Diversity Essay?

[gradmaster_sd]

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As a white kid from middle class suburbia, I am having some trouble drafting a diversity essay. I am wondering if talking about my experience living abroad in Sardinia for a summer doing thesis research would qualify? I'm planning to discuss my experience traveling alone, adapting to life in a small town where no one spoke English, learning a foreign language and how staying open minded to cultural differences allowed me to make friends with local residents, while helping me to grow and gain confidence in myself.

Any advice, input, etc would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Ismet]

Yes, that would be a good topic to write about.

 

[Goro]

That's fine.

Also, add what's cool about you?

As a white kid from middle class suburbia, I am having some trouble drafting a diversity essay. I am wondering if talking about my experience living abroad in Sardinia for a summer doing thesis research would qualify? I'm planning to discuss my experience traveling alone, adapting to life in a small town where no one spoke English, learning a foreign language and how staying open minded to cultural differences allowed me to make friends with local residents, while helping me to grow and gain confidence in myself.

Any advice, input, etc would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[qwert876]

I hate those questions. They act like me having a black friend in college will make me a better doctor. I'm sorry I grew up in a poor town of mostly white people.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I hate those questions. They act like me having a black friend in college will make me a better doctor. I'm sorry I grew up in a poor town of mostly white people.

Huh?

 

[Chelsea FC]

I hate those questions. They act like me having a black friend in college will make me a better doctor. I'm sorry I grew up in a poor town of mostly white people.

Do you have any idea what this question is asking ?? You being black or having a black friend has nothing to do with a diversity essay. It's asking what is unique or cool about you that you can bring to medical school. And from your response analytical ability isnt one of those things

 

[JessebenBenjamin]

I hate those questions. They act like me having a black friend in college will make me a better doctor. I'm sorry I grew up in a poor town of mostly white people.

This is what makes you diverse. Most med applicants are upper middle class.

 

[tantacles]

As a white kid from middle class suburbia, I am having some trouble drafting a diversity essay. I am wondering if talking about my experience living abroad in Sardinia for a summer doing thesis research would qualify? I'm planning to discuss my experience traveling alone, adapting to life in a small town where no one spoke English, learning a foreign language and how staying open minded to cultural differences allowed me to make friends with local residents, while helping me to grow and gain confidence in myself.

Any advice, input, etc would be greatly appreciated!!

Sounds cool. Do it. The point of these essays is to find out how you'll be able to add something unique to a medical school class, and this sounds reasonably unique.

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

This came up in my interview where I'm matriculating. They have an incredibly diverse student body. I dont add anything to cultural diversity, so I addressed their question by pointing to diversity of experience..

 

[haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted]

While we're talking diversity: Would it be weird to write about being a female in a male-dominated profession (in my 2 gap years) for my diversity essay? Not from a feminist angle really, but from what it taught me and why I learned from women in professional science careers? I don't want to seem complain-y but it also did really make me reflect on what this means to me and how people interact at work

 

[EaglesontheWarpath]

People often see the word "diversity" and immediately jump to race-I definitely did when I was writing my essays last summer. In reality though the diversity essay question isn't race-they'll know if you're URM from your app alone, so the question is more along the lines of "what makes you unique compared to the other 10,000 applicants to X school?" Sometimes that can be race, but more often it's a way to convey to admissions why you stand out. Spending a summer in Sardinia is very cool and unique, but how does that make you different from anyone else who spent time abroad in a country where he/she doesn't speak the language? It has nothing to do with having a black friend in college-the question is why are you different from everyone else. Being a white, middle class citizen like myself, this question gave me some trouble-how do I stand out compared to the rest of the white, middle class people applying? I though long and hard about what makes me unique, and when it came time to write I figured it out.

 

[LizzyM]

If I take a random sample of 10 students from the incoming medical school class, what special skills, knowledge, life experience, or ability would you bring to the table that would otherwise be unrepresented? Sometimes esoteric knowledge acquired through travels and similar experience can come in handy when trying to gather the facts around a patient's recent travels and possible exposures.

 

[TallPreMed]

Common: I am a white, 20 something female who grew up with divorced middle-class parents in the Midwest. My dad is a teacher and my mom a nurse.

Diverse: During my summers in college I worked at a camp for the blind and visually impaired as a counselor/aide. I worked with our "campers" who ranged from infant age to 85, had all levels of ability and sight, and taught many kids from the inner city how to fish, set up a camp, and how to play beeper baseball and do archery. By working at this camp I learned how be an advocate for myself and my brother with our visual impairments, and how reasonable accommodations can make a huge difference in someone's daily experience. I also work with the elderly/infirm on a daily basis in hospice as a liaison, grew up on a farm, grew up in Appalachia, and a bunch of other things that make me a cool person to hang out with, because my experience and "diversity" brings something different to the table.

Talk about what makes you a cool person and what makes you stand out. And why your experiences bring value to the table.

 

[gradmaster_sd]

Thank you everyone for your feedback! I really appreciate it!

 

[DingoPingo]

I feel like there are two diversity essays that people could be talking about here, 1) why you're diverse, and 2) experience working with diverse groups of people. I think they're a little different.

 

[NotWayneBrady]

I hate those questions. They act like me having a black friend in college will make me a better doctor. I'm sorry I grew up in a poor town of mostly white people.

What.