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7 Great Diversity Essay Examples and Why They Worked
Supplemental "diversity" or "community" essays are becoming increasingly popular components of college and university applications. A diversity essay allows you to highlight how your individual circumstances, values, traditions, or beliefs could contribute to the vibrant mix of cultures on a college campus.
The importance of the diversity essay lies in its ability to showcase aspects of your identity that may not be fully captured elsewhere in your application . It provides a platform for you to express your authenticity, highlight any obstacles or challenges you've overcome, and demonstrate how your unique viewpoints could enrich the learning environment.
This trend is in part driven by institutions' heightened efforts to increase the diversity of their student bodies, as many elite schools have historically favored wealthy and/or white applicants. These diversity essays provide a valuable opportunity for students to give context about their identity and background, which supports colleges' missions of fostering more inclusive campus environments.
The push for diversity essays has been compounded by the recent Supreme Court decision ruling affirmative action policies unconstitutional. With this ruling blocking colleges from directly considering an applicant's race or ethnicity in admissions decisions, many institutions have turned to supplemental essays as an alternative way to gauge how a prospective student's unique experiences and perspectives could contribute to a richly diverse student body. While not explicitly factoring racial or ethnic backgrounds into admissions, compelling diversity essays enable colleges to indirectly account for the varied identities and circumstances that applicants would bring to enrich the campus community.
However, even students who do not hold identities historically underrepresented at colleges, or face discrimination, are encouraged to approach the diversity essay thoughtfully. These essays allow all applicants to shed light on their individualized experiences that could add meaningful value to the institution's diversity and culture. Ultimately, colleges aim to curate an incoming class of students whose collective array of backgrounds fosters an environment of mutual understanding, intellectual growth, and cross-cultural exchange.
In this blog, we’ll walk through 7 examples of strong diversity essays, and give a brief discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
Note that for the sake of concision, only the first 150-250 words of each essay is included in the article. You can find links to the full text of each essay at the bottom of the page!
1. Finding My Voice (Hopkins)
I looked up and flinched slightly. There were at least sixty of them, far more than expected. I had thirty weeks to teach them the basics of public speaking. Gritting my teeth, I split my small group of tutors among the crowd and sat down for an impromptu workshop with the eighth graders. They were inexperienced, monotone, and quiet. In other words, they reminded me of myself…
I was born with a speech impediment that weakened my mouth muscles. My speech was garbled and incomprehensible. Understandably, I grew up quiet. I tried my best to blend in and give the impression I was silent by choice. I joined no clubs in primary school, instead preferring isolation. It took six years of tongue twisters and complicated mouth contortions in special education classes for me to produce the forty-four sounds of the English language.
This essay is highly effective in several ways. The author opens with a vivid, engaging anecdote that immediately draws the reader in and provides context for the essay's overarching theme of finding one's voice. The personal story of struggling with a speech impediment as a child and overcoming insecurities to become a confident public speaker on the debate team is powerful and memorable. The essay’s beginning, where Jerry is faced with the daunting task of teaching public speaking to a large group of eighth graders, is reminiscent of his own struggles with communication. This scene immediately captures the reader's attention and establishes a connection between Jerry's personal journey and the theme of the essay.
Throughout the essay, Jerry skillfully weaves together his experiences of overcoming a speech impediment and finding his confidence through participation in the debate team. He candidly reflects on the challenges he faced, such as stuttering and feeling like a "deer in the headlights," and how he persevered through practice and determination. By sharing specific anecdotes, such as watching upperclassmen and adapting his speaking style, Jerry demonstrates his growth and development over time.
The continued arc of the essay conveys the broader significance of Jerry's journey by highlighting how his newfound confidence extended beyond the debate team to his interactions in school and leadership roles. Through his own experiences, Jerry founded a program to help other students overcome their insecurities and find their voices, thereby paying forward the empowerment he received. The conclusion nicely ties back to the introduction and leaves the reader with a positive, uplifting sense of the author's journey and values.
One potential area for improvement could be spending slightly more time underscoring specific insights, challenges, or ways this experience shaped the author's goals and worldview could make the essay even more impactful for admissions officers evaluating the author's ability to contribute to a diverse community.
2. Protecting the Earth
I never understood the power of community until I left home to join seven strangers in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Although we flew in from distant corners of the U.S., we shared a common purpose: immersing ourselves in our passion for protecting the natural world.
Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns. My classmates debated the feasibility of Trump’s wall, not the deteriorating state of our planet. Contrastingly, these seven strangers delighted in bird-watching, brightened at the mention of medicinal tree sap, and understood why I once ran across a four-lane highway to retrieve discarded beer cans.
Their histories barely resembled mine, yet our values aligned intimately. We did not hesitate to joke about bullet ants, gush about the versatility of tree bark, or discuss the destructive consequences of materialism. Together, we let our inner tree-huggers run free.
This essay captures the transformative power of community and shared values through the author's experience in the Ecuadorian rainforest. The opening sets a vivid scene, drawing the reader into the narrator's journey of joining a diverse group of strangers united by their passion for environmental conservation. By contrasting the indifference of their conservative suburban community with the shared purpose and enthusiasm of their newfound companions, the essay immediately establishes a theme of community and belonging. The examples of the group's enthusiasm and "inner tree-huggers" bring an authentic voice to the narrative.
In the body of the essay, the author skillfully portrays the camaraderie and mutual support within the group, despite their diverse backgrounds . The shared experiences of bird-watching, discussions about medicinal tree sap, and collective efforts towards environmental advocacy highlight the strength of their bond and the alignment of their values. Through anecdotes and dialogue, the author effectively conveys the sense of empowerment and inspiration derived from being part of such a community.
The essay additionally conveys the personal growth and transformation experienced by the author as a result of their time in the rainforest community. The realization that they can make a difference in the world, coupled with a newfound sense of purpose and determination, serves as a powerful conclusion to the narrative. The essay communicates the importance of community in shaping one's beliefs, values, and aspirations, while also highlighting the potential for individual agency and impact.
Where the essay could be strengthened is providing more insight into how this experience will shape the author's future contributions to building and leading communities. While it's impactful to convey the determination instilled to devote one's life to environmental advocacy, expanding on the specific ways the author hopes to foster community around this work would add depth. Additionally, reflecting on the personal growth sparked by stepping outside one's insular worldview could highlight the importance of diversity of perspectives. Overall, however, this is a strong essay that captures the power of an eye-opening experience bonding with others over shared values and passions.
3. Activism (Rochester)
To Nigerians,
It’s been eight years since we’ve been subjected to the tyranny of bad governance. Our medical systems have been destroyed, economy devaluated, and freedom of speech banished. But we need not worry for long. Just 5 years left!
By 2027, I will have explored the strategies behind successful revolutions in Prof. Meguid’s Introduction to Comparative Politics Class ( PSCI101) in my world politics cluster, equipping me to successfully lead us through the revolution we’ve eagerly awaited and install a political system that will ensure our happiness. With the help of the Greene Center, I will have gained practical experience of the biomedical engineering career field by interning at Corning’s biochemical department, enabling me to contribute to the rebuilding of our medical system. I will have developed a Parkinson-stabilizing device from my experience analyzing human motion with MATLAB in Professor Buckley’s BME 201-P class. I hope to later extend this device to cater for poliomyelitis, a disease that has plagued us since 1982. I will have strengthened my ability to put corruption under check through music by developing my soprano voice at Vocal point.
This essay, earning the author admission to the University of Rochester, blends a personal narrative with a vision for the future, demonstrating the author's determination to address the challenges faced by Nigeria through education and practical experience. The author begins by painting a stark picture of the current state of governance in Nigeria, highlighting the systemic issues that have plagued the country for years. This sets the stage for the author's ambitious plan to enact change within their homeland.
The author's strategic approach to addressing these issues is given a college admissions focus by outlining their academic and professional goals at the University of Rochester. By detailing specific courses, internships, and extracurricular activities, the author demonstrates a clear path towards acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to lead a revolution and contribute to rebuilding Nigeria's medical system. This strategic planning reflects the author's commitment to effecting tangible change and underscores their preparedness for the challenges ahead.
To further strengthen its impact, the author could provide more context or examples of their previous activism or engagement with Nigerian issues, with clear links between the specific experiences and opportunities at the University of Rochester and their goals.
4. Taking Care of Siblings (Cornell)
He’s in my arms, the newest addition to the family. I’m too overwhelmed. “That’s why I wanted you to go to Bishop Loughlin,” she says, preparing baby bottles. “But ma, I chose Tech because I wanted to be challenged.” “Well, you’re going to have to deal with it,” she replies, adding, “Your aunt watched you when she was in high school.” “But ma, there are three of them. It’s hard!” Returning home from a summer program that cemented intellectual and social independence to find a new baby was not exactly thrilling. Add him to the toddler and seven-year-old sister I have and there’s no wonder why I sing songs from Blue’s Clues and The Backyardigans instead of sane seventeen-year-old activities. It’s never been simple; as a female and the oldest, I’m to significantly rear the children and clean up the shabby apartment before an ounce of pseudo freedom reaches my hands. If I can manage to get my toddler brother onto the city bus and take him home from daycare without snot on my shoulder, and if I can manage to take off his coat and sneakers without demonic screaming for no apparent reason, then it’s a good day. Only, waking up at three in the morning to work, the only free time I have, is not my cup of Starbucks.
The opening scene of the essay, where the author holds their newest sibling while their mother prepares baby bottles, immediately sets the tone for the essay and introduces the central theme of familial responsibility and sacrifice.
The author candidly reflects on the challenges of balancing their familial obligations with their desire for personal growth and independence. The author's frustration and sense of overwhelm are palpable as they navigate the demands of caring for multiple siblings while also trying to pursue their own goals and aspirations. The contrast between the author's responsibilities as the oldest sibling and their longing for "sane seventeen-year-old activities" effectively highlights the tension between duty and personal desires.
The message of the essay effectively communicates the author's resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Despite the challenges they face, the author demonstrates a sense of agency and resourcefulness, such as waking up at three in the morning to work and finding moments of freedom amidst their responsibilities. This resilience reflects the author's inner strength and determination to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams.
5. East Asian Bibliophile / Not “Black Enough”
Growing up, my world was basketball. My summers were spent between the two solid black lines. My skin was consistently tan in splotches and ridden with random scratches. My wardrobe consisted mainly of track shorts, Nike shoes, and tournament t-shirts. Gatorade and Fun Dip were my pre-game snacks. The cacophony of rowdy crowds, ref whistles, squeaky shoes, and scoreboard buzzers was a familiar sound. I was the team captain of almost every team I played on—familiar with the Xs and Os of plays, commander of the court, and the coach’s right hand girl.
