Diversity Essays
Essays that explore your unique background, identity, and the perspectives you would bring to a diverse college community.
Overview
Diversity essays give you the opportunity to share your unique background, experiences, and perspectives that would contribute to a diverse and inclusive college community. These essays are about more than just demographics—they're about the distinctive viewpoints, experiences, and insights that you would bring to campus.
The key to a successful diversity essay is to focus on how your background has shaped your worldview and how you would use those perspectives to contribute to your college community. Rather than simply describing your identity or background, explain how it has influenced your thinking, values, and goals.
Diversity can come in many forms—cultural background, socioeconomic status, geographic location, family structure, personal challenges, unique interests, or unconventional life experiences. What matters is not how "diverse" your background is by conventional measures, but how thoughtfully you can articulate the perspectives it has given you.
These essays should demonstrate your self-awareness, your appreciation for different perspectives, and your ability to contribute meaningfully to conversations about complex social and cultural issues. They should show that you understand the value of diversity and that you're committed to creating inclusive environments wherever you go.
The Identity-Impact Framework
Use this framework to structure your essay:
Background: Briefly describe the aspect of your identity/experience you'll focus on
Formation: Explain how this background shaped your perspectives or values
Challenges/Insights: Describe specific situations where this perspective was important
Growth: Show how interacting with different perspectives has broadened your thinking
Contribution: Explain what unique perspectives you would bring to college
Writing Tips
Focus on how your background shaped your thinking, not just what it is
Avoid writing about discrimination unless it led to meaningful insights
Show appreciation for other perspectives in addition to valuing your own
Use specific examples rather than generalizations about your culture/background
Explain how you would contribute to campus diversity, not just benefit from it
Be authentic—write about aspects of identity that genuinely matter to you
Avoid stereotypes or oversimplifications about your background
Connect your diverse perspective to your academic or career goals
What Admissions Officers Look For
Admissions officers evaluate these essays based on:
Self-awareness and thoughtful reflection on your identity
Understanding of how background shapes perspective and values
Appreciation for and ability to learn from different viewpoints
Specific examples of how your perspective adds value to discussions
Commitment to contributing to inclusive campus environments
Evidence of cross-cultural competency and communication skills
Maturity in discussing complex issues related to identity and difference
Potential to help create welcoming communities for all students
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Simply describing your background without explaining its impact
Writing about discrimination without showing growth or insights
Making assumptions about what admissions officers want to hear
Relying on stereotypes or oversimplified cultural descriptions
Focusing only on how you would benefit from diversity rather than contribute
Writing about aspects of identity that don't genuinely influence you
Being preachy about diversity without showing personal experience
Choosing topics solely based on what seems "diverse" to admissions officers
Example Essay Outlines
Growing Up Bilingual
Context: Growing up in household where Spanish and English were both spoken
Challenge: Serving as family translator and cultural mediator
Insight: Understanding how language shapes thought and cultural perspective
Application: Helping bridge communication gaps in school and community
Growth: Appreciation for code-switching and multicultural navigation
Contribution: Facilitating cross-cultural understanding on campus
Rural Perspective
Background: Growing up in small farming community
Values: Learning importance of community support and environmental stewardship
Contrast: Experiencing culture shock during urban internship
Bridge-building: Finding common ground between rural and urban perspectives
Insight: Understanding how geographic experience shapes political and social views
Impact: Bringing rural voice to campus discussions about policy and environment
Related Essay Prompts
These essay types often appear with prompts like:
"How would you contribute to the diversity of our campus community?"
"Describe an aspect of your identity that is important to you"
"Tell us about a time when you learned from someone with a different background"
"Share how your background or experiences would add to our campus community"
Ready to Write Your Essay?
Use this guide to craft a compelling diversity essays that showcases your unique story and perspective.