<p>I'm filling out the common application. I wrote an essay for the University of Washington for the prompt "The University of Washington seeks to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints. How would you contribute to this community?"</p>
<p>The essay is as follows:</p>
<p>“Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?” - Douglas Adams. As an atheist, this quote has deep meaning to me. I am not one to be anti-religious, but am in fact the opposite. Contrary to popular stereotypes about atheists, I am a very accepting person. Although I do not believe in a higher power that makes the world a beautiful place, I am still able to see beauty in the world and appreciate its magnificence.</p>
<pre><code>I was born into a Christian family, although none of us were strongly involved. We were members of a Presbyterian church until I was about eight years old, at which point the church began a large building project. We left the church because, as my dad says, “The church began implying that our spiritual maturity was linked to our willingness to commit donations to the building fund.”
My family never joined another church; not because my parents suddenly became nonreligious, and only slightly because our lives were busy. One of the main reasons my parents chose not to join another church was simply because they wanted my sister and me to be able to decide what we believed in for ourselves. As a result, I came to embrace mathematics and science; it made so much more sense to me than religion ever did.
As “left brained” as I may be, I am proud of the fact that I still am able to appreciate the beauty of nature. Although I do not view it as a creation of God’s, I am still able to stand in awe of the sheer mystery, power, and grace of the world around us. For example, one of the greatest experiences I have had in my life was with my dad when we went backpacking together. Although it was a short trip and I was somewhat young, being able to see the luscious vegetation and diverse wildlife of the rainforest, the soothing sound of the meltwater river by which we camped, and the breathtaking emptiness of the fields of snow atop a glacier were all examples of imagery that I will never forget.
In addition to my appreciativeness of natural wonder, I also pride myself on my acceptance of other people and their beliefs. Despite the fact that a handful of my friends are also atheists, I also have many that are Christian, Mormon, Catholic, even Sikh, and I cannot say that I love or respect any single one more than another.
It seems to me that many cultures stress the importance of the acceptance of other people, and I believe this to be one of the greatest contributions that I can give to the community of the University of Washington. As an atheist, I am not biased toward a single path of thought, nor am I interested in convincing others that my belief system is the only correct one. Rather, I am enthralled by the thought of making friends with and learning about people of other backgrounds.
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<p>I'm going to use this same essay for the common app (changing "University of Washington" to something else of course), I'm just not sure whether to choose prompt 5 of the common application**, or just "topic of your choice" because it isn't technically describing an experience, but it does describe how I would contribute to the diversity of a college community.</p>
<p>**A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.</p>