Help with topics for diversity & challenge essay

[TravelingMedicine]

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Diversity -- Leaning towards prompt 1 because it would be consistent with my PS topic.
1)Bicultural experience -- growing up in an international family I was torn between two different cultures as my mother lives and works in the US and my father lives and works in China. Felt like I had to choose between them due to societal pressures to assimilate. Learned about different cultures and traditions as I visited both families and learned that I do not have to choose as there are commonalities between the different cultures. Recently visited and helped my cousin who is a doctor help care for another cousin by translating papers from English to China about possible treatments of gout. (can possibly spin this as a challenge essay)
2) Scuba diving -- keeping calm in an unfamiliar environment. Learning to communicate using a non-verbal language, attention to detail when it comes to gear/dive time/ decompression stops etc.
3)DIY/fix it mentality -- did not grow up with a lot of money (but currently my family is decently well off). I built my own bike in high school because I could not afford a brand new one. Patched my own clothes and repurposed wood from old furniture to build new furniture for my car so I can car camp. talk about being resourceful because I had to but I continue to because it taught me to move away from materialistic/capitalistic society of buying and throwing stuff away.

Challenge
1) working at a job where I was director of a summer camp. I was in charge of people who were older than me. At first it intimidated me because they have more experience at the job but I learned that I can learn from them and rather than just be their boss I can be their peer and learn from their experiences. It was a chance to collaborate and embrace the differences of our approach to problems
2)Backpacking -- talk about how meticulous backpacking planning is but everything can change when your in nature. I would go into talking about how weather caused us to adapt and change our plans and find unique solutions to our problem (PBR ramen)
3)Teaching (high school experience) -- a quiet student was not receptive to our tutoring. Worked with him and slowly got him to talk more. Helped go from failing math to getting an C+ in the class. He hated math but eventually developed a interest in it when he started to do more than he was assigned on a weekly basis

 

[Moko]

Whew, these diversity and challenge questions are popping up everywhere!

For diversity: I agree that #1 is the best. I would probably not emphasize the part about societal pressures given the stigma of Asians pursuing medicine due to societal expectations and whatnot. I would also be wary of discussing your translation of a medical document unless you were certified to do so (probably an overreaction, but you never want to give people the impression that you're acting like a full-fledged physician). Hopefully you mentioned scuba diving as one of your hobbies in the primary application. Some of the older faculty would probably also appreciate your handiwork and resourcefulness if this topic organically comes up during interviews.

For challenge: I like #1 and #3.

 

[Goro]

Diversity -- Leaning towards prompt 1 because it would be consistent with my PS topic.
1)Bicultural experience -- growing up in an international family I was torn between two different cultures as my mother lives and works in the US and my father lives and works in China. Felt like I had to choose between them due to societal pressures to assimilate. Learned about different cultures and traditions as I visited both families and learned that I do not have to choose as there are commonalities between the different cultures. Recently visited and helped my cousin who is a doctor help care for another cousin by translating papers from English to China about possible treatments of gout. (can possibly spin this as a challenge essay)
2) Scuba diving -- keeping calm in an unfamiliar environment. Learning to communicate using a non-verbal language, attention to detail when it comes to gear/dive time/ decompression stops etc.
3)DIY/fix it mentality -- did not grow up with a lot of money (but currently my family is decently well off). I built my own bike in high school because I could not afford a brand new one. Patched my own clothes and repurposed wood from old furniture to build new furniture for my car so I can car camp. talk about being resourceful because I had to but I continue to because it taught me to move away from materialistic/capitalistic society of buying and throwing stuff away.

