoy spending time with. Keep reading to learn from some real University of Northern Iowa students about their experiences making friends in college.

How to make friends in college

Have a positive outlook on making friends.

If you go into your college experience believing you can’t make friends in college, you may find it more challenging to foster new connections. But if you believe that you will make friends and you put in the proper effort, you’ll be more likely to leave your time in college with fulfilling relationships.

“When I was a freshman, I was very nervous to make friends here at UNI,” said William Palma, a third-year student majoring in computer science. “I had the belief, however, that I would find meaningful people, and I was able to meet great people with this positive mindset.”

Even if you didn’t have a lot of friends in high school, have the belief that college will be different. “This is a fresh start for you, and you have the ability to control your college experience,” said Meggan Barrow, a third-year student majoring in comprehensive secondary science education.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly scrolling on your phone. This is especially true while you’re in a classroom waiting for a lecture to begin. Challenge yourself to be in the moment and off your phone. For Carissa Demings, a senior accounting and business analytics student, this is one way she has figured out how to make friends in college. Even while she is walking to class, she tries to avoid being on her phone. “People are more likely to approach you or talk to you before class if you aren’t occupied with your phone,” she said.

Remember you aren’t alone

‌ Whether a person is introverted or extroverted, the thought of making new friends in college will be a little nerve-wracking. “I remember feeling very nervous about how I might be perceived if I was the first to start a conversation with someone new,” said Samantha Robinson, a senior majoring in communication sciences and disorders. “What helped me to overcome that feeling was knowing that EVERYONE is feeling nervous about the same thing. I quickly learned that most people starting college are looking around, hoping for someone else to start the conversation. By knowing that everyone is nervous about the same thing, it made me feel a lot better about putting myself out there and making new friends.”

Leave your comfort zone

Perhaps the most important advice you can take when it comes to thinking about how to make friends in college is to be willing to take risks. That may mean getting involved with a group where you don’t know anyone or showing up to a sporting event even though you don’t know all the rules. Put yourself out there! “Leaving your dorm room or apartment to get involved is the first, easiest step to making friends, even when you may not feel like it,” said Robinson. 

“Be open to meeting new people and don’t hesitate to introduce yourself with someone new,” said Lizbeth Garcia Tellez, a senior majoring in strategic public relations. “Embrace the chance to connect with others!”

Put in the work

Friendship is a two-way street. It takes time and effort on the part of both parties to create a lasting relationship. Organize get-togethers with new connections such as movie nights or coffee meet-ups. Even if you aren’t in the same classes, asking someone to study with you is also a great way to further a connection. “Collaborating on study sessions gives us a chance to spend more time together and support each other academically, which deepens our connection,” said Garcia Tellez.

“With being so involved, it’s hard to block off time to make friends or even hang out,” said Barrow. “I have overcome this by allowing myself more breaks in my schedule and not going to everything possible.”

Be the friend you want

It can be hard to make the first move in a friendship by introducing yourself to someone new. But you can’t always be expecting other people to introduce themselves to you first. In general, you will make more friends if you treat others the way you would like them to treat you. “Even if you’ve found your group, be open to it growing,” said Madison Duong, senior majoring in marketing: advertising and digital media. “Invite others to join you when your friends hangout. The small action of including someone in your plans makes all the difference.”

Let your friends increase your connections

Often, when you make a friend, you will have the opportunity to meet their friends, too. This will multiply your connections in college. Don’t be afraid of mixing your friend groups or asking your friends to introduce you to more people. When everyone is helping each other foster community, knowing how to make friends in college gets a lot easier!

Be yourself

Whether you’re conversing with your dorm neighbor or meeting your intramural teammates, make sure you are always your authentic self. “I tried to be someone I wasn’t my freshman year,” said Caleb Brothers, a senior majoring in interactive digital studies and graphic technology. “I had to realize that if people didn’t want to know me for who I really was, what was the point? Don’t be afraid to be who you truly are. The friends will come, so there’s no need to hide behind a mask or a facade.”