But that was only me on the surface.
Deep down I was an East-Asian influenced bibliophile and a Young Adult fiction writer.
Hidden in the cracks of a blossoming collegiate level athlete was a literary fiend. I devoured books in the daylight. I crafted stories at night time. After games, after practice, after conditioning I found nooks of solitude. Within these moments, I became engulfed in a world of my own creation. Initially, I only read young adult literature, but I grew to enjoy literary fiction and self-help: Kafka, Dostoevsky, Branden, Csikszentmihalyi. I expanded my bubble to Google+ critique groups, online discussion groups, blogs, writing competitions and clubs. I wrote my first novel in fifth grade, my second in seventh grade, and started my third in ninth grade. Reading was instinctual. Writing was impulsive.
In this essay, the complexities of identity and personal growth are presented through a multi-dimensional portrait of the author's cultural experiences and interests. The opening vividly describes the author's immersion in the world of basketball, showcasing their athleticism and leadership on the court . The essay quickly moves into substantive analysis, revealing the author's passion for literature and writing, as well as their deep connection to East Asian culture and philosophy.
Through anecdotes and reflections, the author skillfully juxtaposes their outward persona as an athlete with their internal world as a bibliophile and writer. This contrast highlights the complexity of identity and challenges stereotypes, demonstrating that individuals can possess a range of interests and talents beyond societal expectations. The author's journey of self-discovery, from devouring young adult literature to emulating authors like Haruki Murakami, adds depth to the narrative and underscores their intellectual curiosity and growth.
The internal and external conflicts faced by the author are developed in the essay body, including the pressure to conform to stereotypes and the challenges of balancing multiple passions. The author's experiences of being judged and bullied for not fitting into narrow expectations highlight the importance of embracing individuality and resisting societal norms. The author unpacks their overall resilience and determination to pursue their diverse interests despite obstacles, including overcoming ACL injuries and transitioning to homeschooling. By detailing their involvement in various extracurricular activities and nonprofit initiatives, the author demonstrates their desire to make a positive impact and empower others to reach their potential.
6. Instagram Post
On “Silent Siege Day,” many students in my high school joined the Students for Life club and wore red armbands with “LIFE” on them. As a non-Catholic in a Catholic school, I knew I had to be cautious in expressing my opinion on the abortion debate. However, when I saw that all of the armband-bearing students were male, I could not stay silent.
I wrote on Instagram, “pro-choice does not necessarily imply pro-abortion; it means that we respect a woman’s fundamental right to make her own choice regarding her own body.”
Some of my peers expressed support but others responded by calling me a dumb bitch, among other names. When I demanded an apology for the name-calling, I was told I needed to learn to take a joke: “you have a lot of anger, I think you need a boyfriend.” Another one of my peers apparently thought the post was sarcastic (?) and said “I didn’t know women knew how to use sarcasm.”
One by one, I responded. I was glad to have sparked discussion, but by midnight, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
This is a strong essay, effectively recounting a journey of self-discovery and activism, beginning with a pivotal moment of speaking out against the majority opinion on abortion rights at their Catholic high school. The author's courage in challenging societal norms and expressing their beliefs, despite potential backlash, is evident from the outset. B y sharing a personal anecdote of facing criticism and derogatory comments on social media, the author gives a clear look at the emotional toll of standing up for one's beliefs in the face of adversity.
The essay integrates the author's reflections on their evolving understanding of social justice and feminism, sparked by their experiences and research following "The Post." Through engaging with feminist literature and studying historical movements like the Civil Rights Movement , the author demonstrates a growing awareness of systemic inequalities and the importance of dissent in effecting change. The author's decision to volunteer with Girls on the Run and engage in political activism, such as signing petitions and advocating against discriminatory policies, underscores their commitment to advancing social justice beyond their personal experiences.
This ambition reflects the author's desire to contribute to positive societal change and advocate for marginalized communities on a broader scale. The essay effectively conveys a sense of optimism and determination for the future, encapsulated by the author's vision of becoming the first Asian woman on the Supreme Court.
The labels that I bear are hung from me like branches on a tree: disruptive, energetic, creative, loud, fun, easily distracted, clever, a space cadet, a problem … and that tree has roots called ADHD. The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder made a lot of sense when it was handed down. I was diagnosed later than other children, probably owing to my sex, which is female; people with ADHD who are female often present in different ways from our male counterparts and are just as often missed by psychiatrists.
Over the years, these labels served as either a badge or a bludgeon, keeping me from certain activities, ruining friendships, or becoming elements of my character that I love about myself and have brought me closer to people I care about. Every trait is a double-edged sword.
The years that brought me to where I am now have been strange and uneven. I had a happy childhood, even if I was a “handful” for my parents. As I grew and grew in awareness of how I could be a problem, I developed anxiety over behavior I simply couldn’t control. With the diagnosis, I received relief, and yet, soon I was thinking of myself as broken, and I quickly attributed every setback to my neurological condition.
The author begins the essay by candidly acknowledging the various labels and stereotypes associated with their condition, illustrating the challenges of navigating societal perceptions and self-perception. By highlighting the gendered aspect of ADHD diagnosis and its impact on their experiences, the author sheds light on the complexity of neurodiversity and the importance of recognition and understanding.
Throughout the essay, the author reflects on the dual nature of their ADHD traits, acknowledging both the struggles and strengths associated with their condition. They eloquently describe how their ADHD has influenced various aspects of their life, from friendships to academic performance to sports achievements. By sharing personal anecdotes and reflections, the essay effectively captures the author's journey of self-acceptance and reframing their perspective on their ADHD.
The author acknowledges the initial sense of relief upon receiving their diagnosis, followed by feelings of brokenness and self-doubt. However, through introspection and self-compassion, the author ultimately embraces their neurodiversity as a fundamental aspect of their identity. This shift in mindset from viewing their brain as "wrong" to recognizing its uniqueness and resilience is a powerful testament to the author's growth and resilience.
By volunteering at a mental health resource center and advocating for the normalization of neurodiversity, the author demonstrates a desire to create a more inclusive and compassionate society. The essay effectively communicates a message of empathy, acceptance, and celebration of diversity, encouraging readers to embrace their own differences and those of others.
Links to full essays:
Essay Three
Essay Seven
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Alexej is a graduate of Princeton University, where he studied Linguistics, Cognitive Science, and Humanities & Sciences. Alexej works in college admissions consulting, and is passionate about pursuing research at the intersection of humanities, linguistics, and psychology. He enjoys creative writing, hiking, and playing the piano.
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6 Diversity College Essay Examples
What’s covered:, how to write the diversity essay after the end of affirmative action, essay #1: jewish identity, essay #2: being bangladeshi-american, essay #3: marvel vs dc, essay #4: leadership as a first-gen american, essay #5: protecting the earth, essay #6: music and accents, where to get your diversity essays edited, what is the diversity essay.
While working on your college applications, you may come across essays that focus on diversity , culture, or values. The purpose of these essays is to highlight any diverse views or opinions that you may bring to campus. Colleges want a diverse student body that’s made up of different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and interests. These essay prompts are a way for them to see what students can bring to their school.
In this post, we will share six essays written by real students that cover the topic of culture and diversity. We’ll also include what each essay did well and where there is room for improvement. Hopefully, this will be a useful resource to inspire your own diversity essay.
Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. That said, you should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and they will not have a favorable view of students who have plagiarized.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the use of race in college admissions was unconstitutional. In other words, they struck down the use of affirmative action in college admissions . This will affect college-bound students of color in a number of ways, including lowering their chances of acceptance and reducing the amount of direct outreach they’ll receive from colleges. Another change to consider is the ways in which students should tackle their diversity essays.
Although colleges can no longer directly factor race into admissions, students aren’t prohibited from discussing their racial backgrounds in supplemental application essays. If your racial background is important to you, seriously consider writing about it in your diversity essays. If you don’t, admissions officers are extremely limited in their ability to consider your race when making an admission decision.
As in the essays listed below, discussing your race is an excellent tool for showing admissions officers the person behind the grades and test scores. Beyond that, it provides admissions officers with an opportunity to put themselves in your shoes—showing them how your background has presented challenges to overcome, helped build important life skills, and taught you valuable lessons.
Diversity Essay Examples
I was thirsty. In my wallet was a lone $10 bill, ultimately useless at my school’s vending machine. Tasked with scrounging together the $1 cost of a water bottle, I fished out and arranged the spare change that normally hid in the bottom of my backpack in neat piles of nickels and dimes on my desk. I swept them into a spare Ziploc and began to leave when a classmate snatched the bag and held it above my head.
“Want your money back, Jew?” she chanted, waving the coins around. I had forgotten the Star-of-David around my neck, but quickly realized she must have seen it and connected it to the stacks of coins. I am no stranger to experiencing and confronting antisemitism, but I had never been targeted in my school before. I grabbed my bag and sternly told her to leave. Although she sauntered away, the impact remained.
This incident serves as an example of the adversity I have and will continue to face from those who only see me as a stereotype. Ironically, however, these experiences of discrimination have only increased my pride as a member of the Jewish Community. Continuing to wear the Star-of-David connects me to my history and my family. I find meaning and direction in my community’s values, such as pride, education, and giving—and I am eager to transfer these values to my new community: the Duke community.
What the Essay Did Well
Writing about discrimination can be difficult, but if you are comfortable doing it, it can make for a powerful story. Although this essay is short and focused on one small interaction, it represents a much larger struggle for this student, and for that reason it makes the essay very impactful.
The author takes her time at the beginning of the essay to build the scene for the audience, which allows us to feel like we are there with her, making the hateful comments even more jarring later on. If she had just told us her classmate teased her with harmful stereotypes, we wouldn’t feel the same sense of anger as we do knowing that she was just trying to get a drink and ended up being harassed.
This essay does another important thing—it includes self-reflection on the experience and on the student’s identity. Without elaborating on the emotional impact of a situation, an essay about discrimination would make admission officers feel bad for the student, but they wouldn’t be compelled to admit the student. By describing how experiences like these drive her and make her more determined to embody positive values, this student reveals her character to the readers.
What Could Be Improved
While including emotional reflection in the latter half of the essay is important, the actual sentences could be tightened up a bit to leave a stronger impression. The student does a nice job of showing us her experience with antisemitism, but she just tells us about the impact it has on her. If she instead showed us what the impact looked like, the essay would be even better.
For example, rather than telling us “Continuing to wear the Star-of-David connects me to my history and my family,” she could have shown that connection: “My Star-of-David necklace thumps against my heart with every step I take, reminding me of my great-grandparents who had to hide their stars, my grandma’s spindly fingers lighting the menorah each Hanukkah, and my uncle’s homemade challah bread.” This new sentence reveals so much more than the existing sentence about the student and the deep connection she feels with her family and religion.