Challenge
1) working at a job where I was director of a summer camp. I was in charge of people who were older than me. At first it intimidated me because they have more experience at the job but I learned that I can learn from them and rather than just be their boss I can be their peer and learn from their experiences. It was a chance to collaborate and embrace the differences of our approach to problems
2)Backpacking -- talk about how meticulous backpacking planning is but everything can change when your in nature. I would go into talking about how weather caused us to adapt and change our plans and find unique solutions to our problem (PBR ramen)
3)Teaching (high school experience) -- a quiet student was not receptive to our tutoring. Worked with him and slowly got him to talk more. Helped go from failing math to getting an C+ in the class. He hated math but eventually developed a interest in it when he started to do more than he was assigned on a weekly basis

Diversity
Kinda like 3 > 2, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>1

Challenge
1> 3>2

 

[907914]

Kinda like 3 > 2, >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>1

Why don't you like 1 on their diversity?

 

[dr_kateb]

Why don't you like 1 on their diversity?

Asian ORM type thing I’m assuming?

 

[907914]

Asian ORM type thing I’m assuming?

Even if ORM, conflicting cultures and values can put strain on an individual, particularly in youth.

 

[deleted965528]

Why don't you like 1 on their diversity?

Wondering about this as well, I was going to include something kinda similar in my diversity statement.

 

[Goro]

Why don't you like 1 on their diversity?

Asian ORM type thing I’m assuming?

Dime a dozen, really. My general viewpoint is that the diversity prompt is not about ethnicity.

 

[907914]

Dime a dozen, really. My general viewpoint is that the diversity prompt is not about ethnicity.

Even talking about conflict between internal cultures?

 

[Goro]

Even talking about conflict between internal cultures?

Doesn't do a thing for me. Other Adcom members will probably disagree.

 

[907914]

Doesn't do a thing for me. Other Adcom members will probably disagree.

What about cultural competency through engagement with other cultures beyond our own?

 

[Goro]

What about cultural competency through engagement with other cultures beyond our own?

Depends. I'd much rather see someone challenge themselves by actually going and living in a different culture, than merely having parents of two different cultures. And "visiting" dad in the old country doesn't count.

 

[Raryn]

Dime a dozen, really. My general viewpoint is that the diversity prompt is not about ethnicity.

The above answers are a dime a dozen because they answer the questions as written. Let's look at an example prompt (from last year):

(Stanford)
1) The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. The Committee on Admissions strongly encourages you to share unique, personally important, and/or challenging factors in your background, such as the quality of your early educational environment, socioeconomic status, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and life or work experiences. Please discuss how factors have influenced your goals and preparation for a career in medicine (2000 characters)

As written by the vast majority of schools who have one, the diversity prompt can explicitly be answered in the context of under-represented ethnicity, rural upbringing, lower socioeconomic status, or a non-traditional application (including military service). In the vast majority of the cases one or more of the above apply, the applicant is easily served by focusing and expanding on that - I'd say the majority of applicants who can do, many of whom are quite successful. It does require some honest reflection into how the above experience affected you and how it will affect the perspectives you can share with your classmates, but that should not be altogether too hard.

For traditional applicants from a middle-class, non-URM, urban/suburban environment, then it actually becomes difficult (rather than just fluff) - almost any answer is bull**** - you're contributing to the diversity of your class because of the experiences you gained scuba diving? That's absolutely a stretch as something that makes a meaningful contribution to how you will become a physician and give unique insights to your classmates.

Writing about his family's immigrant background is a possibility for the OP and one that is commonly used, and the fact that his father actually lives in China and he frequently visited there makes it more unique than the typical way to approach it. I would put it as #1 for him. The DIY stuff as a second - the implied low SES even if not low enough to qualify for disadvantage is absolutely something that would make a meaningful diversity essay and could lead to insights into patient care with the populations served by most medical school academic hospitals. The scuba diving would be a unique answer - and one that would be tangentially related at best.

 

[deleted972488]

The above answers are a dime a dozen because they answer the questions as written. Let's look at an example prompt (from last year):



As written by the vast majority of schools who have one, the diversity prompt can explicitly be answered in the context of under-represented ethnicity, rural upbringing, lower socioeconomic status, or a non-traditional application (including military service). In the vast majority of the cases one or more of the above apply, the applicant is easily served by focusing and expanding on that - I'd say the majority of applicants who can do, many of whom are quite successful. It does require some honest reflection into how the above experience affected you and how it will affect the perspectives you can share with your classmates, but that should not be altogether too hard.

