There is a single application essay that is holding me up, and predictably it comes from Caltech. The question goes “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?”
Now, the question is obviously framed in a way that asks about diversity in science, even though the final sentence makes no mention of that. There is arguably a wider interpretation that is available, but I want to stick to the way the question is framed.
How the hell do I write this? I have no idea. It’s asking what I bring to the table in terms of scientific thought, but I’m not sure what to write.
You can interpret it very broadly. Race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, geographic origin, experience in science, interests outside of science that are unusual are some possible directions.
Have a look at the black box at the bottom of this link for the Caltech class profile:
https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/content/class-profile
“Diversity” can be anything that makes you interesting and unique.
My kid (an early-action Caltech admit) wrote this essay on his sport, fencing.
Intparent, what about the first sentence? While not actually in the question, is it to be ignored altogether?
No, first sentence is not to be ignored. That is, diversity could be in background, interest, OR experience. Presumably future Techers will make impact in STEM, so the first sentence is no surprise. But you can talk about anything that makes you special. And that would in turn affect the way you science and share science with the world.
What about the first sentence? They don’t mean how do you do science differently. They mean if you think about the stereotype (richly earned) of past scientists, what is different about you? How do you stand out? What is there that makes you different/unusual?
As an asian american male, there’s nothing I can write about racial / gender diversity. The way I thought about this question is “What is one thing that others are surprised about you when they first meet you?”
I’m writing about wrestling through high school. You probably should not write about science. All the other prompts are about stem, this is the one prompt where you can talk about what makes you different from all the other nerds.