Diversity Essay Advice

[Baller27]

Hi guys, I need some diversity essay advice, my narrative for medicine is around health literacy through research and service.
1. I could talk about how I moved across the country close to my senior year of high school, and how that made me adapt to new environments (have an essay on this already, but idk how good it is to base a diversity essay off a singular event)
2. I could talk about how I moved many times growing up, including senior year, and how that enabled me to work with different cultures and integrate others into their environments. Could also talk about how this helped me do culturally-relevant, patient-centered care.
3. I can just more so delve into a general life-story, being an older brother of an immigrant family, taking care of my brothers and being a role model for others in my community who felt ashamed (I feel like these kind are kinda overused)
4. I could adapt a weight-loss adversity essay, and talk about how I have a love of fitness and my work with helping clinical patients lose weight gave me the opinion that we need 'lifestyle prescriptions' in our medical system, and how its changed my habits
5. I could talk about my subject interests outside of medicine (history, economics, etc.) and how I've integrated them into my life and my futue (didn't really touch on in PS)

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[Mr.Smile12]

Can you post the prompt?

 

[Baller27]

Yes:
The Feinberg School of Medicine values the totality of our students’ experiences. As everyone has their own narrative, please describe how your unique experiences would enrich the Northwestern community.

 

[AJS59]

Yes:
The Feinberg School of Medicine values the totality of our students’ experiences. As everyone has their own narrative, please describe how your unique experiences would enrich the Northwestern community.

I like your 4th idea. It's specific, invokes both your own personal experience and what you've been doing with it in a professional setting.

(Note: I would be careful to frame the whole thing as just "weight loss" but rather I'd frame as healthy lifestyles and habits. You could keep the frame around exercise and "staying active" since there are many more benefits to being active than just weight loss.)

5 could also be workable and unique - I'd do some reading up on medical humanities (or potentially medical ethics, if you engaged a lot with ethical/moral dilemmas) as a field to see if your interests dovetail with that as a concept. 3 is a very valid experience and also worthy of writing about. 2 could maybe work depending how you spin it, and how you frame your interactions with other cultures. I'd probably shy away from 1 just since you already wrote about it.

Ultimately it's up to you as to which way you want to go. Personally, I'd write the essay topic that you feel you can be the most specific on...the more examples you can give from your life to show that aspect of who you are, the more it will stand out.

 

[Baller27]

Thanks for the advice, I wrote essay #1 for a different school, sorry should've specified.

So you're saying if I do idea #4, mention how I lost weight, and then spin it towards I'm helping others stay healthy? For prompt 5, I feel I could write on it, but unfortunately didn't do too many activities around them other than some health economics stuff.

I think with 3, I can write more, but I guess it's more expansive, and then with 2, its a little more specific.

Thanks again for your help I'll expand on a few of these and see which one generates a better flow.

 

[Baller27]

Also, I could talk about a dermatological condition I have that 1% of the population has, and how that has shaped my self-image and who I am. The only issue is I haven't done much advocacy or work in it, but it is a unique part of my identity and something I've grappled with

 

[Baller27]

@Goro I've seen your awesome advice for diversity essays and would be curious to learn your take on these? Thank you!

 

[Goro]

@Goro I've seen your awesome advice for diversity essays and would be curious to learn your take on these? Thank you!

What's cool about yout that you bring to your classmates?

Being into good nutrition and exercise won't cut it

 

[Baller27]

Would talking about how different challenges in my life (moving cross-country often, cultural barriers to weight loss, traditions) were harder because I was the eldest son of an immigrant family who couldn't find resources or had no family who had been in my shoes? I then had to find ways to deal with it and help my younger siblings overcome them as well. Then, in my experience with patients, I saw how they often felt a need for mentorship and personalized guidance to navigating their health issues, which ties into my narrative/PS of health literacy and personalized medicine?

Interest wise I've always been an avid fan of geography (participated in many competitions growing up) and have always been a lover of economics (did some consulting stuff i didnt put in my W/A) and history (never really did health applications/activites though) lived on three continents (as a young child)

I could also talk about me grappling with and helping others with my same dermatological condition?

Lastly, I could talk about my journey exploring other careers outside of medicine, and discussions/teams that I worked on to achieve that. My only issue is that it's not too reflected on my W/A, as I didn't have enough space to include those side activities I did.

@LizzyM would love to hear your thoughts as well

 

[Baller27]

I could also talk about growing up in a multi-religous community (my ethnicity is predominantly two, with a third one) and how that made me explore different religions and my sustained interest, exploration, and tolerance through my lifetime

 

[SpicyHotSauce]

Now that I am in medical school, I think I know understand what is meant by diversity in this specific question (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong). It is something you'll tell people, and theyll go "wow! that is something new that I don't know much about. Please tell me about it!". In my class, we have a lot of career changers (software engineer, plumber, etc.), a lot of artists (musicians, painters, and dancers who perform/display their art publicly), parents, people with a childhood that your typical premed doesnt have (growing up in a low SES environment, or immigrants/refugees who had a tough life), or some people with unique hobbies such as a mycologist (who loves to identify all mushrooms and fungus we see on hikes) or maybe a sport that you've been dedicated to for a long time.

