Diversity

[vantheman]

My father is from the Netherlands and my family has integrated dutch culture into our American lives. Is this considered diversity? Many secondariness ask how I can add diversity to the class and I think my dutch culture is a way I can do that. But I don't want to look like a white guy trying to be diverse.

Any thoughts?

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[desertdweller]

If it's personally meaningful and has helped shape who you are, then I would discuss it. Also sounds like you could write about your encounters with diversity (doesn't have to be your own personal diversity).

 

[vellez]

Personally, I would consider that to be diversity. But I think I have a really broad definition of diversity.

 

[Goro]

Sure.

My father is from the Netherlands and my family has integrated dutch culture into our American lives. Is this considered diversity? Many secondariness ask how I can add diversity to the class and I think my dutch culture is a way I can do that. But I don't want to look like a white guy trying to be diverse.

Any thoughts?

 

[NickNaylor]

How will this improve or otherwise impact your ability to be a physician that is capable of relating to a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and/or contribute meaningfully to the culture of a class? I mean, Dutch culture is great and all, but that in and of itself likely isn't going to get you very far without some elaboration.

 

[NeuResurgens]

I think gaining an appreciation for diversity is almost as sought after as an actual "diverse" applicant when considering the diversity essays in secondaries. At the very least, you have a varied background and so it's more likely you can relate to multiple viewpoints. This is the real value of diversity - empathy, an ability to see through others' eyes.

 

[efle]

Sure.

How will this improve or otherwise impact your ability to be a physician that is capable of relating to a wide variety of people from different backgrounds and/or contribute meaningfully to the culture of a class? I mean, Dutch culture is great and all, but that in and of itself likely isn't going to get you very far without some elaboration.

You guys must see a lot of BS "it's a stretch" type stuff for the diversity essay from middle class white males who majored in Bio with cookie cutter ECs.

Ever get anyone that just said "I won't even try to play your game, I got nothin" ? (not as directly phrased I imagine)

 

[Goro]

Luckily, my school doesn't ask for the diversity essay. I'm from NY, and NY was diverse before diverse was cool.

You guys must see a lot of BS "it's a stretch" type stuff for the diversity essay from middle class white males who majored in Bio with cookie cutter ECs.

Ever get anyone that just said "I won't even try to play your game, I got nothin" ? (not as directly phrased I imagine)

 

[Womb Raider]

Are you a Black Dutchman?

 

[AlphaBeta<3]

I thought when they say they wanted diverse, they mean something like grew up poor in India, or black/Hispanic inner city first generation. I don't think being Dutch is what they had in mind, and I agree when you say you'll look like a "white guy trying to be diverse"

 

[ski89]

My father is from the Netherlands and my family has integrated dutch culture into our American lives. Is this considered diversity? Many secondariness ask how I can add diversity to the class and I think my dutch culture is a way I can do that. But I don't want to look like a white guy trying to be diverse.

Any thoughts?

For us white guys diversity is almost always going to be diversity of experience. So if your dutch culture background has provided you some life experience that few of your future classmates have experienced (*and one that is applicable to the field/practice of medicine), then yes it would be a good thing to talk about. A couple things I talked about when it came to diversity is my relatively unique journey through undergrad and the many highs and lows along the way. Also, being a young father (by today's standards) is another thing I talked about. I would honestly just forget the word diverse and focus on "unique". What makes you unique and why is this good for both your maturation as a professional and for the maturation of your peers?

 

[nwts]

I agree with everyone saying that you have to explain it well. Just saying: "I'm Dutch, that's different, right?" isn't going to do much for you. Make sure you explain how your upbringing made you more culturally sensitive, helps you bring a different kind of culture to the incoming class, or something like that.

As far as the argument of: "That looks like a white guy trying to be diverse," well, frankly, that's what many of the applicants are. Most diversity questions are not optional, so we can't tell people to stop "trying to be diverse" when they are required to answer a question about what makes them diverse. As efle pointed out, the only other option would be to straight up say that you don't have anything to say for that, and that's a huge gamble that I'd think would have a very low chance of paying off. Yeah, the diversity question is generally asked in the hopes that an applicant has something that makes him/her truly different from the great majority of other applicants, but most applicants won't have something like that. Logically, there's just not a way for everybody to have something wildly unique from everybody else. That means most people are left to answer the question with something that makes them maybe a little different, but not super unique.