Where to make friends

There is no shortage of places where you can make friends at college. According to students, some of the best places include:

• Orientation  - Orientation is really your first chance to start making friends at college. Because it can be overwhelming, it might be a good idea to focus on just one or two people you could become friends with.
• Welcome Week activities   - The first week at UNI is filled with all kinds of events for students. Take advantage of these opportunities.
• On-campus jobs   - Whether you work in an office on campus or the dining centers, jobs are a great way to spend an extended period of time with other students.
• Classes  - Try to converse with your classmates before and after class. It’s usually pretty easy to ask them if they’d like to study for an upcoming test together.
• Campus events - Keep an eye out for events happening on campus throughout the school that you can go to and meet more people. Read your weekly Panther Experience emails, check out the  UNI Calendar and look for flyers and sidewalk chalk signs across campus. You can also follow various departments and student organizations on social media.
• Student organizations - Get involved with student groups right away. These are a great place to find people with common interests.
• Residence halls - Leave your door open whenever possible and look for other open doors on your floor. Don’t be afraid to stop by and say “hello.”
• Dining centers - Ask others in the dining center if you can sit with them, or if you see someone eating alone invite them to sit with you.

Make lifelong friends at UNI

Hopefully, these tips will help you flip your mindset from “I can’t make friends in college” to “I CAN make friends in college.” Remember that making friends gets easier with practice, so if you don’t feel like you’ve made friends in the first few days on campus, just keep trying! It will get better.

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CC Bootcamp: How to Ace Your College Essay? - Live Session w/ Lehigh Admissions Officers on Aug 27 at 7pm ET

Join us for the fourth session of the CC Bootcamp line-up on Tue, Aug 27 at 7pm ET and learn how to ace your college essays. Learn directly from the Lehigh Admissions Officer @JennaLehighU and @KatyLehighU what they look for in a candidate and how they evaluate your essays.

Session Outline:

• Common App Essay tips
• Supplemental Essay tips

About Lehigh University

Located in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Lehigh Valley, Lehigh University is one of the nation’s most distinguished private research universities. Lehigh’s 7,000+ undergraduate and graduate students are spread across the College of Arts and Sciences , College of Business , College of Health , P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and College of Education . Lehigh students are inspired to think deeply, driven to create pragmatic solutions, and encouraged to innovate collaboratively.

About Katy Mitton

@KatyLehighU has been a part of the higher ed landscape in different capacities for the past 10 years. She has spent the past three years at Lehigh University as an Assistant Director of Admissions. Some of Katy’s primary responsibilities include the daily operations of a campus visit, recruitment of students from six counties in New Jersey, as well as the states of Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, and the reading/evaluation of applications each academic cycle.

About Jenna Okula

@JennaLehighU joined the Lehigh University Admissions team in December 2023 as the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions. With extensive experience in higher education, she now assists in marketing and communications efforts, recruits students from three New Jersey counties and Colorado, and conducts holistic application reviews each academic cycle.

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Writing a Personal Statement

Preparing to Write

Brainstorming, don't forget, sample prompts.

A personal statement is a narrative essay that connects your background, experiences, and goals to the mission, requirements, and desired outcomes of the specific opportunity you are seeking. It is a critical component in the selection process, whether the essay is for a competitive internship, a graduate fellowship, or admittance to a graduate school program. It gives the selection committee the best opportunity to get to know you, how you think and make decisions, ways in which past experiences have been significant or formative, and how you envision your future. Personal statements can be varied in form; some are given a specific prompt, while others are less structured. However, in general a personal statement should answer the following questions:

• Who are you?
• What are your goals?
• How does this specific program/opportunity help you achieve your goals?
• What is in the future?

A personal statement is not:

• A variation of your college admissions essay
• An academic/research paper
• A narrative version of your resume
• A creative writing piece (it can be creative, though)
• An essay about somebody else

Keep in mind that your statement is only a portion of the application and should be written with this in mind. Your entire application package will include some, possibly all, of the materials listed below. You will want to consider what these pieces of the application communicate about you. Your personal statement should aim to tie everything together and fill in or address any gaps. There will likely be some overlap but be sure not to be too repetitive.

• Personal Statement(s)
• Transcripts
• Letters of recommendations
• Sample of written work
• Research proposal

For a quick overview of personal statements, you might begin by watching this "5 Minute Fellowships" video!

If you are writing your first personal statement or working to improve upon an existing personal statement, the video below is a helpful, in-depth resource.

A large portion of your work towards completing a personal statement begins well before your first draft or even an outline. It is incredibly important to be sure you understand all of the rules and regulations around the statement. Things to consider before you begin writing:

• How many prompts? And what are they? It is important to know the basics so you can get your ideas in order. Some programs will require a general statement of interest and a focused supplementary or secondary statement closely aligned with the institution's goals.
• Are there formatting guidelines? Single or double spaced, margins, fonts, text sizes, etc. Our general guideline is to keep it simple.
• How do I submit my statement(s)? If uploading a document we highly suggest using a PDF as it will minimize the chances of accidental changes to formatting. Some programs may event ask you to copy and paste into a text box.
• When do I have to submit my statement(s)? Most are due at the time of application but some programs, especially medical schools, will ask for secondary statements a few months after you apply. In these instances be sure to complete them within two weeks, any longer is an indication that you aren't that interested in the institution.