Life before was good: verdant forests, sumptuous curries, and a devoted family.
Then, my family abandoned our comfortable life in Bangladesh for a chance at the American dream in Los Angeles. Within our first year, my father was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He lost his battle three weeks before my sixth birthday. Facing a new country without the steady presence of my father, we were vulnerable—prisoners of hardship in the land of the free.
We resettled in the Bronx, in my uncle’s renovated basement. It was meant to be our refuge, but I felt more displaced than ever. Gone were the high-rise condos of West L.A.; instead, government projects towered over the neighborhood. Pedestrians no longer smiled and greeted me; the atmosphere was hostile, even toxic. Schoolkids were quick to pick on those they saw as weak or foreign, hurling harsh words I’d never heard before.
Meanwhile, my family began integrating into the local Bangladeshi community. I struggled to understand those who shared my heritage. Bangladeshi mothers stayed home while fathers drove cabs and sold fruit by the roadside—painful societal positions. Riding on crosstown buses or walking home from school, I began to internalize these disparities.
During my fleeting encounters with affluent Upper East Siders, I saw kids my age with nannies, parents who wore suits to work, and luxurious apartments with spectacular views. Most took cabs to their destinations: cabs that Bangladeshis drove. I watched the mundane moments of their lives with longing, aching to plant myself in their shoes. Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day.
As I grappled with my relationship with the Bangladeshi community, I turned my attention to helping my Bronx community by pursuing an internship with Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda. I handled desk work and took calls, spending the bulk of my time actively listening to the hardships constituents faced—everything from a veteran stripped of his benefits to a grandmother unable to support her bedridden grandchild.
I’d never exposed myself to stories like these, and now I was the first to hear them. As an intern, I could only assist in what felt like the small ways—pointing out local job offerings, printing information on free ESL classes, reaching out to non-profits. But to a community facing an onslaught of intense struggles, I realized that something as small as these actions could have vast impacts.
Seeing the immediate consequences of my actions inspired me. Throughout that summer, I internalized my community’s daily challenges in a new light. I began to see the prevalent underemployment and cramped living quarters less as sources of shame. Instead, I saw them as realities that had to be acknowledged, but that could ultimately be remedied.
I also realized the benefits of the Bangladeshi culture I had been so ashamed of. My Bangla language skills were an asset to the office, and my understanding of Bangladeshi etiquette allowed for smooth communication between office staff and the office’s constituents. As I helped my neighbors navigate city services, I saw my heritage with pride—a perspective I never expected to have.
I can now appreciate the value of my unique culture and background, and the value of living with less. This perspective offers room for progress, community integration, and a future worth fighting for. My time with Assemblyman Sepulveda’s office taught me that I can be an agent of change who can enable this progression. Far from being ashamed of my community, I want to someday return to local politics in the Bronx to continue helping others access the American Dream. I hope to help my community appreciate the opportunity to make progress together. By embracing reality, I learned to live it. Along the way, I discovered one thing: life is good, but we can make it better.
This student’s passion for social justice and civic duty shines through in this essay because of how honest it is. Sharing their personal experience with immigrating, moving around, being an outsider, and finding a community allows us to see the hardships this student has faced and builds empathy towards their situation.
However, what really makes it strong is that the student goes beyond describing the difficulties they faced and explains the mental impact it had on them as a child: “Shame prickled down my spine. I distanced myself from my heritage, rejecting the traditional panjabis worn on Eid and refusing the torkari we ate for dinner every day.” The rejection of their culture presented at the beginning of the essay creates a nice juxtaposition with the student’s view in the latter half of the essay, and helps demonstrate how they have matured.
They then use their experience interning as a way to delve into a change in their thought process about their culture. This experience also serves as a way to show how their passion for social justice began. Using this experience as a mechanism to explore their thoughts and feelings is an excellent example of how items that are included elsewhere on your application should be incorporated into your essay.
This essay prioritizes emotions and personal views over specific anecdotes. Although there are details and certain moments incorporated throughout to emphasize the author’s points, the main focus remains on the student and how they grapple with their culture and identity.
One area for improvement is the conclusion. Although the forward-looking approach is a nice way to end an essay focused on social justice, it would be nice to include more details and imagery in the conclusion. How does the student want to help their community? What government position do they see themselves holding one day?
A more impactful ending might describe the student walking into their office at the New York City Housing Authority in 15 years. This future student might be looking at the plans to build a new development in the Bronx just blocks away from where they grew up that would provide quality housing to people in their Bangladeshi community. They would smile while thinking about how far they have come from that young kid who used to be ashamed of their culture.
Superhero cinema is an oligopoly consisting of two prominent, towering brands: Marvel and DC. I’m a religious supporter of Marvel, but last year, I discovered that my friend, Tom, was a DC fan. After a vociferous 20-minute quarrel about which was better, we decided to allocate one day to have a professional debate, using carefully assembled and coherent arguments.
One week later, we both brought pages of notes and evidence cards (I also had my Iron-Man bobblehead for moral support). Our impartial moderator—a Disney fan—sat in the middle with a stopwatch, open-policy style. I began the debate by discussing how Marvel accentuated the humanity of the storyline—such as in Tony Stark’s transformation from an egotistical billionaire to a compassionate father—which drew in a broader audience, because more people resonated with certain aspects of the characters. Tom rebutted this by capitalizing on how Deadpool was a duplicate of Deathstroke, how Vision copied Red Tornado, and how DC sold more comics than Marvel.
40 minutes later, we reached an impasse. We were out of cards, and we both made excellent points, so our moderator was unable to declare a winner. Difficult conversations aren’t necessarily always the ones that make political headlines. Instead, a difficult discussion involves any topic with which people share an emotional connection.
Over the years, I became so emotionally invested in Marvel that my mind erected an impenetrable shield, blocking out all other possibilities. Even today, we haven’t decided which franchise was better, but I realized that I was undermining DC for no reason other than my own ignorance.
The inevitability of diversity suggests that it is our responsibility to understand the other person and what they believe in. We may not always experience a change in opinion, but we can grant ourselves the opportunity to expand our global perspective. I strive to continue this adventure to increase my awareness as a superhero aficionado, activist, and student, by engaging in conversations that require me to think beyond what I believe and to view the world from others’ perspectives.
And yes, Tom is still my friend.
Diversity doesn’t always have to be about culture or heritage; diversity exists all around us, even in our comic book preferences. The cleverness of this essay lies in the way the student flipped the traditional diversity prompt on its head and instead discussed his diverse perspective on a topic he is passionate about. If you don’t have a cultural connection you are compelled to write about, this is a nifty approach to a diversity prompt—if it’s handled appropriately.
While this student has a non-traditional topic, he still presents it in a way that pays respect to the key aspects of a diversity essay: depicting his perspective and recognizing the importance of diverse views. Just as someone who is writing about a culture that is possibly unfamiliar to the reader, the student describes what makes Marvel and DC unique and important to him and his friend, respectively. He also expands on how a lack of diversity in superhero consumption led to his feeling of ignorance, and how it now makes him appreciate the need for diversity in all aspects of his life.
This student is unapologetically himself in this essay, which is ultimately why this unorthodox topic is able to work. He committed to his passion for Marvel by sharing analytical takes on characters and demonstrating how the franchise was so important to his identity that it momentarily threatened a friendship. The inclusion of humor through his personal voice—e.g., referring to the argument as a professional debate and telling us that the friendship lived on—contributes to the essay feeling deeply personal.
Choosing an unconventional topic for a diversity essay requires extra care and attention to ensure that you are still addressing the core of the prompt. That being said, if you accomplish it successfully, it makes for an incredibly memorable essay that could easily set you apart!
While this is a great essay as is, the idea of diversity could have been addressed a little bit earlier in the piece to make it absolutely clear the student is writing about his diverse perspective. He positions Marvel and DC as two behemoths in the superhero movie industry, but in the event that his reader is unfamiliar with these two brands, there is little context about the cultural impact each has on its fans.
To this student, Marvel is more than just a movie franchise; it’s a crucial part of his identity, just as someone’s race or religion might be. In order for the reader to fully understand the weight of his perspective, there should be further elaboration—towards the beginning—on how important Marvel is to this student.
Leadership was thrust upon me at a young age. When I was six years old, my abusive father abandoned my family, leaving me to step up as the “man” of the house. From having to watch over my little sister to cooking dinner three nights a week, I never lived an ideal suburban life. I didn’t enjoy the luxuries of joining after-school activities, getting driven to school or friends’ houses, or taking weekend trips to the movies or bowling alley. Instead, I spent my childhood navigating legal hurdles, shouldering family responsibilities, and begrudgingly attending court-mandated therapy sessions.
At the same time, I tried to get decent grades and maintain my Colombian roots and Spanish fluency enough to at least partially communicate with my grandparents, both of whom speak little English. Although my childhood had its bright and joyful moments, much of it was weighty and would have been exhausting for any child to bear. In short, I grew up fast. However, the responsibilities I took on at home prepared me to be a leader and to work diligently, setting me up to use these skills later in life.
I didn’t have much time to explore my interests until high school, where I developed my knack for government and for serving others. Being cast in a lead role in my school’s fall production as a freshman was the first thing to give me the confidence I needed to pursue other activities: namely, student government. Shortly after being cast, I was elected Freshman Vice-President, a role that put me in charge of promoting events, delegating daily office tasks, collaborating with the administration on new school initiatives, and planning trips and fundraisers.
While my new position demanded a significant amount of responsibility, my childhood of helping my mom manage our household prepared me to be successful in the role. When I saw the happy faces of my classmates after a big event, I felt proud to know that I had made even a small difference to them. Seeing projects through to a successful outcome was thrilling. I enjoyed my time and responsibilities so much that I served all four years of high school, going on to become Executive Vice-President.
As I found success in high school, my mother and grandparents began speaking more about the life they faced prior to emigrating from Colombia. To better connect with them, I took a series of Spanish language classes to regain my fluency. After a practice run through my presentation on Bendíceme, Ultima ( Bless me, Ultima ) by Rudolofo Anaya, with my grandmother, she squeezed my hand and told me the story of how my family was forced from their home in order to live free of religious persecution. Though my grandparents have often expressed how much better their lives and their children’s lives have been in America, I have often struggled with my identity. I felt that much of it was erased with my loss of our native language.