 

[mimelim]

You guys must see a lot of BS "it's a stretch" type stuff for the diversity essay from middle class white males who majored in Bio with cookie cutter ECs.

Ever get anyone that just said "I won't even try to play your game, I got nothin" ? (not as directly phrased I imagine)

Personally, I took those as a pretty big negative. You can be ORM, middle class who major in bio who aren't boring as ****. Trying to come off as something you are not is bad, add to that the fact that you are boring, I've got a big stack of more interesting people to look at.

Maybe its my background that biases me, but I don't understand how this is a hard prompt. It is a little like our chairman asking every interviewing resident, "Why should I hire you?" If you don't know what you bring to the table that is better than what most people bring to the table, we don't really want you.

 

[Stagg737]

Agree with Ski (oh look, that rhymed). Instead of trying to fit the cookie cutter definition of 'diverse', think about what makes you different and unique. A pretty large percentage of med school applicants don't meet the criteria to be diverse in the ways med schools are really looking for, so just show them what unique experiences or perspectives you'll bring to your class. I lived in another country where I was the minority for a while, so I talked about that and how it helped me relate to minority patients in the U.S. Don't make something up and don't say you're not diverse, just write a decent essay and realize that those questions aren't going to be the point in your application where you shine.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

My father is from the Netherlands and my family has integrated dutch culture into our American lives. Is this considered diversity? Many secondariness ask how I can add diversity to the class and I think my dutch culture is a way I can do that. But I don't want to look like a white guy trying to be diverse.

Any thoughts?

Diversity is more than race/ethnicity. Can be disability (learning or physicial), mixed religious background, unique hobby. High SES, non URM with MD parents have the challenge of bringing something else to the table.

 

[vantheman]

I appreciate all of your responses. I think having immigrant parents has helped me understand other cultures since the majority of my family lives in Europe and so I have done a large amount of visiting/traveling throughout my life which has exposed me to new cultures, etc etc etc.

Also, from your comments I realized my idea of diversity was too confined. I do have unique talents and interests that I can bring to the table.

Thanks again

 

[efle]

If you don't know what you bring to the table that is better than what most people bring to the table, we don't really want you.

Problem is, you can't be honest in your answer. What someone brings that others don't could be an 83 LizzyM with all boxes checked, but you sure as heck can't list that as your uniqueness/diversity.

 

[mimelim]

Problem is, you can't be honest in your answer. What someone brings that others don't could be an 83 LizzyM with all boxes checked, but you sure as heck can't list that as your uniqueness/diversity.

I'm pretty okay with that. Good academic box checkers are a dime a dozen. I certainly am not losing sleep over it.

 

[WingedOx]

You guys must see a lot of BS "it's a stretch" type stuff for the diversity essay from middle class white males who majored in Bio with cookie cutter ECs.

Ever get anyone that just said "I won't even try to play your game, I got nothin" ? (not as directly phrased I imagine)

I think it was Northwestern back in the day that forced a "how will you add diversity" essay on every applicant.

Doing the Dutch thing is better than nothing if the OP is a boring white kid with physician parents like myself. It certainly sounds better than whatever crap I put down in that space.

Of course if the OP is from a place like West Michigan, he's probably a dime a dozen.

 

[efle]

I think it was Northwestern back in the day that forced a "how will you add diversity" essay on every applicant.

Doing the Dutch thing is better than nothing if the OP is a boring white kid with physician parents like myself. It certainly sounds better than whatever crap I put down in that space.

Of course if the OP is from a place like West Michigan, he's probably a dime a dozen.