Below is a second 5 Minute Fellowships video that can help you get started!

Before you start writing, take some time to reflect on your experiences and motivations as they relate to the programs to which you are applying. This will offer you a chance to organize your thoughts which will make the writing process much easier. Below are a list of questions to help you get started:

• What individuals, experiences or events have shaped your interest in this particular field?
• What has influenced your decision to apply to graduate school?
• How does this field align with your interests, strengths, and values?
• What distinguishes you from other applicants?
• What would you bring to this program/profession?
• What has prepared you for graduate study in this field? Consider your classes at Wellesley, research and work experience, including internships, summer jobs and volunteer work.
• Why are you interested in this particular institution or degree program?
• How is this program distinct from others?
• What do you hope to gain?
• What is motivating you to seek an advanced degree now?
• Where do you see yourself headed and how will this degree program help you get there?

For those applying to Medical School, if you need a committee letter for your application and are using the Medical Professions Advisory Committee you have already done a lot of heavy lifting through the 2017-2018 Applicant Information Form . Even if you aren't using MPAC the applicant information form is a great place to start.

Another great place to start is through talking out your ideas. You have a number of options both on and off campus, such as: Career Education advisors and mentors ( you can set up an appointment here ), major advisor, family, friends. If you are applying to a graduate program it is especially important to talk with a faculty member in the field. Remember to take good notes so you can refer to them later.

When you begin writing keep in mind that your essay is one of many in the application pool. This is not to say you should exaggerate your experiences to “stand out” but that you should focus on clear, concise writing. Also keep in mind that the readers are considering you not just as a potential student but a future colleague. Be sure to show them examples and experiences which demonstrate you are ready to begin their program.

It is important to remember that your personal statement will take time and energy to complete, so plan accordingly. Every application and statement should be seen as different from one another, even if they are all the same type of program. Each institution may teach you the same material but their delivery or focus will be slightly different.

In addition, remember:

• Be yourself: You aren’t good at being someone else
• Tragedy is not a requirement, reflection and depth are
• Research the institution or organization
• Proofread, proofread, proofread
• How to have your personal statement reviewed

The prompts below are from actual applications to a several types of programs. As you will notice many of them are VERY general in nature. This is why it is so important to do your research and reflect on your motivations. Although the prompts are similar in nature the resulting statements would be very different depending on the discipline and type of program, as well as your particular background and reasons for wanting to pursue this graduate degree.

