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Thanks for taking the time...I'm wrapping up secondaries and need advice on one last essay I need to write: the diversity essay. As a middle-class white male, I'm leaning towards approaching this essay as diversity of "experience" more than anything. I have a couple topic ideas, but am not sold on either of them. I'm trying to come up with new ones and elaborating on current ones to see if I can make any of them work.
1. Focuses on my work in the restaurant business while attending community college. Parents divorced during high school and lost most of their money due to job loss, so I had to pay for school and living expenses (barring rent). I mention how I learned and came to enjoy working as a team member. After my manager quit on the spot, I stepped up to take a supervisory role and trained new employees. I came to enjoy teaching others and continued that experience by forming study groups and volunteer tutored students at my old bio professor's class. Impression: Individual experiences aren't that unique, but it does synthesize them together and demonstrates some degree of overcoming an obstacle. Also, I mention my work and tutoring in my AMCAS activities, but not together in this context.
2. I'd talk about my hobby of fishing. When I'm home, I go kayak and deep-sea fishing with my dad. It takes a lot of patience and time to bring in a fish, as you need the right rods, line, and bait for the fish you're after. I do everything from bringing in the fish to filleting and cooking the meat. Seems relatively unique, but not sure if it's appropriate for a diversity essay. For example, it seems disingenuous to relate my technique of filleting a fish to honing my skills as a future surgeon (but what do I know).
I was originally going with the first, but am having doubts and am hoping to gain perspective by seeking advice online. Thank you guys for helping me out, I appreciate it!
1. Focuses on my work in the restaurant business while attending community college. Parents divorced during high school and lost most of their money due to job loss, so I had to pay for school and living expenses (barring rent). I mention how I learned and came to enjoy working as a team member. After my manager quit on the spot, I stepped up to take a supervisory role and trained new employees. I came to enjoy teaching others and continued that experience by forming study groups and volunteer tutored students at my old bio professor's class. Impression: Individual experiences aren't that unique, but it does synthesize them together and demonstrates some degree of overcoming an obstacle. Also, I mention my work and tutoring in my AMCAS activities, but not together in this context.
2. I'd talk about my hobby of fishing. When I'm home, I go kayak and deep-sea fishing with my dad. It takes a lot of patience and time to bring in a fish, as you need the right rods, line, and bait for the fish you're after. I do everything from bringing in the fish to filleting and cooking the meat. Seems relatively unique, but not sure if it's appropriate for a diversity essay. For example, it seems disingenuous to relate my technique of filleting a fish to honing my skills as a future surgeon (but what do I know).
I was originally going with the first, but am having doubts and am hoping to gain perspective by seeking advice online. Thank you guys for helping me out, I appreciate it!