I just...who do they think they're kidding? The idea that my education would be enhanced by my classmate having Dutch parents makes me want to roll my eyes until I puke. Both the applicant and the reader knows damn well when someone is attractive because of insanely high stats, why put on pretenses from either side that your value is in bull **** "diversity" like that

 

[Holmwood]

I think coming from a dutch background is interesting. They have different customs, values, norms... heck, different healthcare systems (though I'll tread carefully on that one). If you ever got to spend time in the netherlands, write about that as well. You ask anyone in my neighborhood, "What do you know about dutch people?" I guarantee you, alot of blank stares. Just because they're another subset of caucasian doesn't make them automatically boring.

 

[WingedOx]

I just...who do they think they're kidding? The idea that my education would be enhanced by my classmate having Dutch parents makes me want to roll my eyes until I puke. Both the applicant and the reader knows damn well when someone is attractive because of insanely high stats, why put on pretenses from either side that your value is in bull **** "diversity" like that

Eh, in hindsight I can probably answer the "how am I diverse" question better today than I could have as an undergrad, or even as med student (more developed worldview and all that, particularly after moving across the country for school), so I'm really not against things like that. Said school didn't give me a look, but if anything it was probably 2/2 my own lack of eloquence and insight at the time.

ironically though, I had a bunch of "random topic" essays that I decided to have fun with where I wrote about spending the summer watching the world cup. People brought that up in interviews A LOT. Though keep in mind this was back in 2006 when the tournament was more of an oddity to the American public than the event it is today.

 

[efle]

ironically though, I had a bunch of "random topic" essays that I decided to have fun with where I wrote about spending the summer watching the world cup. People brought that up in interviews A LOT. Though keep in mind this was back in 2006 when the tournament was more of an oddity to the American public than the event it is today.

I imagine for this type of thing it all that really matters is writing well and sounding like a fun/interesting person!

 

[WingedOx]

I imagine for this type of thing it all that really matters is writing well and sounding like a fun/interesting person!

it doesn't hurt.

Still, having a "what do you bring to the table" question isn't something that goes away in your career when going for something competitive. Even in my interviews for academic attending jobs I got asked quite a bit about my outside pursuits.

 

[Goro]

That's the key! To reiterate, "diversity" in these prompts doesn't mean 'ethnic background", it's "what makes you interesting?"

If you can't answer that, why would any med school want you???

I imagine for this type of thing it all that really matters is writing well and sounding like a fun/interesting person!

 

[ChefPaul]

@Goro, followup question: I have a secondary whose diversity prompt explicitly states, "this is about your racial background, sexual identity, and social background." Any suggestions on how to approach this very directed question as one who is the antithesis of racial, sexual and social diversity?

The only thing I can think of offering up on this front is that I attended a high school where I was a minority, but I feel as though this could hurt me as it easily as it could help me.

 

[Goro]

I think being a minority in any situation would be a positive. How could it be a negative?

@Goro,The only thing I can think of offering up on this front is that I attended a high school where I was a minority, but I feel as though this could hurt me as it easily as it could help me.

 

[desiredmembername123]

I think being a minority in any situation would be a positive. How could it be a negative?

Maybe he was a white minority in a predominantly African American high school. Adcom might look at it as a little disingenuous to call yourself a minority in that situation.

 

[Goro]

If written carefully, it could have a positive effect.

Maybe he was a white minority in a predominantly African American high school. Adcom might look at it as a little disingenuous to call yourself a minority in that situation.

 

[desiredmembername123]

If written carefully, it could have a positive effect.

It's pretty dangerous... even if it is written carefully, someone making a quick read through still might misinterpret. Risky.

 

[ChefPaul]

It's pretty dangerous... even if it is written carefully, someone making a quick read through still might misinterpret. Risky.

Yes, this is exactly the problem I'm struggling with. As I said, I am the antithesis of social, racial, and sexual diversity: white middle class male. I just happened to go to a predominantly African American high school.

I definitely would not try to sell myself as a "minority," that sounds like asking for trouble. The idea was to talk about this as a broadening experience in my life. My question is if this could plausibly fall within the very specific prompt they are setting ("...this is about your racial background, sexual identity, and social background...").

If written carefully, it could have a positive effect.

Would talking about this constitute a discussion of my social background, or just make me look like an ass?

EDIT: It is worth noting that this is an optional essay. This section of the secondary is preceded by a series of checkboxes where amid a myriad of options, I check "White/European"