In elementary school, I learned English best because in class I was surrounded by it. Spanish was more difficult to grasp without a formal education, and my family urged me to become fluent in English so I could be of better help to them in places as disparate as government agencies and grocery stores. When I was old enough to recognize the large part of my identity still rooted in being Colombian, it was challenging to connect these two sides of who I was.
Over time I have been able to reconcile the two in the context of my aspirations. I found purpose and fulfillment through student council, and I knew that I could help other families like my own if I worked in local government. By working through city offices that address housing, education, and support for survivors of childhood abuse, I could give others the same liberties and opportunities my family has enjoyed in this country. Doing so would also help me honor my roots as a first-generation American.
I have been a leader my entire life. Both at Harvard and after graduation, I want to continue that trend. I hope to volunteer with organizations that share my goals. I want to advise policy-making politicians on ways to make children and new immigrants safer and more secure. When my family was at their worst, my community gave back. I hope to give that gift to future generations. A career in local, city-based public service is not a rashly made decision; it is a reflection of where I’ve already been in life, and where I want to be in the future.
Although this essay begins on a somber note, it goes on to show this student’s determination and the joy he found. Importantly, it also ends with a positive, forward-looking perspective. This is a great example of how including your hardship can bolster an essay as long as it is not the essay’s main focus.
Explaining the challenges this student faced from a young age—becoming the man of the house, dealing with legal matters, maintaining good grades, etc.—builds sympathy for his situation. However, the first paragraph is even more impactful because he explains the emotional toll these actions had on him. We understand how he lost the innocence of his childhood and how he struggled to remain connected to his Colombian heritage with all his other responsibilities. Including these details truly allows the reader to see this student’s struggle, making us all the more joyful when he comes out stronger in the end.
Pivoting to discuss positive experiences with student government and Spanish classes for the rest of the essay demonstrates that this student has a positive approach to life and is willing to push through challenges. The tone of the essay shifts from heavy to uplifting. He explains the joy he got out of helping his classmates and connecting with his grandparents, once again providing emotional reflection to make the reader care more.
Overall, this essay does a nice job of demonstrating how this student approaches challenges and negative experiences. Admitting that the responsibilities of his childhood had a silver lining shows his maturity and how he will be able to succeed in government one day. The essay strikes a healthy balance between challenge and hope, leaving us with a positive view of a student with such emotional maturity.
Although the content of this essay is very strong, it struggles with redundancy and disorganized information. He mentions his passion for government at the beginning of the student government paragraph, then again addresses government in the paragraph focused on his Colombian heritage, and concludes by talking about how he wants to get into government once more. Similarly, in the first paragraph, he discusses the struggle of maintaining his Colombian identity and then fully delves into that topic in the third paragraph.
The repetition of ideas and lack of a streamlined organization of this student’s thoughts diminishes some of the emotional impact of the story. The reader is left trying to piece together a swirling mass of information on their own, rather than having a focused, sequential order to follow.
This could be fixed if the student rearranged details to make each paragraph focused on a singular idea. For example, the first paragraph could be about his childhood. The second could be about how student government sparked his interest in government and what he hopes to do one day. The third could be about how he reconnected with his Colombian roots through his Spanish classes, after years of struggling with his identity. And the final paragraph could tie everything together by explaining how everything led to him wanting to pursue a future serving others, particularly immigrants like his family.
Alternatively, the essay could follow a sequential order that would start with his childhood, then explain his struggle with his identity, then show how student government and Spanish classes helped him find himself, and finally, conclude with what he hopes to accomplish by pursuing government.
I never understood the power of community until I left home to join seven strangers in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Although we flew in from distant corners of the U.S., we shared a common purpose: immersing ourselves in our passion for protecting the natural world.
Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns. My classmates debated the feasibility of Trump’s wall, not the deteriorating state of our planet. Contrastingly, these seven strangers delighted in bird-watching, brightened at the mention of medicinal tree sap, and understood why I once ran across a four-lane highway to retrieve discarded beer cans.
Their histories barely resembled mine, yet our values aligned intimately. We did not hesitate to joke about bullet ants, gush about the versatility of tree bark, or discuss the destructive consequences of materialism. Together, we let our inner tree-huggers run free.
In the short life of our little community, we did what we thought was impossible. By feeding on each other’s infectious tenacity, we cultivated an atmosphere that deepened our commitment to our values and empowered us to speak out on behalf of the environment. After a week of stimulating conversations and introspective revelations about engaging people from our hometowns in environmental advocacy, we developed a shared determination to devote our lives to this cause.
As we shared a goodbye hug, my new friend whispered, “The world needs saving. Someone’s gotta do it.” For the first time, I believed that that someone could be me.
This student is expressing their diversity through their involvement in a particular community—another nice approach if you don’t want to write about culture or ethnicity. We all have unique things that we geek out over. This student expresses the joy that they derived from finding a community where they could express their love for the environment. Passion is fundamental to university life and generally finds its way into any successful application.
The essay finds strength in the fact that readers feel for the student. We get a little bit of backstory about where they come from and how they felt silenced— “Back home in my predominantly conservative suburb, my neighbors had brushed off environmental concerns” —so it’s easy to feel joy for them when they get set free and finally find their community.
This student displays clear values: community, ecoconsciousness, dedication, and compassion. An admissions officer who reads a diversity essay is looking for students with strong values who will enrich the university community with their unique perspective—that sounds just like this student!
One area of weakness in this essay is the introduction. The opening line— “I never understood the power of community until I left home to join seven strangers in the Ecuadorian rainforest” —is a bit clichéd. Introductions should be captivating and build excitement and suspense for what is to come. Simply telling the reader about how your experience made you understand the power of community reveals the main takeaway of your essay without the reader needing to go any further.
Instead of starting this essay with a summary of what the essay is about, the student should have made their hook part of the story. Whether that looks like them being exasperated with comments their classmates made about politics, or them looking around apprehensively at the seven strangers in their program as they all boarded their flight, the student should start off in the action.
India holds a permanent place in my heart and ears. Whenever I returned on a trip or vacation, I would show my grandmother how to play Monopoly and she would let me tie her sari. I would teach my grandfather English idioms—which he would repeat to random people and fishmongers on the streets—and he would teach me Telugu phrases.
It was a curious exchange of worlds that I am reminded of every time I listen to Indian music. It was these tunes that helped me reconnect with my heritage and ground my meandering identity. Indian music, unlike the stereotype I’d long been imbued with, was not just a one-and-done Bollywood dance number! Each region and language was like an island with its own unique sonic identity. I’m grateful for my discovery of Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil tunes, for these discoveries have opened me up to the incredible smorgasbord of diversity, depth, and complexity within the subcontinent I was born in.
Here’s an entirely-different sonic identity for you: Texan slang. “Couldya pass the Mango seltzer, please, hon?” asked my Houstonian neighbor, Rae Ann—her syllables melding together like the sticky cake batter we were making.
Rae Ann and her twang were real curiosities to me. Once, she invited my family to a traditional Texan barbecue with the rest of our neighbors. As Hindus, we didn’t eat beef, so we showed up with chicken kebabs, instead. Rather than looking at us bizarrely, she gladly accepted the dish, lining it up beside grilled loins and hamburger patties.
Her gesture was a small but very well-accepted one and I quickly became convinced she was the human manifestation of “Southern hospitality”—something reflected in each of her viscous, honey-dripping phrases. “Watch out for the skeeters!” was an excellent example. It was always funny at first, but conveyed a simple message: We’ve got each other’s backs and together, we can overcome the blood-sucking mosquitoes of the Houstonian summer! I began to see how her words built bridges, not boundaries.
I believe that sounds—whether it’s music or accents—can make a difference in the ways we perceive and accept individuals from other backgrounds. But sound is about listening too. In Rice’s residential college, I would be the type of person to strike up a conversation with an international student and ask for one of their Airpods (you’d be surprised how many different genres and languages of music I’ve picked up in this way!).
As both an international student and Houstonian at heart, I hope to bridge the gap between Rice’s domestic and international populations. Whether it’s organizing cultural events or simply taking the time to get to know a student whose first language isn’t English, I look forward to listening to the stories that only a fellow wanderer can tell.
This essay does an excellent job of addressing two aspects of this student’s identity. Looking at diversity through sound is a very creative way to descriptively depict their Indian and Texan cultures. Essays are always more successful when they stimulate the senses, so framing the entire response around sound automatically opens the door for vivid imagery.
The quotes from this student’s quirky neighbor bring a sense of realism to the essay. We can feel ourselves at the barbecue and hear her thick Texan accent coming through. The way people communicate is a huge part of their culture and identity, so the way that this student perfectly captures the essence of their Texan identity with accented phrases is skillfully done.
This essay does such a great job of making the sounds of Texas jump off the page, so it is a bit disappointing that it wasn’t able to accomplish the same for India. The student describes the different Indian languages and music styles, but doesn’t bring them to life with quotes or onomatopoeia in the manner that they did for the sounds of Texas.
They could have described the buzz of the sitar or the lyrical pattern of the Telugu phrases their grandfather taught them. Telling us about the diversity of sounds in Indian music is fine, but if the reader can’t appreciate what those sounds resemble, it makes it harder to understand the Indian half of the author’s identity. Especially since this student emulated the sounds and essence of Texas so well, it’s important that India is given the same treatment so we can fully appreciate both sides of this essay.
More Supplemental Essay Tips
How to Write a Stellar “Why This College?” Essay + Examples
How to Write a Stellar Extracurricular Activity College Essay
Do you want feedback on your diversity essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.
If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!
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May 8, 2024
The Diversity Essay: How to Write an Excellent Diversity Essay
What is a diversity essay in a school application? And why does it matter when applying to leading programs and universities? Most importantly, how should you go about writing such an essay?
Diversity is of supreme value in higher education, and schools want to know how every student will contribute to the diversity on their campus. A diversity essay gives applicants with disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, an unusual education, a distinctive experience, or a unique family history an opportunity to write about how these elements of their background have prepared them to play a useful role in increasing and encouraging diversity among their target program’s student body and broader community.
The purpose of all application essays is to help the adcom better understand who an applicant is and what they care about. Your essays are your chance to share your voice and humanize your application. This is especially true for the diversity essay, which aims to reveal your unique perspectives and experiences, as well as the ways in which you might contribute to a college community.
In this post, we’ll discuss what exactly a diversity essay is, look at examples of actual prompts and a sample essay, and offer tips for writing a standout essay.
In this post, you’ll find the following:
What a diversity essay covers
How to show you can add to a school’s diversity, why diversity matters to schools.
- Seven examples that reveal diversity
Sample diversity essay prompts
How to write about your diversity.
