Diversity Essay

College Essays
1

<p>I am currently writing my essays for the Caltech Supplement when I came across this question:
In an increasingly global and interdependent society, there is a need for diversity in thought, background, and experience in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. How do you see yourself contributing to the diversity of Caltech's community? (200 words max)
I was just wondering if they are asking for my background or if they want a personal statement of some kind.
While you're here, can you tell me if my essay answers the prompt?</p>

<p>Diversity, in its common usage, is erasing the progress of millions of activists. The elements of diversity, gender and ethnicity, are labels given to people to dictate how they should act. I’ve never been fond of labels – on people nor on my shirts. During the PLAN test, I was confronted by a sheet asking for my ethnicity and gender. Beside each choice lay a tiny, rigid box that I had to cram myself into. I’m claustrophobic. I tried to determine which category I fell into; it was no easy task. I am Caucasian, but I could pass for Middle-Eastern, Latino, or East-Asian. I am a male, but I don’t play football, get rowdy, or aim to be a “macho man”. Maybe I was overthinking things, but I disliked the idea of having to choose a side, since choosing a side meant all of my behaviors would be assumed based on my choice. I listen to hip-hop, watch BET, read The Boondocks, love Naruto, expand my Japanese and Spanish vocabularies, believe bravado is an outdated behavior, and I would rather nurture an animal to health than kill it for meat. In terms of college diversity, I am not an ethnicity or a gender; I am Giovanni Smith, and I am a minority.</p>

2

<p>Good: discussing your counter-stereotypical traits and wide-ranging interests. Not so effective: “Why do I have to box myself in and identify myself as a white person?” Of course race is a social construct, but it’s a social construct with very real impact on people’s lives – in employment, incarceration, police brutality – and if you don’t see the point in talking about race or in having a racial identity, perhaps that’s because your race is the one treated as default and normal.</p>

3

Hey @weezerdog3‌, I was thinking that prompt was aiming more at how you are unique in the way you think and view engineering problems. I could be wrong.

4

@Turvina‌ lmao I’m pretty sure OP already submitted his application.

I think it would’ve been better to expand on a unique aspect of yourself instead of listing off reasons why you’re not normal (most people have odd interests).

Yeah, hopefully OP got rid of the white part of the essay and how he feels boxed in by it. White people are the least boxed in and it would look ignorant.

5

The whole purpose of the question is to gather information so the admissions committee can discriminate against whites and Asians. I kind of like the response.