Diversity Essay

[deleted357625]

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Essay for SMDEP,

I just want to double check if this is fine to write about for this particular essay.

I'm talking about my experience as a volunteer providing for underserved communities and ways i would help if possible to help reduce health disparities.

Is this basically what we have to write about right?

 

[Ursa]

Being a white male I am not really one to talk, but I would say maybe try to find something else about yourself that you could use for the essay. The volunteering in underserved communities is common and forgetable, especially when adcoms will be reading hundreds of essays.

Good luck.

FWIW, since I am a white male, I really had to play up the fact that I am from a really small, medically underserved rural area.

 

[familyaerospace]

The essay should reflect how YOU contribute to the diversity of the school. Some things to think about. This is far from exclusive.

Are you non-trad?
Are you married?
Do you have kids?
Were you disadvantaged growing up?
Were you from the country?
Are you a first generation college student?
Are you disabled?
Are you a racial minority?
Are you a religious minority? <-- not that I really suggest using this one
Are you LGBT?
Did you have any work experience that other applicants are unlikely to have?
Did you spend a lot of time in a foreign country?
Do you speak other languages fluently?
Did you major in a non-science?

I have lots of things to write about (I have 11 from the list above), it'll be hard to narrow down. All of those can in some way help you emphasize diversity.

 

[DoctaFuture]

Essay for SMDEP,

I just want to double check if this is fine to write about for this particular essay.

I'm talking about my experience as a volunteer providing for underserved communities and ways i would help if possible to help reduce health disparities.

Is this basically what we have to write about right?

torshi talk about several different things. talk about being persian/persian culture, maybe neighborhood, and yeah talk about yoru experience w/ the underserved.

 

[startswithb]

I recently found out that my high school is failing--perhaps this could add to my diversity??

 

[Negrodamus]

These sorts of essays are hard for everyone. I've spend most of living in or near housing projects and I don't know where to begin SHM.

 

[the duck]

These sorts of essays are hard for everyone. I've spend most of living in or near housing projects and I don't know where to begin SHM.

This sounds like a good place to start. Growing up in a poor area definitely adds diversity.


What are people (like me) supposed to do who are white males, normal age, educated middle class parents, and have exactly nothing diverse about me supposed to write about? 😳

 

[wanderer]

This sounds like a good place to start. Growing up in a poor area definitely adds diversity.


What are people (like me) supposed to do who are white males, normal age, educated middle class parents, and have exactly nothing diverse about me supposed to write about? 😳

Familyaerospace's list is pretty exhaustive. A few of those apply to me and at first I was hesitant to write about some of them, because I felt they weren't a big enough deal. When writing these essays you just have to be confident that whatever small thing that makes you different is good enough. If you were in a group of people chatting, is there anything you could tell them about yourself/your background that they most likely never heard before?
Also any unique hobbies, athletics, art or musical talent?

 

[Ansar]

torshi talk about several different things. talk about being persian/persian culture, maybe neighborhood, and yeah talk about yoru experience w/ the underserved.

Yeah, hasn't being Persian affected you in any way that would make you more diverse than your average WASP?

 

[deleted357625]

Yeah, hasn't being Persian affected you in any way that would make you more diverse than your average WASP?

Hmm not really, because I mean I wasn't born in an underserved community, and my parents were always really successful, well not when i was younger..

I already submitted my essay not too long ago, and I discussed various ways I helped the underserved by volunteer work, and i provided probable solutions that we could possibly do to help reduce health disparities.

The topics i basically covered in my essay were:
-personal experience by volunteer work/witness
-solutions to help reduce health disparities
-my concerns for the underserved and not having the equality towards health care
-and some facts etc

I think i did well, hopefully.