Should everyone answer this "optional" essay?

Is this a truly optional essay or a regular “optional” essay. D torn between wanting to do everything ,even if optional, she could certainly right something about difference, but doesn’t want to portray herself as having non existent hardship. Help!

Bowdoin believes that only through building a more diverse and inclusive campus community will the College best prepare graduates to be contributing and useful citizens of the world. Every graduate of this institution should be confident in their preparation to be able to navigate through differences and in all sorts of situations. A Bowdoin education does not guarantee these skills, but it does impart a set of tools necessary to bravely enter unfamiliar conditions with the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity.*

If you wish, you may share anything about your personal background not otherwise captured in your application or your experience navigating through difference. (Optional, with a max of 250 words.)

What’s her topic? To me, this seems primed for applicants who have experienced “difference” in the form of the racial, economic or cultural divides of our time.

That said, if she has a compelling experience (where the stakes were reasonably high) where negotiating strong differences led her to understand that curiosity, empathy, willingness to confront her own assumptions and then change when she has new information are part of being in a diverse community, then it’s probably worth writing.

My 2 cents.

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Yes. That’s not optional. 42% of last years attendees are POC and 11% international. What has your child done to show that u can contribute to this melting pot ?

I agree with @Wjs1107 and it’s a slippery slope because you may not have anything which depending on your child’s background may be limited.

Will they not get in if they don’t do it ? No

It’s a tough topic for some to do. But I would do it - or advise my child to - at least in my opinion.

Difference can be height, color, sexuality, left handedness - you name it.

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Great question. Yes, I agree that she should answer the question. The more information they have, the better picture they have of her, at least on paper.

" share anything about your personal background not otherwise captured in your application or your experience navigating through difference."

  • any experience/challenges through school, family, friends, etc., that she could give her perspective about others and/or herself could go here. It does not have to be necessarily about hardship. Good luck to her!
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Does she have anything to write about that answers the prompt “navigating thru difference”, that isn’t covered elsewhere in the app? I would not create hardship where there isn’t any, or use ‘hardship’ from pre-HS years, or duplicate other things she’s already written about.

I do think this essay is truly optional, whereas I would not treat any of the other Bowdoin essay prompts as optional, and would encourage her to do the video response if that is at all appealing to her.

Make sure she watches this short ‘applying to Bowdoin’ video on this page: Apply | Bowdoin College

and this youtube video: Optional Application Materials Information Session 10.3.22 - YouTube

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I’m of the opinion that this essay isn’t truly optional for most people who will apply to Bowdoin. It is a variation of the diversity prompt. It’s actually pretty nuanced though, clever and thought provoking. A student shouldn’t answer this without considering the context provided by the wording before the prompt.

This is a chance for a student to disclose something about how they approach diversity, differences, etc… The student shouldn’t just add, for example, how much joy they got by teaching themselves to juggle. But maybe they could add that they taught juggling to a bunch of local kids whose families are Somalian immigrants, and how through those kids they got to know something about the community.

This link gives info on how to approach a diversity essay, and other essays as well. Supplemental essay tips (plus the COVID question on the CA)

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Hardship does not have to be an element of the answer, IMO. Here is a skeleton of the prompt with just what I think are the most relevant words for someone who hasn’t experienced meaningful hardship:

Bowdoin…building a more inclusive campus community…be able to navigate through differences…in all sorts of situations…the confidence to deal effectively with ambiguity…you may share anything about your personal background not otherwise captured in your application OR your experience navigating through difference.

Everyone has experience navigating through SOME kind of difference even if they’ve somehow always been around people of the “same background” as applies to race, gender, sexuality, political/religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, etc. if a kid doesn’t want to talk about something on that typical “diversity”list, the prompt allows for any kind of “difference”. I think this is similar to the Princeton prompt about difficult conversations. Good luck. I only chimed in here because my kid had similar qualms about not wanting to pretend to be a victim, and also not wanting to pretend to be some kind of exaggerated advocate/hero.

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I think she has to be very careful about this one. If one is a member of the majority race/religion, writing about one’s experience navigating a difference that others would see as trivial could easily come off badly. And unless she did something like found and build up her school’s Best Buddies club, stories of helping to include someone who is different could come off as patronizing.

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what what do you think about writing about being jewish and leading jewish cultural club in school where not many jewish students?

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@Cloudybay23 I think that is a good topic. It provides cultural background that is probably not in the rest of the application (provide details on that if there is room) as well as an account of navigating difference.