• This statement should illustrate your academic background and experiences and explain why you would excel in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UMass Amherst - M.S. in Civil Engineering).
• Describe your academic and career objectives and how the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies can help you achieve them. Include other considerations that explain why you seek admissions to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and your interests in the environmental field (Yale - Master of Environmental Management).  
• Please discuss your academic interests and goals. Include your current professional and research interests, as well as your long-range professional objectives. Please be as specific as possible about how your objectives can be met at Clark and do not exceed 800 words (Clark University - M.A. in International Development and Social Change).
• Write a 500- to 700-word statement that describes your work or research. Discuss how you came to focus on the medium, body of work, or academic area you wish to pursue at the graduate level. Also discuss future directions or goals for your work, and describe how the Master of Fine Arts in Studio (Printmedia) is particularly suited to your professional goals (School of the Art Institute of Chicago - MFA in Studio, Printmaking).
• Your statement should explain why you want to study economics at the graduate level. The statement is particularly important if there is something unusual about your background and preparation that you would like us to know about you (University of Texas at Austin - Ph.D in Economics).
• Your personal goal statement is an important part of the review process for our faculty members as they consider your application. They want to know about your background, work experience, plans for graduate study and professional career, qualifications that make you a strong candidate for the program, and any other relevant information (Indiana University Bloomington - M.S.Ed. in Secondary Education).
• Your autobiographical essay/personal statement is a narrative that outlines significant experiences in your life, including childhood experiences, study and work, your strengths and aspirations in the field of architecture, and why you want to come to the University of Oregon (University of Oregon - Master of Architecture).
• Personal history and diversity statement, in which you describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may refer to any educational, familial, cultural, economic or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education (U.C. Davis - M.A. in Linguistics).
• A Personal Statement specifying your past experiences, reasons for applying, and your areas of interest. It should explain your intellectual and personal goals, why you are interested in pursuing an interdisciplinary degree rather than a more traditional disciplinary one, and how this degree fits into your intellectual and personal future (Rutgers University - Ph.D in Women’s and Gender Studies).
• Your application requires a written statement to uploaded into your application and is a critical component of your application for admission. This is your opportunity to tell us what excites you about the field of library and information science, and what problems you want to help solve in this field. Please also tell us how your prior experiences have prepared you for this next step toward your career goals and how this program will help you achieve them (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill - Master of Science in Library Science).
• After watching the video, please describe what strengths and preferences as a learner you have that will facilitate your success in this innovative curriculum. What challenges in our curriculum do you anticipate and what strategies might you use to address these challenges? (MGH Institute of Health Professions PT - They recently redesigned their curriculum)
• Your personal goal statement should briefly describe how you view the future of the field, what your goals are to be part of that future, and what brought you to pursue an advanced education degree in your chosen field. You may include any other information that you feel might be useful. (Northeastern PT)
• Personal Statement: In 500 words or less, describe a meaningful educational experience that affected your professional goals and growth and explain how it impacted you. The educational experience does not need to be related to this degree. Focus on the educational experience and not why you think you would be a good professional in this field. (Simmons PT)
• Personal Statement (500 word minimum): State your reasons for seeking admission to this program at this institution. Include your professional goals, why you want to pursue a career in this field and how admission to this program will assist you in accomplishing those goals. (Regis College Nursing)
• “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to this type of program.” (AMCAS)
• Address the following three questions(Though there is no set limit, most statements are 1–2 pages, single-spaced.): What are your reasons for pursuing this degree? Why do you wish to pursue your degree at this institution? How do you intend to leverage your degree in a career of this field? (Boston University MPH)
• Please submit a personal statement/statement of purpose of no more than 500 words for the department/degree of choice. Professional degree essays require a clear understanding of the _______ field and how you hope to work within the field. Be sure to proofread your personal statement carefully for spelling and grammar. In your statement, be sure to address the following: what interests you in the field of _____ what interests you in a specific degree program and department at this institution and what interests you in a particular certificate (if applicable). Please also describe how you hope to use your ________ training to help you achieve your career goals. (Columbia PhD in Public Health - Epidemiology)
• Because each Home Program requires significant original research activities in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, we are interested in obtaining as much information as possible about your previous research experiences. Those who already have such experience are in a better position to know whether they are truly interested in performing ______ research as part of a graduate program. Please include specific information about your research experience in your Statement of Purpose. You may also use the Statement to amplify your comments about your choice of Home Program(s), and how your past experiences and current interests are related to your choice. Personal Statements should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). Make sure to set your computer to Western European or other English-language setting. We cannot guarantee the ability to access your statement if it is submitted in other fonts. (Stanford Biosciences PhD)
• Your statement of purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the Department of ____ at ___ University. It would be helpful to include what you have done to prepare for this degree program. Please describe your research interests, past research experience, future career plans and other details of your background and interests that will allow us to evaluate your ability to thrive in our program. If you have interests that align with a specific faculty member, you may state this in your application. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced). (Stanford Bioengineering PhD)
• Statement of purpose (Up to one page or 1,000 words): Rather than a research proposal, you should provide a statement of purpose. Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at this institution and your relevant experience and education. Please provide an indication of the area of your proposed research and supervisor(s) in your statement. This will be assessed for the coherence of the statement; evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study; the ability to present a reasoned case in English; and commitment to the subject. (Oxford Inorganic Chemistry - DPhil)

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The diversity within MIT's enrollment has plummeted

Tovia Smith

Ailsa Chang

MIT says the percentage of Black, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander students in its incoming freshman class has plummeted, tying it to 2023’s Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action.

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Fall 2024: important dates and deadlines for students.

As a student at the University of Iowa in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, please be mindful of these key dates and deadlines for the fall 2024 semester. 

Here are a few tips for staying ahead of important dates: 

• Create a calendar  or planner and mark down all the important dates and deadlines for your semester. 
• Set reminders  for yourself on your phone or computer marking upcoming deadlines. 
• Be aware of your course assignments to avoid the stress of missing a deadline. 
• Talk to your academic advisor  if you have any questions about important dates and deadlines.  