- A diversity essay example
Upon hearing the word “diversity” in relation to an application essay, many people assume that they will have to write about gender, sexuality, class, or race. To many, this can feel overly personal or irrelevant, and some students might worry that their identity isn’t unique or interesting enough. In reality, the diversity essay is much broader than many people realize.
Identity means different things to different people. The important thing is that you demonstrate your uniqueness and what matters to you. In addition to writing about one of the traditional identity features we just mentioned (gender, sexuality, class, race), you could consider writing about a more unusual feature of yourself or your life – or even the intersection of two or more identities.
Consider these questions as you think about what to include in your diversity essay:
- Do you have a unique or unusual talent or skill?
- Do you have beliefs or values that are markedly different from those of the people around you?
- Do you have a hobby or interest that sets you apart from your peers?
- Have you done or experienced something that few people have? Note that if you choose to write about a single event as a diverse identity feature, that event needs to have had a pretty substantial impact on you and your life. For example, perhaps you’re part of the 0.2% of the world’s population that has run a marathon, or you’ve had the chance to watch wolves hunt in the wild.
- Do you have a role in life that gives you a special outlook on the world? For example, maybe one of your siblings has a rare disability, or you grew up in a town with fewer than 500 inhabitants.
If you are an immigrant to the United States, the child of immigrants, or someone whose ethnicity is underrepresented in the States, your response to “How will you add to the diversity of our class/community?” and similar questions might help your application efforts. Why? Because you have the opportunity to show the adcom how your background will contribute a distinctive perspective to the program you are applying to.
Of course, if you’re not underrepresented in your field or part of a disadvantaged group, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to write about in a diversity essay.
For example, you might have an unusual or special experience to share, such as serving in the military, being a member of a dance troupe, or caring for a disabled relative. These and other distinctive experiences can convey how you will contribute to the diversity of the school’s campus.
Maybe you are the first member of your family to apply to college or the first person in your household to learn English. Perhaps you have worked your way through college or helped raise your siblings. You might also have been an ally to those who are underrepresented, disadvantaged, or marginalized in your community, at your school, or in a work setting.
As you can see, diversity is not limited to one’s religion, ethnicity, culture, language, or sexual orientation. It refers to whatever element of your identity distinguishes you from others and shows that you, too, value diversity.
The diversity essay provides colleges the chance to build a student body that includes different ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, backgrounds, interests, and so on. Applicants are asked to illuminate what sets them apart so that the adcoms can see what kind of diverse views and opinions they can bring to the campus.
Admissions officers believe that diversity in the classroom improves the educational experience of all the students involved. They also believe that having a diverse workforce better serves society as a whole.
The more diverse perspectives found in the classroom, throughout the dorms, in the dining halls, and mixed into study groups, the richer people’s discussions will be.
Plus, learning and growing in this kind of multicultural environment will prepare students for working in our increasingly multicultural and global world.
In medicine, for example, a heterogeneous workforce benefits people from previously underrepresented cultures. Businesses realize that they will market more effectively if they can speak to different audiences, which is possible when members of their workforce come from various backgrounds and cultures. Schools simply want to prepare graduates for the 21st century job market.
Seven examples that reveal diversity
Adcoms want to know about the diverse elements of your character and how these have helped you develop particular personality traits , as well as about any unusual experiences that have shaped you.
Here are seven examples an applicant could write about:
1. They grew up in an environment with a strong emphasis on respecting their elders, attending family events, and/or learning their parents’ native language and culture.
2. They are close to their grandparents and extended family members who have taught them how teamwork can help everyone thrive.
3. They have had to face difficulties that stem from their parents’ values being in conflict with theirs or those of their peers.
4. Teachers have not always understood the elements of their culture or lifestyle and how those elements influence their performance.
5. They have suffered discrimination and succeeded despite it because of their grit, values, and character.
6. They learned skills from a lifestyle that is outside the norm (e.g., living in foreign countries as the child of a diplomat or contractor; performing professionally in theater, dance, music, or sports; having a deaf sibling).
7. They’ve encountered racism or other prejudice (either toward themselves or others) and responded by actively promoting diverse, tolerant values.
And remember, diversity is not about who your parents are. It’s about who you are – at the core.
Your background, influences, religious observances, native language, ideas, work environment, community experiences – all these factors come together to create a unique individual, one who will contribute to a varied class of distinct individuals taking their place in a diverse world.
The best-known diversity essay prompt is from the Common App . It states:
“Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”
Some schools have individual diversity essay prompts. For example, this one is from Duke University :
“We believe a wide range of personal perspectives, beliefs, and lived experiences are essential to making Duke a vibrant and meaningful living and learning community. Feel free to share with us anything in this context that might help us better understand you and what you might bring to our community.”
And the Rice University application includes the following prompt:
“Rice is strengthened by its diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders and change agents across the spectrum of human endeavor. What perspectives shaped by your background, experiences, upbringing, and/or racial identity inspire you to join our community of change agents at Rice?”
In all instances, colleges want you to demonstrate how and what you’ll contribute to their communities.
Your answer to a school’s diversity essay question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective.
The school might ask how you think of diversity or how you will bring or add to the diversity of the school, your chosen profession, or your community. Make sure you answer the specific question posed by highlighting distinctive elements of your profile that will add to the class mosaic every adcom is trying to create. You don’t want to blend in; you want to stand out in a positive way while also complementing the school’s canvas.
Here’s a simple, three-part framework that will help you think of diversity more broadly:
Who are you? What has contributed to your identity? How do you distinguish yourself? Your identity can include any of the following: gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, religion, nontraditional work experience, nontraditional educational background, multicultural background, and family’s educational level.
What have you done? What have you accomplished? This could include any of the following: achievements inside and/or outside your field of study, leadership opportunities, community service, internship or professional experience, research opportunities, hobbies, and travel. Any or all of these could be unique. Also, what life-derailing, throw-you-for-a-loop challenges have you faced and overcome?
How do you think? How do you approach things? What drives you? What influences you? Are you the person who can break up a tense meeting with some well-timed humor? Are you the one who intuitively sees how to bring people together?
Read more about this three-part framework in Episode 193 of Accepted’s Admissions Straight Talk podcast or listen wherever you get your favorite podcast s.
Think about each question within this framework and how you could apply your diversity elements to your target school’s classroom or community. Any of these elements can serve as the framework for your essay.
Don’t worry if you can’t think of something totally “out there.” You don’t need to be a tightrope walker living in the Andes or a Buddhist monk from Japan to be able to contribute to a school’s diversity!
And please remember, the examples we have offered here are not exhaustive. There are many other ways to show diversity!
All you need to do to be able to write successfully about how you will contribute to the diversity of your target school’s community is examine your identity, deeds, and ideas, with an eye toward your personal distinctiveness and individuality. There is only one you .
Take a look at the sample diversity essay in the next section of this post, and pay attention to how the writer underscores their appreciation for, and experience with, diversity.
A diversity essay sample
When I was starting 11th grade, my dad, an agricultural scientist, was assigned to a 3-month research project in a farm village in Niigata (northwest Honshu in Japan). Rather than stay behind with my mom and siblings, I begged to go with him. As a straight-A student, I convinced my parents and the principal that I could handle my schoolwork remotely (pre-COVID) for that stretch. It was time to leap beyond my comfortable suburban Wisconsin life—and my Western orientation, reinforced by travel to Europe the year before.
We roomed in a sprawling farmhouse with a family participating in my dad’s study. I thought I’d experience an “English-free zone,” but the high school students all studied and wanted to practice English, so I did meet peers even though I didn’t attend their school. Of the many eye-opening, influential, cultural experiences, the one that resonates most powerfully to me is experiencing their community. It was a living, organic whole. Elementary school kids spent time helping with the rice harvest. People who foraged for seasonal wild edibles gave them to acquaintances throughout the town. In fact, there was a constant sharing of food among residents—garden veggies carried in straw baskets, fish or meat in coolers. The pharmacist would drive prescriptions to people who couldn’t easily get out—new mothers, the elderly—not as a business service but as a good neighbor. If rain suddenly threatened, neighbors would bring in each other’s drying laundry. When an empty-nest 50-year-old woman had to be hospitalized suddenly for a near-fatal snakebite, neighbors maintained her veggie patch until she returned. The community embodied constant awareness of others’ needs and circumstances. The community flowed!
Yet, people there lamented that this lifestyle was vanishing; more young people left than stayed or came. And it wasn’t idyllic: I heard about ubiquitous gossip, long-standing personal enmities, busybody-ness. But these very human foibles didn’t dam the flow. This dynamic community organism couldn’t have been more different from my suburban life back home, with its insular nuclear families. We nod hello to neighbors in passing.
This wonderful experience contained a personal challenge. Blond and blue-eyed, I became “the other” for the first time. Except for my dad, I saw no Westerner there. Curious eyes followed me. Stepping into a market or walking down the street, I drew gazes. People swiftly looked away if they accidentally caught my eye. It was not at all hostile, I knew, but I felt like an object. I began making extra sure to appear “presentable” before going outside. The sense of being watched sometimes generated mild stress or resentment. Returning to my lovely tatami room, I would decompress, grateful to be alone. I realized this challenge was a minute fraction of what others experience in my own country. The toll that feeling—and being— “other” takes on non-white and visibly different people in the US can be extremely painful. Experiencing it firsthand, albeit briefly, benignly, and in relative comfort, I got it.
Unlike the organic Niigata community, work teams, and the workplace itself, have externally driven purposes. Within this different environment, I will strive to exemplify the ongoing mutual awareness that fueled the community life in Niigata. Does it benefit the bottom line, improve the results? I don’t know. But it helps me be the mature, engaged person I want to be, and to appreciate the individuals who are my colleagues and who comprise my professional community. I am now far more conscious of people feeling their “otherness”—even when it’s not in response to negative treatment, it can arise simply from awareness of being in some way different.
What did you think of this essay? Does this middle class Midwesterner have the unique experience of being different from the surrounding majority, something she had not experienced in the United States? Did she encounter diversity from the perspective of “the other”?
Here a few things to note about why this diversity essay works so well:
1. The writer comes from “a comfortable, suburban, Wisconsin life,” suggesting that her background might not be ethnically, racially, or in any other way diverse.
2. The diversity “points” scored all come from her fascinating experience of having lived in a Japanese farm village, where she immersed herself in a totally different culture.
3. The lessons learned about the meaning of community are what broaden and deepen the writer’s perspective about life, about a purpose-driven life, and about the concept of “otherness.”
By writing about a time when you experienced diversity in one of its many forms, you can write a memorable and meaningful diversity essay.
Working on your diversity essay?
Want to ensure that your application demonstrates the diversity that your dream school is seeking? Work with one of our admissions experts . This checklist includes more than 30 different ways to think about diversity to jump-start your creative engine.