For traditional applicants from a middle-class, non-URM, urban/suburban environment, then it actually becomes difficult (rather than just fluff) - almost any answer is bull**** - you're contributing to the diversity of your class because of the experiences you gained scuba diving? That's absolutely a stretch as something that makes a meaningful contribution to how you will become a physician and give unique insights to your classmates.

Writing about his family's immigrant background is a possibility for the OP and one that is commonly used, and the fact that his father actually lives in China and he frequently visited there makes it more unique than the typical way to approach it. I would put it as #1 for him. The DIY stuff as a second - the implied low SES even if not low enough to qualify for disadvantage is absolutely something that would make a meaningful diversity essay and could lead to insights into patient care with the populations served by most medical school academic hospitals. The scuba diving would be a unique answer - and one that would be tangentially related at best.

Agree entirely. For some applicants, race/ethnicity, LGBT status, and unique life experiences give us plenty to talk about AND directly answer the question.

I think being ORM and a traditional student don’t prevent one from talking about cultural competency and a desire to help the underserved, which answers the question much better than scuba diving. Scuba diving just shows you have an expensive hobby and therefore come from a relatively privileged background.

 

[Moko]

When bringing up ethnicity for diversity prompts, the key is to focus on the experiences in your upbringing that are different and "unique" from what most other applicants bring. I agree that there needs to be more than simply being from a non-white ethnicity.

First generation American? Consider talking about your family's immigration experience. Grew up in another country? Consider talking about the insights that you've gained from living abroad in a different culture, etc.

Unfortunately, a common mistake that we see among applicants is focusing too much on being "unique" and appearing insincere and forced as a result. Being "unique" does not automatically equate to being useful.

 

[Moko]

Unfortunately, a common mistake that we see among applicants is focusing too much on being "unique" and appearing insincere and forced as a result. Being "unique" does not automatically equate to being useful.

Obligatory meme

 

[TravelingMedicine]

When bringing up ethnicity for diversity prompts, the key is to focus on the experiences in your upbringing that are different and "unique" from what most other applicants bring. I agree that there needs to be more than simply being from a non-white ethnicity.

First generation American? Consider talking about your family's immigration experience. Grew up in another country? Consider talking about the insights that you've gained from living abroad in a different culture, etc.

Unfortunately, a common mistake that we see among applicants is focusing too much on being "unique" and appearing insincere and forced as a result. Being "unique" does not automatically equate to being useful.

In my PS I talk about some of my experiences and lessons I have learned growing up in a village in China. Maybe for the diversity essay I can talk about the individuals that helped me through my immigration experience when my parents are not there. Growing up my mother was often working 8+hours a day and went to school so more often than not I went to my Chinese school teacher's home while my mother was working or studying until 7pm. Later through middle school and high school, I had to take care of myself and learned to cook and take care of myself while my mother was working. I think the freedom of not having a parent around all the time forced me to grow up faster and learn life skills by teaching myself. I can expand on how my parents taught me the importance of hard work as they struggled to get a decent life after having grown up in a village or at time not being able to afford electricity or candles so my mother studied by using candlelight from the neighbor's windows.

Or I can go with my original direction and talk about the differences in the cultures and how I navigate between the two cultures as a child. For example, I can compare how physical contact or physical affection is rare and unexpected in China and how it is extremely common in America. I can use my experiences in China to educate my fellow peers about cultural differences and possibly how it translate into the patient rooms. *** Edit: Maybe not how it translate but more of how it is a chance to stir up conversations about being culturally sensitive when interacting with others not just patients*** I also have a story of taking my American friend to China and explaining to her all the differences and how somethings from America can be considered rude in China.


Thanks for all the feedback on my rough ideas!