<p>Topic: How would your academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences add to the diversity of a college campus?</p>
<p>Should I focus on a specific answer on each of those qualities that would make me a good choice to diversify their campus and give examples/cases that reinforce my qualities or should I focus on one? Maybe I should write like a list about me?</p>
<p>Hey AverageBob!</p>
<p>How are you?</p>
<p>It seems like that topic is quite popular with colleges, huh? </p>
<p>For your academic interests, I think that either a broad or specific answer would be fine. Some students have a very specific mindset on where they want to go with their lives. Others have no notions of a major or career choice. What subject do you find most appealing to you right now? Many of my students name Psychology or Education (as in teaching) as their academic interests, and back their choices up with an anecdote that reflects how they became interested in that field. Also, what are the primary majors at the college that you are applying to? If you find some of them online, you may be able to tweak your essay to avoid those subjects, since that would not really differentiate you from the vast array of students applying. Make yourself seem different!</p>
<p>That being said, what you ultimately write really depends on how long this essay is allowed to be. Since it is a supplement, I assume that it is going to be short, maybe like 250 words or so? If that’s the case, including only the most essential information would probably be the wisest decision. </p>
<p>For your personal perspectives portion, do you have a point of view that is especially unique? Remember, no one wants to hear about how you love abortion and the death penalty! Try to keep these perspectives positive in order to foster a reciprocal feeling of optimism from the reader. Do you really enjoy volunteering? Do you find joy in seeing others succeed? Or are you more competitive? Is that competitive nature what drives you to be better every day? What makes you different from the next guy or gal in line?</p>
<p>Regarding the life experiences portion of the essay, this can be pretty much anything. I believe a question like this implies that the admissions office wants you to be as specific as possible for your example of life experiences. Has a significant life event altered your view on your future or on life in general? Again, positive life experiences are always great! Negative ones may create an impression that you’re a pessimistic and enraged individual. </p>
<p>All in all, it looks like the school does not want you to just pick only one of those three topics and write solely about that. If someone had wanted that, the school would have asked you to explicitly select one from the list. Also, just jotting things down in list format is a pretty risky move to make. I know of some schools that enjoy receiving extremely creative types of essay from students, some of which may only be lists of things. However, I would advise against this strategy unless the school you are applying to is a wildly liberal, creativity-driven, and opposed to orthodox essays from prospective students!</p>
<p>If you have any other questions or if you want me to proofread something for you, don’t hesitate to PM or email me! I’m available and willing to help.</p>
<p>Many thanks for your advice and reply, much appreciated. Do you think if I use a negative life experience but say how it made me into a more positive person it would be too overused?</p>
<p>I think picking a positive attribute about yourself is more enriching to your character than a setback. I</p>
<p>I didn’t mean an attribute, more like an experience. The bad things tend to happen more often in life.</p>