Dr. Sundas Ali has more than 15 years of experience teaching and advising students, providing career and admissions advice, reviewing applications, and conducting interviews for the University of Oxford’s undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition, Sundas has worked with students from a wide range of countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the Middle East. Want Sundas to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
- Different Dimensions of Diversity , podcast Episode 193
- What Should You Do If You Belong to an Overrepresented MBA Applicant Group?
- Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions , a free guide
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Cultural Diversity Essay & Community Essay Examples
If you’ve started to research college application requirements for the schools on your list, you might have come across the “cultural diversity essay.” In this guide, we’ll explore the cultural diversity essay in depth. We will compare the cultural diversity essay to the community essay and discuss how to approach these kinds of supplements. We’ll also provide examples of diversity essays and community essay examples. But first, let’s discuss exactly what a cultural diversity essay is.
The purpose of the cultural diversity essay in college applications is to show the admissions committee what makes you unique. The cultural diversity essay also lets you describe what type of “ diversity ” you would bring to campus.
We’ll also highlight a diversity essay sample for three college applications. These include the Georgetown application essay , Rice application essay , and Williams application essay . We’ll provide examples of diversity essays for each college. Then, for each of these college essays that worked, we will analyze their strengths to help you craft your own essays.
Finally, we’ll give you some tips on how to write a cultural diversity essay that will make your applications shine.
But first, let’s explore the types of college essays you might encounter on your college applications.
Types of College Essays
College application requirements will differ among schools. However, you’ll submit one piece of writing to nearly every school on your list—the personal statement . A strong personal statement can help you stand out in the admissions process.
So, how do you know what to write about? That depends on the type of college essay included in your college application requirements.
There are a few main types of college essays that you might encounter in the college admissions process. Theese include the “Why School ” essay, the “Why Major ” essay, and the extracurricular activity essay. This also includes the type of essay we will focus on in this guide—the cultural diversity essay.
“Why School” essay
The “Why School ” essay is exactly what it sounds like. For this type of college essay, you’ll need to underscore why you want to go to this particular school.
However, don’t make the mistake of just listing off what you like about the school. Additionally, don’t just reiterate information you can find on their admissions website. Instead, you’ll want to make connections between what the school offers and how you are a great fit for that college community.
“Why Major” essay
The idea behind the “Why Major ” essay is similar to that of the “Why School ” essay above. However, instead of writing about the school at large, this essay should highlight why you plan to study your chosen major.
There are plenty of directions you could take with this type of essay. For instance, you might describe how you chose this major, what career you plan to pursue upon graduation, or other details.
Extracurricular Activity essay
The extracurricular activity essay asks you to elaborate on one of the activities that you participated in outside of the classroom.
For this type of college essay, you’ll need to select an extracurricular activity that you pursued while you were in high school. Bonus points if you can tie your extracurricular activity into your future major, career goals, or other extracurricular activities for college. Overall, your extracurricular activity essay should go beyond your activities list. In doing so, it should highlight why your chosen activity matters to you.
Cultural Diversity essay
The cultural diversity essay is your chance to expound upon diversity in all its forms. Before you write your cultural diversity essay, you should ask yourself some key questions. These questions can include: How will you bring diversity to your future college campus? What unique perspective do you bring to the table?
Another sub-category of the cultural diversity essay is the gender diversity essay. As its name suggests, this essay would center around the author’s gender. This essay would highlight how gender shapes the way the writer understands the world around them.
Later, we’ll look at examples of diversity essays and other college essays that worked. But before we do, let’s figure out how to identify a cultural diversity essay in the first place.
How to identify a ‘cultural diversity’ essay
So, you’re wondering how you’ll be able to identify a cultural diversity essay as you review your college application requirements.
Aside from the major giveaway of having the word “diversity” in the prompt, a cultural diversity essay will ask you to describe what makes you different from other applicants. In other words, what aspects of your unique culture(s) have influenced your perspective and shaped you into who you are today?
Diversity can refer to race, ethnicity, first-generation status, gender, or anything in between. You can write about a myriad of things in a cultural diversity essay. For instance, you might discuss your personal background, identity, values, experiences, or how you’ve overcome challenges in your life.
However, don’t feel limited in what you can address in a cultural diversity essay. The words “culture” and “diversity” mean different things to different people. Above all, you’ll want your diversity essays for college to be personal and sincere.
How is a ‘community’ essay different?
A community essay can also be considered a cultural diversity essay. In fact, you can think of the community essay as a subcategory of the cultural diversity essay. However, there is a key difference between a community essay and a cultural diversity essay, which we will illustrate below.
You might have already seen some community essay examples while you were researching college application requirements. But how exactly is a community essay different from a cultural diversity essay?
One way to tell the difference between community essay examples and cultural diversity essay examples is by the prompt. A community essay will highlight, well, community . This means it will focus on how your identity will shape your interactions on campus—not just how it informs your own experiences.
Two common forms to look out for
Community essay examples can take two forms. First, you’ll find community essay examples about your past experiences. These let you show the admissions team how you have positively influenced your own community.
Other community essay examples, however, will focus on the future. These community essay examples will ask you to detail how you will contribute to your future college community. We refer to these as college community essay examples.
In college community essay examples, you’ll see applicants detail how they might interact with their fellow students. These essays may also discuss how students plan to positively contribute to the campus community.
As we mentioned above, the community essay, along with community essay examples and college community essay examples, fit into the larger category of the cultural diversity essay. Although we do not have specific community essay examples or college community essay examples in this guide, we will continue to highlight the subtle differences between the two.
Before we continue the discussion of community essay examples and college community essay examples, let’s start with some examples of cultural diversity essay prompts. For each of the cultural diversity essay prompts, we’ll name the institutions that include these diversity essays for college as part of their college application requirements.
What are some examples of ‘cultural diversity’ essays?
Now, you have a better understanding of the similarities and differences between the cultural diversity essay and the community essay. So, next, let’s look at some examples of cultural diversity essay prompts.
The prompts below are from the Georgetown application, Rice application, and Williams application, respectively. As we discuss the similarities and differences between prompts, remember the framework we provided above for what constitutes a cultural diversity essay and a community essay.
Later in this guide, we’ll provide real examples of diversity essays, including Georgetown essay examples, Rice University essay examples, and Williams supplemental essays examples. These are all considered college essays that worked—meaning that the author was accepted into that particular institution.
Georgetown Supplementals Essays
Later, we’ll look at Georgetown supplemental essay examples. Diversity essays for Georgetown are a product of this prompt:
As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you.
You might have noticed two keywords in this prompt right away: “diverse” and “community.” These buzzwords indicate that this prompt is a cultural diversity essay. You could even argue that responses to this prompt would result in college community essay examples. After all, the prompt refers to the Georgetown community.
For this prompt, you’ll want to produce a diversity essay sample that highlights who you are. In order to do that successfully, you’ll need to self-reflect before putting pen to paper. What aspects of your background, personality, or values best describe who you are? How might your presence at Georgetown influence or contribute to their diverse community?
Additionally, this cultural diversity essay can be personal or creative. So, you have more flexibility with the Georgetown supplemental essays than with other similar diversity essay prompts. Depending on the direction you go, your response to this prompt could be considered a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or a college community essay.
Rice University Essays
The current Rice acceptance rate is just 9% , making it a highly selective school. Because the Rice acceptance rate is so low, your personal statement and supplemental essays can make a huge difference.
The Rice University essay examples we’ll provide below are based on this prompt:
The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice?
Breaking down the prompt.
Like the prompt above, this cultural diversity essay asks about your “life experiences,” “cultural traditions,” and personal “perspectives.” These phrases indicate a cultural diversity essay. Keep in mind this may not be the exact prompt you’ll have to answer in your own Rice application. However, future Rice prompts will likely follow a similar framework as this diversity essay sample.
Although this prompt is not as flexible as the Georgetown prompt, it does let you discuss aspects of Rice’s academic life and Residential College System that appeal to you. You can also highlight how your experiences have influenced your personal perspective.
The prompt also asks about how you would contribute to life at Rice. So, your response could also fall in line with college community essay examples. Remember, college community essay examples are another sub-category of community essay examples. Successful college community essay examples will illustrate the ways in which students would contribute to their future campus community.
Williams Supplemental Essays
Like the Rice acceptance rate, the Williams acceptance rate is also 9% . Because the Williams acceptance rate is so low, you’ll want to pay close attention to the Williams supplemental essays examples as you begin the writing process.
The Williams supplemental essays examples below are based on this prompt:
Every first-year student at Williams lives in an Entry – a thoughtfully constructed microcosm of the student community that’s a defining part of the Williams experience. From the moment they arrive, students find themselves in what’s likely the most diverse collection of backgrounds, perspectives, and interests they’ve ever encountered. What might differentiate you from the 19 other first-year students in an Entry? What perspective would you add to the conversation with your peer(s)?
Reflecting on the prompt.
Immediately, words like “diverse,” “backgrounds,” “perspectives,” “interests,” and “differentiate” should stand out to you. These keywords highlight the fact that this is a cultural diversity essay. Similar to the Rice essay, this may not be the exact prompt you’ll face on your Williams application. However, we can still learn from it.
Like the Georgetown essay, this prompt requires you to put in some self-reflection before you start writing. What aspects of your background differentiate you from other people? How would these differences impact your interactions with peers?
This prompt also touches on the “student community” and how you would “add to the conversation with your peer(s).” By extension, any strong responses to this prompt could also be considered as college community essay examples.
Community Essays
All of the prompts above mention campus community. So, you could argue that they are also examples of community essays.
Like we mentioned above, you can think of community essays as a subcategory of the cultural diversity essay. If the prompt alludes to the campus community, or if your response is centered on how you would interact within that community, your essay likely falls into the world of college community essay examples.
Regardless of what you would classify the essay as, all successful essays will be thoughtful, personal, and rich with details. We’ll show you examples of this in our “college essays that worked” section below.
Which schools require a cultural diversity or community essay?
Besides Georgetown, Rice, and Williams, many other college applications require a cultural diversity essay or community essay. In fact, from the Ivy League to HBCUs and state schools, the cultural diversity essay is a staple across college applications.
Although we will not provide a diversity essay sample for each of the colleges below, it is helpful to read the prompts. This will build your familiarity with other college applications that require a cultural diversity essay or community essay. Some schools that require a cultural diversity essay or community essay include New York University , Duke University , Harvard University , Johns Hopkins University , and University of Michigan .
New York University
NYU listed a cultural diversity essay as part of its 2022-2023 college application requirements. Here is the prompt:
NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience. We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community.
Duke university.
