Advice on Diversity Essay Ideas

[SunAndStars0]

Hi all!

I am brainstorming diversity ideas for my secondaries, and I have been having some difficulty coming up with sufficient unique attributes. I have a couple of ideas I have thought of:

1) When I was a kid my father lost his job and started a family-run business as a result. It has been our family's baby throughout my life. The shop is in a neighboring impoverished area town that I ended up spending most of my time either being watched when I was young or working when I got older. This kinda created this imposter syndrome in my life since I grew up in a wealthier neighborhood, I never felt I really fit into either life. I could write about how this dichotomy affected me, as well as the other qualities I obtained from being involved with a family business such as work ethic, stress management (there was a lot of instability in the beginning yet we had to keep a positive outlook), work ethic, and communication/leadership skills
2) I am a major computer nerd. I have done many hackathons/coding competitions for from middle school to the present. These competitions have forced me to work in groups with people I often don't even know, and quickly develop teamwork, communication, and leadership to cohesively build our product. I have also learned how to problem solve much more efficiently by tackling these challenges.
3) I learned how to play the guitar later in life. I was in a band during high school and played guitar as a hobby with a much more laid-back style. In college, I began to take some school classes/private lessons in classical guitar and it felt like I was learning a new instrument. I can write about how I learned to take these two styles which initially seemed so foreign to me and ended up developing/changing the way I played.

Thanks so much in advance for any input!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

Hi all!

I am brainstorming diversity ideas for my secondaries, and I have been having some difficulty coming up with sufficient unique attributes. I have a couple of ideas I have thought of:

1) When I was a kid my father lost his job and started a family-run business as a result. It has been our family's baby throughout my life. The shop is in a neighboring impoverished area town that I ended up spending most of my time either being watched when I was young or working when I got older. This kinda created this imposter syndrome in my life since I grew up in a wealthier neighborhood, I never felt I really fit into either life. I could write about how this dichotomy affected me, as well as the other qualities I obtained from being involved with a family business such as work ethic, stress management (there was a lot of instability in the beginning yet we had to keep a positive outlook), work ethic, and communication/leadership skills

Nope. Not even close.

2) I am a major computer nerd. I have done many hackathons/coding competitions for from middle school to the present. These competitions have forced me to work in groups with people I often don't even know, and quickly develop teamwork, communication, and leadership to cohesively build our product. I have also learned how to problem solve much more efficiently by tackling these challenges.

You and everybody else in med school, it seems

3) I learned how to play the guitar later in life. I was in a band during high school and played guitar as a hobby with a much more laid-back style. In college, I began to take some school classes/private lessons in classical guitar and it felt like I was learning a new instrument. I can write about how I learned to take these two styles which initially seemed so foreign to me and ended up developing/changing the way I played.

Might work. Remember, this prompt is about what cool about you? What do you bring to the Class?
And introspection is a required trait for being a doctor, BTW.

 

[PalaceLover]

Definitely not #2. #1 seems more meaningful but #3 is more personal to you. Remember that diversity can be uniqueness in thought/perspective.

 

[jhmmd]

Diversity usually involves showing that you empathize with those who are less fortunate. It is less about "what is unique about you" and more about how you can relate to other people.

 

[SunAndStars0]

@Goro @bluewolffe @jhmmd

Thank you all for the feedback. I have one other idea that I have been wrestling with. I grew up in a family that attended church and was a strong part of my town's catholic community. When I arrived to college, I became an active member of our schools interfaith chapel, which is the sole religious domain at our university. As opposed to being a part of my town's catholic community which was centered around us sharing similar beliefs, this group possessed members from various religious groups and even countries, therefore what tied us together was not necessarily the specific religion itself, but the impact religion has had on our on ourselves. I can write about the juxtaposition between these two experiences and how the ladder really broadened my perspective to the views and ideals of others.

 

[Goro]

@Goro @bluewolffe @jhmmd

Thank you all for the feedback. I have one other idea that I have been wrestling with. I grew up in a family that attended church and was a strong part of my town's catholic community. When I arrived to college, I became an active member of our schools interfaith chapel, which is the sole religious domain at our university. As opposed to being a part of my town's catholic community which was centered around us sharing similar beliefs, this group possessed members from various religious groups and even countries, therefore what tied us together was not necessarily the specific religion itself, but the impact religion has had on our on ourselves. I can write about the juxtaposition between these two experiences and how the ladder really broadened my perspective to the views and ideals of others.

Being religious doesn't add diversity to your med school class.
Being nonreligious doesn't add diversity to your med school class.
Hanging out with people of other religions doesn't add diversity to your med school class.

Try again

 

[Mr.Smile12]

@Goro @bluewolffe @jhmmd

Thank you all for the feedback. I have one other idea that I have been wrestling with. I grew up in a family that attended church and was a strong part of my town's catholic community. When I arrived to college, I became an active member of our schools interfaith chapel, which is the sole religious domain at our university. As opposed to being a part of my town's catholic community which was centered around us sharing similar beliefs, this group possessed members from various religious groups and even countries, therefore what tied us together was not necessarily the specific religion itself, but the impact religion has had on our on ourselves. I can write about the juxtaposition between these two experiences and how the ladder really broadened my perspective to the views and ideals of others.

This is a tough area to discuss. Religion can usually come with "culture" so if you can give me a better idea of how your religion imparted cultural traditions and values that you intend to leverage as a healthcare provider, then you can present that argument. I don't think your example really answers the question of "diversity" since I'm missing any impressions of how you would share your culture/religion with others. What was suggested could help in a different essay prompt showing your ability to be empathetic with those who are unlike yourself (though just having conversations isn't sufficient to me compared to working together for a common social justice cause). So the suggestion from the OP doesn't really resonate with me.