Obviously these are examples that are unique and not everyone will have them. Ultimately, it is something that people will hear about you and they can tell others outside of med school like "hey! I went to medical school with someone who is a [fill in the blank]!"

Number 1 isn't something THAT interesting. Even outside of medicine, you have a lot of people moving around within the country.

Number 2 might be interesting depending on where you moved and lived (outside of the US?) and how it makes you unique (did you learn a new language? perhaps another skill that you use often?), however, remember other people's diversity is not your diversity.

Number 3 might be interesting if you went through the immigration process (and could combine it with number 2), and not born into an immigrant family after your parents had moved to the US.

Number 4 also isn't something THAT interesting. A lot of people have gone through that transformation (congratulations on it though! It is a remarkable achievement!).

Number 5 is piquing my interest. What are you specific interests? and how did you integrate them in your life? This has strong potential imo. I am reading your other comments now and love that interest in geography, history, and especially economics.

Is it possible to write an essay, combining your experiences living in 3 continents and your interest in geography, history, and economics? I would love to see the focus on your consulting work in economics. Remember, this essay doesn't have to be health related at all.

Again, these are just my personal thoughts, which may or may not be incorrect. I am going at this based on what I've seen so far in my classmates in medical school.

 

[Baller27]

Now that I am in medical school, I think I know understand what is meant by diversity in this specific question (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong). It is something you'll tell people, and theyll go "wow! that is something new that I don't know much about. Please tell me about it!". In my class, we have a lot of career changers (software engineer, plumber, etc.), a lot of artists (musicians, painters, and dancers who perform/display their art publicly), parents, people with a childhood that your typical premed doesnt have (growing up in a low SES environment, or immigrants/refugees who had a tough life), or some people with unique hobbies such as a mycologist (who loves to identify all mushrooms and fungus we see on hikes) or maybe a sport that you've been dedicated to for a long time.

Obviously these are examples that are unique and not everyone will have them. Ultimately, it is something that people will hear about you and they can tell others outside of med school like "hey! I went to medical school with someone who is a [fill in the blank]!"

Number 1 isn't something THAT interesting. Even outside of medicine, you have a lot of people moving around within the country.

Number 2 might be interesting depending on where you moved and lived (outside of the US?) and how it makes you unique (did you learn a new language? perhaps another skill that you use often?), however, remember other people's diversity is not your diversity.

Number 3 might be interesting if you went through the immigration process (and could combine it with number 2), and not born into an immigrant family after your parents had moved to the US.

Number 4 also isn't something THAT interesting. A lot of people have gone through that transformation (congratulations on it though! It is a remarkable achievement!).

Number 5 is piquing my interest. What are you specific interests? and how did you integrate them in your life? This has strong potential imo. I am reading your other comments now and love that interest in geography, history, and especially economics.

Is it possible to write an essay, combining your experiences living in 3 continents and your interest in geography, history, and economics? I would love to see the focus on your consulting work in economics. Remember, this essay doesn't have to be health related at all.

Again, these are just my personal thoughts, which may or may not be incorrect. I am going at this based on what I've seen so far in my classmates in medical school.

Hey man thank you for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! The only thing is is that many of these diversity prompts require a distincitive contribution to the medical school or as a physician, and my narrative for my PS/activities is transforming health literacy. Do you think if I explained those interests and then tied them into health literacy is that okay or should i make them less about health literacy?

 

[AJS59]

Hey man thank you for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! The only thing is is that many of these diversity prompts require a distincitive contribution to the medical school or as a physician, and my narrative for my PS/activities is transforming health literacy. Do you think if I explained those interests and then tied them into health literacy is that okay or should i make them less about health literacy?

I wouldn't worry about making everything about a "narrative", as long as it is unique to yourself

 

[Dral]

I think weaving together #2 and #5 would give the most unique narrative. Depending on how it's written, you could at least mention the weight loss/fitness thing. I wouldn't focus just on that though.

 

[Baller27]

I think weaving together #2 and #5 would give the most unique narrative. Depending on how it's written, you could at least mention the weight loss/fitness thing. I wouldn't focus just on that though.

I appreciate the response, I think this might be my best bet, weaving them together to draw a cohesive, but unique perspective on who I am

 

[SpicyHotSauce]

Hey man thank you for the detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! The only thing is is that many of these diversity prompts require a distincitive contribution to the medical school or as a physician, and my narrative for my PS/activities is transforming health literacy. Do you think if I explained those interests and then tied them into health literacy is that okay or should i make them less about health literacy?

I wouldn't force health literacy into this. Let the essays flow naturally. If it ties in naturally, let it be. Otherwise, don't force it in.

If there are essays asking about tying this work back to medicine, then I would suggest you to do some research and learn about the current state of healthcare economics and policies in the US and based on what you did in your consulting work, talk about your experiences in it. You will have to get a little creative with it, but that's what the best essays are!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

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