Duke is well-known for its community essay:
What is your sense of Duke as a university and a community, and why do you consider it a good match for you? If there’s something in particular about our offerings that attracts you, feel free to share that as well.
A top-ranked Ivy League institution, Harvard University also has a cultural diversity essay as part of its college application requirements:
Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development, or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates.
Johns hopkins university.
The Johns Hopkins supplement is another example of a cultural diversity essay:
Founded in the spirit of exploration and discovery, Johns Hopkins University encourages students to share their perspectives, develop their interests, and pursue new experiences. Use this space to share something you’d like the admissions committee to know about you (your interests, your background, your identity, or your community), and how it has shaped what you want to get out of your college experience at Hopkins.
University of michigan.
The University of Michigan requires a community essay for its application:
Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong and describe that community and your place within it.
Community essay examples.
The Duke and Michigan prompts are perfect illustrations of community essay examples. However, they have some critical differences. So, if you apply to both of these schools, you’ll have to change the way you approach either of these community essays.
The Duke prompt asks you to highlight why you are a good match for the Duke community. You’ll also see this prompt in other community essay examples. To write a successful response to this prompt, you’ll need to reference offerings specific to Duke (or whichever college requires this essay). In order to know what to reference, you’ll need to do your research before you start writing.
Consider the following questions as you write your diversity essay sample if the prompt is similar to Duke University’s
- What values does this college community have?
- How do these tie in with what you value?
- Is there something that this college offers that matches your interests, personality, or background?
On the other hand, the Michigan essay prompt asks you to describe a community that you belong to as well as your place within that community. This is another variation of the prompt for community essay examples.
To write a successful response to this prompt, you’ll need to identify a community that you belong to. Then, you’ll need to think critically about how you interact with that community.
Below are some questions to consider as you write your diversity essay sample for colleges like Michigan:
- Out of all the communities you belong to, which can you highlight in your response?
- How have you impacted this community?
- How has this community impacted you?
Now, in the next few sections, we’ll dive into the Georgetown supplemental essay examples, the Rice university essay examples, and the Williams supplemental essays examples. After each diversity essay sample, we’ll include a breakdown of why these are considered college essays that worked.
Georgetown Essay Examples
As a reminder, the Georgetown essay examples respond to this prompt:
As Georgetown is a diverse community, the Admissions Committee would like to know more about you in your own words. Please submit a brief essay, either personal or creative, which you feel best describes you.
Here is the excerpt of the diversity essay sample from our Georgetown essay examples:
Georgetown University Essay Example
The best thing I ever did was skip eight days of school in a row. Despite the protests of teachers over missed class time, I told them that the world is my classroom. The lessons I remember most are those that took place during my annual family vacation to coastal Maine. That rural world is the most authentic and incredible classroom where learning simply happens and becomes exponential.
Years ago, as I hunted through the rocks and seaweed for seaglass and mussels, I befriended a Maine local hauling her battered kayak on the shore. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had found a kindred spirit in Jeanne. Jeanne is a year-round resident who is more than the hard working, rugged Mainer that meets the eye; reserved and humble in nature, she is a wealth of knowledge and is self-taught through necessity. With thoughtful attention to detail, I engineered a primitive ramp made of driftwood and a pulley system to haul her kayak up the cliff. We diligently figured out complex problems and developed solutions through trial and error.
After running out of conventional materials, I recycled and reimagined items that had washed ashore. We expected to succeed, but were not afraid to fail. Working with Jeanne has been the best classroom in the world; without textbooks or technology, she has made a difference in my life. Whether building a basic irrigation system for her organic garden or installing solar panels to harness the sun’s energy, every project has shown me the value of taking action and making an impact. Each year brings a different project with new excitement and unique challenges. My resourcefulness, problem solving ability, and innovative thinking have advanced under her tutelage.
While exploring the rocky coast of Maine, I embrace every experience as an unparalleled educational opportunity that transcends any classroom environment. I discovered that firsthand experience and real-world application of science are my best teachers. In school, applications of complex calculations and abstract theories are sometimes obscured by grades and structure. In Maine, I expand my love of science and renourish my curious spirit. I am a highly independent, frugal, resilient Mainer living as a southern girl in NC.
Why this essay worked
This is one of the Georgetown supplemental essay examples that works, and here’s why. The author starts the essay with an interesting hook, which makes the reader want to learn more about this person and their perspective.
Throughout the essay, the author illustrates their intellectual curiosity. From befriending Jeanne and creating a pulley system to engineering other projects on the rocky coast of Maine, the author demonstrates how they welcome challenges and work to solve problems.
Further, the author mentions values that matter to them—taking action and making an impact. Both facets are also part of Georgetown’s core values . By making these connections in their essay, the author shows the admissions committee exactly how they would be a great fit for the Georgetown community.
Finally, the author uses their experience in Maine to showcase their love of science, which is likely the field they will study at Georgetown. Like this writer, you should try to include most important parts of your identity into your essay. This includes things like life experiences, passions, majors, extracurricular activities for college, and more.
Rice University Essay Examples
The Rice University essay examples are from this prompt:
The quality of Rice’s academic life and the Residential College System are heavily influenced by the unique life experiences and cultural traditions each student brings. What personal perspective would you contribute to life at Rice? (500-word limit)
Rice university essay example.
Like every applicant, I also have a story to share. A story that makes me who I am and consists of chapters about my life experiences and adventures. Having been born in a different country, my journey to America was one of the most difficult things I had ever experienced. Everything felt different. The atmosphere, the places, the food, and especially the people. Everywhere I looked, I saw something new. Although it was a bit overwhelming, one thing had not changed.
The caring nature of the people was still prevalent in everyday interactions. I was overwhelmed by how supportive and understanding people were of one another. Whether it is race, religion, or culture, everyone was accepted and appreciated. I knew that I could be whoever I wanted to be and that the only limitation was my imagination. Through hard work and persistence I put my all in everything that I did. I get this work ethic from my father since he is living proof that anything can be accomplished with continued determination. Listening to the childhood stories he told me, my dad would reminisce about how he was born in an impoverished area in a third world country during a turbulent and unpredictable time.
Even with a passion for learning, he had to work a laborious job in an attempt to help his parents make ends meet. He talked about how he would study under the street lights when the power went out at home. His parents wanted something better for him, as did he. Not living in America changed nothing about their work ethic. His parents continued to work hard daily, in an attempt to provide for their son. My dad worked and studied countless hours, paying his way through school with jobs and scholarships. His efforts paid off when he finally moved to America and opened his own business. None of it would have been possible without tremendous effort and dedication needed for a better life, values that are instilled within me as well, and this is the perspective that I wish to bring to Rice.
This diversity essay sample references the author’s unique life experiences and personal perspective, which makes it one example of college essays that worked. The author begins the essay by alluding to their unique story—they were born in a different country and then came to America. Instead of facing this change as a challenge, the author shows how this new experience helped them to feel comfortable with all kinds of people. They also highlight how their diversity was accepted and appreciated.
Additionally, the author incorporates information about their father’s story, which helps to frame their own values and where those values came from. The values that they chose to highlight also fall in line with the values of the Rice community.
Williams Supplemental Essay Examples
Let’s read the prompt that inspired so many strong Williams supplemental essays examples again:
Every first-year student at Williams lives in an Entry—a thoughtfully constructed microcosm of the student community that’s a defining part of the Williams experience. From the moment they arrive, students find themselves in what’s likely the most diverse collection of backgrounds, perspectives and interests they’ve ever encountered. What might differentiate you from the 19 other first-year students in an entry? What perspective(s) would you add to the conversation with your peers?
Williams college essay example.
Through the flow in my head
See you clad in red
But not just the clothes
It’s your whole being
Covering in this sickening blanket
Of heat and pain
Are you in agony, I wonder?
Is this the hell they told me about?
Have we been condemned?
Reduced to nothing but pain
At least we have each other
In our envelopes of crimson
I try in vain
“Take my hands” I shriek
“Let’s protect each other,
You and me, through this hell”
My body contorts
And deforms into nothingness
You remain the same
Clad in red
With faraway eyes
You, like a statue
Your eyes fixed somewhere else
You never see me
Just the red briefcase in your heart
We aren’t together
It’s always been me alone
While you stand there, aloof, with the briefcase in your heart.
I wrote this poem the day my prayer request for the Uighur Muslims got denied at school. At the time, I was stunned. I was taught to have empathy for those around me. Yet, that empathy disappears when told to extend it to someone different. I can’t comprehend this contradiction and I refuse to.
At Williams, I hope to become a Community Engagement Fellow at the Davis Center. I hope to use Williams’ support for social justice and advocacy to educate my fellow classmates on social issues around the world. Williams students are not just scholars but also leaders and changemakers. Together, we can strive to better the world through advocacy.
Human’s capability for love is endless. We just need to open our hearts to everyone.
It’s time to let the briefcase go and look at those around us with our real human eyes.
We see you now. Please forgive us.
As we mentioned above, the Williams acceptance rate is incredibly low. This makes the supplemental essay that much more important.
This diversity essay sample works because it is personal and memorable. The author chooses to start the essay off with a poem. Which, if done right, will immediately grab the reader’s attention.
Further, the author contextualizes the poem by explaining the circumstances surrounding it—they wrote it in response to a prayer request that was denied at school. In doing so, they also highlight their own values of empathy and embracing diversity.
Finally, the author ends their cultural diversity essay by describing what excites them about Williams. They also discuss how they see themselves interacting within the Williams community. This is a key piece of the essay, as it helps the reader understand how the author would be a good fit for Williams.
The examples provided within this essay also touch on issues that are important to the author, which provides a glimpse into the type of student the author would be on campus. Additionally, this response shows what potential extracurricular activities for college the author might be interested in pursuing while at Williams.
How to Write a Cultural Diversity Essay
You want your diversity essay to stand out from any other diversity essay sample. But how do you write a successful cultural diversity essay?
First, consider what pieces of your identity you want to highlight in your essay. Of course, race and ethnicity are important facets of diversity. However, there are plenty of other factors to consider.
As you brainstorm, think outside the box to figure out what aspects of your identity help make up who you are. Because identity and diversity fall on a spectrum, there is no right or wrong answer here.
Fit your ideas to the specific school
Once you’ve decided on what you want to represent in your cultural diversity essay, think about how that fits into the college of your choice. Use your cultural diversity essay to make connections to the school. If your college has specific values or programs that align with your identity, then include them in your cultural diversity essay!
Above all, you should write about something that is important to you. Your cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay will succeed if you are passionate about your topic and willing to get personal.
Additional Tips for Community & Cultural Diversity Essays
1. start early.