Four key dates and deadlines to keep in mind: 

Census date Monday, Sept. 9, 2024

The census date is the date for enrollment in a certain number of credits to be eligible for some scholarships and financial aid. If you do not meet the census requirement, you may have to pay more tuition or lose financial aid. Be sure to check with student financial aid for more information about your specific situation if you are changing your schedule. 

Tip: Keep track of your credit hours throughout the semester so that you do not accidentally fall below the requirement. 

Add or drop deadlines Several dates

Add/drop deadlines allow you to add or drop classes without penalty. After the first add/drop deadline, you will only be able to drop classes with a W grade, which will not affect your GPA. 

Tip : If your course does not meet for the full semester, the deadlines will vary. Be sure to check your  specific course deadline .

• Last day to drop without a W (full semester-length courses only): Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
• Last day to add without collegiate approval: Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
• Last day to drop (full semester-length courses only): Monday, Nov. 18, 2024
• Last day to withdraw from the entire spring 2024 semester: Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

Winter and spring registration  Nov. 11-Dec. 6.

It’s important to register for next semester’s classes as soon as you are eligible to ensure you get the classes you need for graduation.

Tip : Schedule an appointment with your advisor about a month before registration to plan your schedule. If you get notified about a registration hold, clear it as soon as possible.

• Meet with your academic advisor to be cleared for registration, if necessary 
• Spring 2025 schedule builder open: Monday, Sept. 30, 2024
• Early registration for winter begins: Monday, Nov. 11-Friday, Dec. 6, 2024
• Early registration for spring begins: Monday, Nov. 11-Friday, Dec. 6, 2024

Final exams  Dec. 16-20, 2024

Final exams are held at the end of each semester. They are typically not during your normal course meeting time. Be sure to check your syllabus.

Tip : Start studying for your final exams early! This will help you to avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed during finals week.

• Last day of class before final exams: Friday, Dec. 13, 2024
• Final Exam Week: Dec. 16-20, 2024

Other important deadlines

Tip : Start working on your scholarship and graduate school applications early. This will give you plenty of time to gather all of the required materials and proofread your essays.

• Deadline to apply for Fall 2024 graduation: Friday, Oct. 4, 2024
• Midterm reports: Friday, Oct. 25, 2024
• Fall break: Nov. 25-29, 2024
• CLAS Commencement: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024
• Fall grades posted: Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

In addition to these general university and college deadlines, there are other important dates and deadlines specific to your classes or program of study. Be sure to check your syllabi and keep an eye on your uiowa e-mail.

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Opinion Guest Essay

The Senator Warning Democrats of a Crisis Unfolding Beneath Their Noses

Credit... Allison Minto for The New York Times

Supported by

By James Pogue

Mr. Pogue, a writer, started talking to Senator Chris Murphy two years ago.

• Aug. 19, 2024

In December 2022, early into what he now describes as his political journey, Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut gave a speech warning his fellow Democrats that they were ignoring a crisis staring them in the face.

For over a year, President Biden and his allies had been promoting data showing an economic miracle, as friendly pundits described it — a record-setting stock market, low unemployment and G.D.P. growth outpacing that of almost every other Western nation. But very few voters believed the story those metrics were telling. In poll after poll, they expressed a bleak view of the economy — to the frustration of both Democrats and many economists.

Mr. Murphy thought he knew why. “The challenges America faces aren’t really logistical,” he told the crowd. “They are metaphysical. And the sooner we understand the unspooling of identity and meaning that is happening in America today, the sooner we can come up with practical policies to address this crisis.”

The subject of the speech was what Mr. Murphy called the imminent “fall of American neoliberalism.” This may sound like strange talk from a middle-of-the-road Democratic senator, who up until that point had never seemed to believe that the system that orders our world was on the verge of falling. He campaigned for Hillary Clinton against Bernie Sanders during the 2016 primaries, and his most visible political stance up until then was his work on gun control after the Sandy Hook shooting.

Thoughtful but prone to speaking in talking points, he still comes off more like a polished Connecticut dad than a champion of the disaffected. But Mr. Murphy was then in the full flush of discovering a new way of understanding the state of the nation, and it had set him on a journey that even he has struggled sometimes to describe: to understand how the version of liberalism we’d adopted — defined by its emphasis on free markets, globalization and consumer choice — had begun to feel to many like a dead end and to come up with a new vision for the Democratic Party.

As the Democrats gather for their national convention this week, with Kamala Harris as their candidate for president, the party has a long way to go toward confronting the crisis Mr. Murphy sees.

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