DD’18 is starting to tackle her college app essays. Several of the schools she is planning to apply to have madatory supplemental essays about diversity. Questions run the gamut from tell us about how you will have dealt with diversity, what about you makes you diverse, what can you bring to our campus in terms of diversity.
Not gonna lie, DD is probably the poster child for non diversity. She definitely lives in a bubble. If you looked up suburban, upper middle class, straight, white girl in the picture dictionary, there would probably be a picture of my DD in her cheer uniform, holding a Starbucks cup, standing next to her football playing boyfriend. She just may be a walking stereotype/cliche.
How would you tackle this essay topic, if you were in her shoes?
Beyond having an open heart, an open mind, an eagerness to experience the real world outside the bubble and a willingness to stand up for what is “right”, all of which, frankly is trite, in regards to this particular essay topic, she is at a loss on how to approach this essay topic. She has asked for some direction from me on this topic and I don’t know what to advise her either.
No, her volunteer experiences have not exactly put her in very diverse settings either. About the only thing that is remotely diverse about her life is that she is a non christian in a community of christians believers, she has several GBFs and her immediate family is staunchly democratic in a sea of republicans, lol. She got into a huge arguement with her besties Mom last year about importance of immigration rights that prompted the Mom to ask me what the heck were we teaching our child? My response was… we are teaching her to stand up for what she believes to be right. But that hardly
seems like a compelling essay response?
She needs to write about what she knows, and if that’s being a political minority, then that’s what she has. The fact that she is willing to stand up for her beliefs when challenged is a positive, as long as she doesn’t equate her political support for immigrants with being at risk for being deported (in other words, she shouldn’t try to milk it for more than it’s worth).
Political minority and being able to see two sides, fighting for what is right productively rather than with insults or violence, is very much in-demand on college campuses right now.
Also, does she truly know no one who’s not upper class? From another religion than hers or another minority religion? Who lives or used to live in the Midwest, South, in a very rural area?
Maybe - instead of thinking about how she is different from the kids in high school, try thinking about how she will be different from the other kids on her college campus?
^^This. If she writes about not really knowing diversity (beyond wearing VV when everyone else is wearing Southern Tide) but genuinely wanting to learn more, it could be a great essay. She might get some ideas by reading up on white priviledge and considering how being in the dominant culture has affected her. She has probably had experiences that are relevant to that…
^ Agree. Diversity comes in many forms. You’ve named a few areas where your daughter has experienced it. She should talk about what she knows and has lived and how she welcomes the opportunities that college and its greater diversity will bring and add to her life.
During HS, she lived in a pretty non-diverse situation because that is where life placed her…in college, she gets to make the choices…where to attend, who to be friends with, what majors to pick, what activities to do…What will she do with these choices?
I think I would ask her - not her parent - what makes her feel unique in the everyday school setting, and expand upon those which she finds interesting.