Appropriate for Diversity?

[BlazinBandit]

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Hello guys! So I'm really struggling with the diversity essay. I have read through so many different tips and advice given for this essay. Honestly, a lot of it contradicts each other. I am white, well-off financially, and grew up in a typical suburban area with a mostly white population. I am literally white bread from what I've read. I know that diversity doesn't just mean race, culture, etc. So I'm sticking to my experiences and hobbies. Now here are my ideas that I hope could work. Please let me know your thoughts

1. I studied magic since I was a kid and still perform as a hobby, specifically card manipulation. I performed for friends, family, and eventually strangers. I was going to talk about how long it took to practice my sleight of hand and mastering card techniques. Additionally, I also wanted to focus on how magic helped me to connect with people. It's a performing art after all. Even if we didn't have anything in common, it was a fun icebreaker and started conversations. I used this throughout college when meeting friends. I volunteered in a nursing home and sometimes performed for some of the residents as entertainment. In hospice, I volunteer as a companion and a lot of them like to play card games. For some of the more timid patients, I usually surprised them with a simple trick when I first met them. Of course, all of these performances I do once in a while and in obviously appropriate situations. I don't go to a dying patient or someone in pain and be like "hey, wanna see a magic trick?" to make them feel better.

2. I am a very hands-on type of person and I enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together. I build computers and modify a variety of electronics for fun. I taught myself how to solder basic electronic components. I refurbish old video game consoles and modify them. In addition, I am very tech-savvy. When I worked as a medical scribe, I would troubleshoot a lot of basic computer issues on my own. Most of the staff had trouble doing simple things like connecting their laptops to printers, fax machines, etc. so I helped with basic tasks like that.

3. I guess this relates to choice 2 with my interest in computers and tech-savviness. I volunteer to help teach adults from low-income areas basic computer skills, keyboarding, and professional skills to apply for IT/Administrative jobs. It was interesting to me because some of the students did not own a computer and did not know how to send an email. It really opened up my eyes to the opportunities that some people do not have that I take for granted every day. The organization I work with has connections to hiring companies to offer interviews and it was great following up with students a year later. We literally changed these people's livelihood by giving them the skills to pursue a professional job.

That's what I have so far. Would any of these ideas work for bringing diversity?

Edit: Added another idea I had

 

[faerie62]

I think 1 is more unique but both could work.

 

[BlazinBandit]

I think 1 is more unique but both could work.

Thanks for your input!

Also wanted to add something else I thought of. Going to edit in the original post.

3. I guess this relates to choice 2 with my interest in computers and tech-savviness. I volunteer to help teach adults from low-income areas basic computer skills, keyboarding, and professional skills to apply for IT/Administrative jobs. It was interesting to me because some of the students did not own a computer and did not know how to send an email. It really opened up my eyes to the opportunities that some people do not have that I take for granted every day. The organization I work with has connections to hiring companies to offer interviews and it was great following up with students a year later. We literally changed these people's livelihood by giving them the skills to pursue a professional job.

 

[HomeSkool]

For diversity, we're not looking for a specific race/gender/SES/etc. per se. We're looking for people who have invested the time and effort to understand those who are unlike themselves. White doctors will have black patients, black doctors with have Asian patients, Asian doctors will have Arab patients, Arab doctors will have Hispanic patients, and Hispanic doctors will have white patients...you get the idea. So the question you're trying to answer is "How have you prepared yourself to be an outstanding doctor to whichever patient may walk through your door?" Your hobbies are great, but I don't see them answering that question on their own. Branch out and see how you can use your talents and abilities in the service of those who aren't like you, and then you'll be in a much better position as a person and as a doctor-to-be.

Edit: You added number 3 while I was typing. That's the kind of thing that should go into your diversity essay. See if you can figure out other ways to see the world from others' perspective, too.

 

[Goro]

I think 1 is more unique but both could work.

I agree

 

[Catalystik]

Hello guys! So I'm really struggling with the diversity essay. I have read through so many different tips and advice given for this essay. Honestly, a lot of it contradicts each other. I am white, well-off financially, and grew up in a typical suburban area with a mostly white population. I am literally white bread from what I've read. I know that diversity doesn't just mean race, culture, etc. So I'm sticking to my experiences and hobbies. Now here are my ideas that I hope could work. Please let me know your thoughts

1. I studied magic since I was a kid and still perform as a hobby, specifically card manipulation. I performed for friends, family, and eventually strangers. I was going to talk about how long it took to practice my sleight of hand and mastering card techniques. Additionally, I also wanted to focus on how magic helped me to connect with people. It's a performing art after all. Even if we didn't have anything in common, it was a fun icebreaker and started conversations. I used this throughout college when meeting friends. I volunteered in a nursing home and sometimes performed for some of the residents as entertainment. In hospice, I volunteer as a companion and a lot of them like to play card games. For some of the more timid patients, I usually surprised them with a simple trick when I first met them. Of course, all of these performances I do once in a while and in obviously appropriate situations. I don't go to a dying patient or someone in pain and be like "hey, wanna see a magic trick?" to make them feel better.

2. I am a very hands-on type of person and I enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together. I build computers and modify a variety of electronics for fun. I taught myself how to solder basic electronic components. I refurbish old video game consoles and modify them. In addition, I am very tech-savvy. When I worked as a medical scribe, I would troubleshoot a lot of basic computer issues on my own. Most of the staff had trouble doing simple things like connecting their laptops to printers, fax machines, etc. so I helped with basic tasks like that.

3. I guess this relates to choice 2 with my interest in computers and tech-savviness. I volunteer to help teach adults from low-income areas basic computer skills, keyboarding, and professional skills to apply for IT/Administrative jobs. It was interesting to me because some of the students did not own a computer and did not know how to send an email. It really opened up my eyes to the opportunities that some people do not have that I take for granted every day. The organization I work with has connections to hiring companies to offer interviews and it was great following up with students a year later. We literally changed these people's livelihood by giving them the skills to pursue a professional job.

That's what I have so far. Would any of these ideas work for bringing diversity?

I like #2 best.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I just love that we have 3 adcoms in this thread with 3 different answers.

 

[BlazinBandit]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm glad at least some of these ideas appeal to certain people. I guess I'll write out 3 different essays and choose the best written one/most people react positively to.

 

[Goro]

I just love that we have 3 adcoms in this thread with 3 different answers.

Human beings are always messy.

 

[HomeSkool]

I just love that we have 3 adcoms in this thread with 3 different answers.

The takeaway message in this: premeds should spend less time stressing over minutiae and make sure they've got big-picture stuff in order. I'm sure @Catalystik, @Goro, and I share a rather dim view of academic dishonesty (i.e., a big picture thing), but we clearly differ in what speaks to us in an applicant's diversity essay. Adcoms are diverse individuals, as well we should be: you don't want one person -- or a totally homogeneous group of people -- determining your professional future. In fact, I know of two other adcoms in my own department, and we could not be more different in our opinions, politics, and approaches to interpersonal interactions. And yet, there are some things on which we agree completely. So applicants should worry less about dissecting minute word choices in their essays and more about the big picture things: altruism, compassion, integrity, scholastic excellence, skilled communication, etc.

Also: in my answer above, I didn't mean to say SES/race/etc. aren't important diversity considerations, because they certainly are. But they're not everything. There are tons of outstanding applicants who, like myself, are straight white men who grew up in stable middle-class suburban families. Adcoms don't have any bias against such candidates; it's not a knock against them that they grew up in a comfortable environment. But when life makes it easy for them to primarily associate with those similar to themselves, I want to know what they've done to see the world through a different lens. That's what really speaks to me in a diversity essay.