Does diversity only mean racial identity?

Looking through the CC community, the one thing I always see is people saying that admission officers always seek diversity. When we talk about a college that is very diverse, do we only talk about racial identity? or can diversity also mean a difference approach to the community? like thinking outside of the box to help the community or to solve a problem or to ask out of the box questions that no one has an answer too?
Yes, it’s true that top schools only seek physical diversity, but isn’t someone a top school worthy if he/she wants to solve a problem for the community and needs those resources just as much. This whole college admission process is intimidating in so many ways, why don’t colleges value something unique? Don’t you guys think so too?
I don’t know where I am going with this post but I find it sad how some people say “oh and btw if you are a URM, you will get accepted either way” “oh colleges definitely would want you, you will bring diversity”. I really do want to know if you guys know someone who got into a top school by bringing a diverse idea or something unique to the table rather than joining X amounts of clubs with Y amounts of leadership positions and a Z SAT score. I would really like to know if there are more people like me who wonder this.
I think diversity in college admissions should mean uniqueness or standing out personality. No matter if that person belongs to an A, B or C ethnic background, a unique idea should always be valued.

Think of “diversity” as a technical term used by specialists; they get to choose what it means, not you, even if that meaning doesn’t match your everyday understanding of the term.

In this case, specialists use diversity to refer mostly to race and ethnicity. It typically refers to LGBTQ and non-cis gender identity, though LGBTQ is becoming more and more mainstream (hence less diverse). To a lesser extent, it can refer to religious affiliation. Maybe I’ve missed 1-2.

Uniqueness as you have described it might help your application, because top schools really do look for interesting applicants, but it would not fall under the “diversity” rubric. So don’t think that the things that make you special will be ignored. They’ll just come under a different heading.

" they get to choose what it means, not you, even if that meaning doesn’t match your everyday understanding"

Nicely put! Admissions officers care deeply about bringing in as diverse a class as possible and that diversity takes many shapes. I know an AO at a top State university that tried very hard to recruit religious people and conservatives because the school as a whole (and himself) were liberal and not strongly religious and they felt having more balance would help everyone.

But it is very true that that once you get beyond ethnicity and gender different schools have different ideas about what “diversity” means.

Diversity is too commonly an excuse that is used for/by someone who has not been admitted, when they don’t want to face the facts that the numbers are too stacked against them to begin with.

Blame it on diversity means they don’t have to consider the fact that someone else thought someone else was better than they were in some way.

3 poopies - Sounds like you got yours.

Race & male/female are the only “diversity” measures that gets reported to the government and on the Common Data Set, not LBGTQ.

SES diversity is indirectly hinted at with financial aid stats, but is probably much less paid attention to on first glances, due to its lesser visibility.

There is reportable diversity (post #5), and then there is the effort to assemble a “widely diverse” class (post #2). Most schools value both to a certain extent, but the emphasis on one or the other may vary widely from school to school.

I have to ask, do you think you are the only one who thinks outside the box? If your essays are truly revelatory then you have a shot.

You should stop worrying about this. A lot of schools list measures like first-generation, gender ratios, and ethnic/racial/nationality origins. So that, i.e your ‘diversity’, is probably what they are trying to balance, along with other needs of the college, when they create a class.

@“Erin’s Dad” I never said that I am the only one who thinks outside the box, I didn’t even mention me.

I’m pretty sure a qualified bassoon player will have a slightly better chance than a qualified violin player if the school orchestra needs an extra bassoonist or has too many violins so I think that diversity in interests also plays a role.