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That is a difference for sure…but also if they’re like every other kid, the jewish jokes, slams, and being left out of things that come with not being the dominant religion. Most Jewish kids, even if Jewish areas as I was growing up, face anti semitic behavior - even if others don’t realize.

Bowdoin shows (per Hillel if accurate which it isn’t always) a 9% Jewish population.

Coming from a school where they’re the only Jewish student or one of few - it’s a difference - and everyone experiences things differently.

I do agree with @parentologist that - “difference that others would see as trivial could easily come off badly.”

But it’s based on your perspective - and if it’s honest and authentic - I see no reason why - but it becomes a question of how did you handle this difference…i.e. navigate.

So to me that works…

It certainly fits the bill, but again, you never know how it will come off with the admissions committee. I know people who grew up in areas with few Jews, who experienced at the very least social isolation and rejection, and at best outright antisemitism, and were scarred by it. I know a Jewish family from the bible belt who had to fight against their children being repeatedly and continually harassed in school by “Christian” fundamentalists’ proselytizing. I know others who were bullied in antisemitic manners, even in areas where there were some other Jewish students. And we all know about antisemitic attacks on Jews, synagogues, and other places where Jews congregate. And yet, you can never be sure how an admissions committee would react. After all, when it comes to college admissions, Jews are not considered a discriminated-against minority.

Personally, if described as a support group for the small population of Jews in the school, and if inter-religious or inter-racial outreach or any type of inter-minority programming was part of the club’s agenda, then I think it could come off very well.

she would NOT write as a support group for an oppressed community but rather as leading a group that help to education school community through education about traditions and discussions about current issues etc. would that work?

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IMHO (as a Jew), yes.

Of course, that’s my perspective - I’m not an AO.

I think it’s ok to note antisemitism, separation, and the like as well - my daughter did and got into Washington & Lee…so not Bowdoin but not far off.

I think if you take a struggle and turn it into a positive as you are doing, it’s legit.

My white, straight DS is also struggling a bit with this prompt. He started writing a short essay about his experiences being VERY colorblind (as an athlete he can’t see the lines on the field sometimes). The idea is that he literally sees the world differently. He wants to tie it into his appreciation for his highly religiously and racially/ethnically diverse school, and the idea that everyone has different experiences. It’s been a tricky essay for him to write successfully.

He hasn’t submitted it and we’re wondering if he’s better off not doing it.

I don’t know that they are looking for you to come up with a difference or hardship, per se. In many of these real life situations, it’s these false equivalencies that derail the conversation.
But they ARE looking for evidence that you are sensitive to the fact that not everyone is like you and are eager to engage and learn.

Fwiw, I think that a student who is essentially "of privilege " trying to equate something about themselves with hardship, unless they can do so very humbly, shows a certain tone-deafness. But if they can articulate their desire to expand their horizons, perhaps explain a less than spectacular previous attempt, or even struggles with how to do this, they come across as open. Bowdoin needs those students in the mix too!

But that’s just me. And I’m not a reader for Bowdoin!

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Yes, sounds good.

They are not going to ding his app for telling them about this very personal experience. It’s a difference. It adds something to his app. It probably isn’t going to tip anything one way or another, but if he is a decent writer, it won’t hurt.

From the Bowdoin prompt.

They aren’t mandating that someone must submit something about a very challenging or life shattering circumstance. Being frank, most applicants won’t have much to add if that is what the college is expecting. That’s why I say this is a subtle prompt.

He should submit.

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I don’t think this essay is truly optional. My son is a first year this year. He did all of the “optional” items last year - including the video interview prompt. When he arrived on campus for the admitted students day in April, the AO who watched his video recognized his face, and ran over to tell him how his answer to the video prompt really moved her. Don’t ask me what the question was or what he said - he never told me. My point is - you never know what will catch someone’s attention. Use all of the opportunities they give you to let your personality shine.

As for this question, I think folks may be overthinking it. Bowdoin has admitted very diverse classes in recent years and will continue to do so. They want to ensure that the students they offer admission to will be comfortable in and embrace an environment where not everyone looks the same, sounds the same, dresses the same, or has the same cultural, socio-economic, religious, racial, gender, or geographic background. So, encourage your student to embrace the question and not show any discomfort with it. They should answer honestly - there is no “right” answer and an insincere but carefully constructed answer will likely come off as such. The student doesn’t have to have experienced “hardship” to be able to say they are comfortable with and see the value of difference.

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I would think yes. Is there any angle that shows her as reaching out to understand other people’s differences, in addition to educating others about her own group?

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