In order to create the strongest diversity essay possible, you’ll want to start early. Filling out college applications is already a time-consuming process. So, you can cut back on additional stress and anxiety by writing your cultural diversity essay as early as possible.
2. Brainstorm
Writing a cultural diversity essay or community essay is a personal process. To set yourself up for success, take time to brainstorm and reflect on your topic. Overall, you want your cultural diversity essay to be a good indication of who you are and what makes you a unique applicant.
3. Proofread
We can’t stress this final tip enough. Be sure to proofread your cultural diversity essay before you hit the submit button. Additionally, you can read your essay aloud to hear how it flows. You can also can ask someone you trust, like your college advisor or a teacher, to help proofread your essay as well.
Other CollegeAdvisor Essay Resources to Explore
Looking for additional resources on supplemental essays for the colleges we mentioned above? Do you need help with incorporating extracurricular activities for college into your essays or crafting a strong diversity essay sample? We’ve got you covered.
Our how to get into Georgetown guide covers additional tips on how to approach the supplemental diversity essay. If you’re wondering how to write about community in your essay, check out our campus community article for an insider’s perspective on Williams College.
Want to learn strategies for writing compelling cultural diversity essays? Check out this Q&A webinar, featuring a former Georgetown admissions officer. And, if you’re still unsure of what to highlight in your community essay, try getting inspiration from a virtual college tour .
Cultural Diversity Essay & Community Essay Examples – Final Thoughts
Your supplemental essays are an important piece of the college application puzzle. With colleges becoming more competitive than ever, you’ll want to do everything you can to create a strong candidate profile. This includes writing well-crafted responses for a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay.
We hope our cultural diversity essay guide helped you learn more about this common type of supplemental essay. As you are writing your own cultural diversity essay or community essay, use the essay examples from Georgetown, Rice, and Williams above as your guide.
Getting into top schools takes a lot more than a strong resume. Writing specific, thoughtful, and personal responses for a cultural diversity essay, gender diversity essay, or community essay will put you one step closer to maximizing your chances of admission. Good luck!
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Cultural diversity in the areas of work is essential since it mirrors the differences of people at the level of society (Anjorini and Jansari, 2018). The numerous cultural differences that can be observed at the workplace include religion, age, gender, social status, and sexual orientation. To start with, different people hold different spiritual views and practice different morals and behaviors that relate to spiritual elements. Also, individuals at the workplace are diverse in their ages with some coming from different […]
Diversity Can Apply to Many Aspects of our Life
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Educational System in America
Introduction In the past, education in America was exclusive and did not include a diverse demographic pool, women, and people of color were not a part of major decisions. And yet, today the dichotomy in the education system is still unsettling due to racial inequality. African Americans and women alike are victims of the lasting effects of racism and oppression. It was not until the 19th century where school was highly regarded as a serious matter in the United States. […]
The Concept of Diversity Among Various Groups
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The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World
America has always been a diverse society in was such as racially, culturally, and regionally. To start off, racially, in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sailed to the new world he encountered the native American people that were living here previously to him “discovering” the new world, as stated in the reading The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World (Stannard, nd). While Columbus was exploring the new world, the native people were captured and taken away from […]
African American Head Coaches in Division Football
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Influence of Racial Discrimination and Stereotyping
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Supervision in the Criminal Justice Field
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Bible and Immigration Research
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Benefits of Interracial Marriage
Introduction Interracial marriage, which is when two people from different racial backgrounds get married, has been a hot topic for a long time. Sometimes, it's celebrated, and other times, it's controversial. But with the world becoming more connected and cultures mixing more, these marriages are happening more often. They're shaking up old traditions and bringing in more diversity. This essay looks at the good stuff that comes from interracial marriages, like how they help people grow, make society better, and […]
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Lord of the Flies: a Religious Analysis
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Madness and Guilt in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”
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15 Multiculturalism Examples
Sourabh Yadav (MA)
Sourabh Yadav is a freelance writer & filmmaker. He studied English literature at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. You can find his work on The Print, Live Wire, and YouTube.
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Multiculturalism refers to the coexistence of multiple cultures. It celebrates diversity and promotes collaboration.
Multiculturalism involves acknowledging and respecting cultural variation among different groups—their history, values, and practices—to create a space where they can live together harmoniously. In a truly multicultural world, everyone is treated fairly and has equal opportunities to lead a fulfilling life.
From the perspective of political philosophy, multiculturalism refers to a state’s ideology and policies for dealing with cultural plurality within its boundaries. This can involve providing special rights to certain groups, giving them autonomous governance, etc.
Multiculturalism is a celebration of diversity, built upon the belief that society benefits from the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures. However, many criticize multiculturalism for various reasons, as we will discuss later.
Definition of Multiculturalism
Anthony Giddens defines multiculturalism as
“the coexistence of different cultures within a single society, and to the policies and practices that promote this coexistence. Multiculturalism involves not only tolerance of cultural diversity but an active engagement with it, in order to promote social harmony and prevent conflict.” (2006)
Giddens adds that multiculturalism is based on the belief that diversity can enrich society, and it aims to build “bridges of understanding” across cultural divides. Traditionally, it is said that, in democracies, every citizen is treated equally in front of the law.
Multiculturalism can exist on a national level (like in Canada or Bolivia) as well as in smaller communities (like New York City or London). It can occur naturally through immigration or artificially through legislation; for example, when boundaries of different cultures are merged, as in French and English Canada.
Melting Pot vs Salad Bowl
Unlike the traditional liberal idea of the “melting pot”, multiculturalism upholds the image of the “salad bowl”.
The melting pot refers to the process by which different groups in society “melt together” into a common culture, say immigrants getting assimilated into a new culture . The metaphor comes from smelting pots where iron & carbon are melted together to create steel, a stronger alloy.
The melting pot essentially means that a heterogenous society becomes more homogenous . This involves the loss of tradition for many groups and reduces cultural diversity. Often it is enforced through government policy, like the U.S. Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which forcefully assimilated native Americans without much regard for their heritage.
In contrast to this, the “salad bowl” describes a world where heterogenous groups retain their cultural heritage and still live together harmoniously. Just as in a salad, the different elements stay together but do not merge into each other; instead, they retain their distinctiveness. We sometimes call this social integration .
Multiculturalism upholds the idea of the “salad bowl” and believes that diverse cultures can thrive together in a society.
Examples of Multiculturalism
- Normalization of Diverse Cultural Holidays: A key feature of multicultural societies is that the holidays of various cultures are accepted and normalized across the society. For example, one country may mark holidays from major cultures, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, and Eid.
- Multilingual Populations: Another feature and consequence of multiculturalism is the emergence of multilingualism within a society. For example, many Canadians speak both French and English due to the both French and English language groups found through the country. Similarly, Indonesian people often speak their own local language (such as Javanese, Sudanese, and Balinese) as well as the national language.
- Religious Diversity: Multicultural societies are also often characterized by religious diversity, whereby you may notice Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and other places of worship all within the same city.
- Cultural Diversity on Television: A strongly integrated multicultural society will likely also have diverse representation of cultural groups, values, and beliefs on television. This will ideally occur naturally when producers attempt to reflect the stories of their audience in the stories’ narratives.
- Diverse Political Representation: In multicultural societies, people of multiple different cultural backgrounds are often represented in parliaments. In some nations, like Malaysia, ethnicities often vote for parties that represent their ethnic interests. In other societies, people of diverse ethnic backgrounds are often found in traditional left vs. right political blocks.
- Non-Discriminatory Immigration Policies: As political support for multiculturalism grew in the West in the 20th Century, countries’ migration politics became blind to a person’s racial, cultural, or ethnic background. This allowed for migration of various cultural groups into previously European-dominated Western nations.
- Multiculturalism in the Argentinian Constitution: Argentina is a great example of multiculturalism, both in its legislation and attitude. The preamble to their constitution explicitly promotes immigration and also recognizes multiple citizenships. Despite the majority of citizens being of European descent, they celebrate diverse festivals, promote cultural expressions of all ethnic groups, and encourage a multicultural representation in media.
- Ethnic groups in New York City (The United States): New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the world, having people from various racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. It has unique ethnic regions like Chinatown in Lower Manhattan, Little India in Queens, etc. The city also celebrates diverse events like the African American Day Parade, the Lunar New Year Parade, and many others.
- Multicultural Australia: After the Second World War, the White Australia Policy was dismantled and multiculturalism was formally adopted in 1972. Australia’s immigration policy has several programs to support migrants and refugees. There are also policies for reducing discrimination, such as the Community Cohesion Program.
- Bolivia’s Indigenous and European Cultures: Bolivia consists of 36 different types of indigenous groups and is the most indigenous country in Latin America. A significant percentage of the population belongs to the mestizo, people having European and indigenous ancestry. The country’s constitution recognizes 36 official languages (each linked to an indigenous group & culture) and is shaped by multicultural principles.
- Indian Multiculturalism: India is an incredibly diverse country, with over 1600 indigenous languages and 2000 ethnic groups. “Unity in Diversity” is the motto of the nation’s multiculturalism, and it is home to Hindus, Muslims, and several other religious groups. There are several programs to address inequalities, such as the reservation policy. However, the country is still facing challenges like communal tensions and xenophobia.
- Malay and Indian Populations in Singapore: Due to its history of immigration, Singapore is home to Chinese, Malay, and Indian populations. The country considers each group’s language and therefore has four official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil (South India). It also celebrates all the festivals like the Chinese New Year, Diwali, and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
- South African Demographics: South Africa, with its diverse population and complex history, is a great example of multiculturalism. After the establishment of democracy in 1994, apartheid was abolished and the country slowly worked towards inclusivity. Today, it recognizes 11 official languages and celebrates a range of festivals.
- Cosmopolitan Food Cultures: The widespread availability of international cuisine reflects how multiculturalism has seeped into our everyday life. Today, we can find restaurants serving Chinese, Indian, Italian, and several other kinds of cuisines. It shows our desire to experience new flavors and allows us to learn about other cultures.
- India’s Hindu-Muslim History: India has over time seen both conflict and harmony between its Hindu and Muslim populations. Today, while many Muslims left in the 20th Century, there are many monuments (including the Taj Mahal) that reflect the nation’s history of Hindu-Muslim harmony.
History of Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism has a long history, going back to Ancient Greece, but its systematic study became significant in the late 20th century.
In Ancient Greece, there were people from various regions like Aetolia, Locris, and Epirus, all of whom had different costumes, traditions, dialects, etc. Similarly, the Ottoman Empire, despite having a majority of Muslims, also had Christians, Jews, and people from other religions.
In recent times, the Canadian government was the first to adopt a multicultural ideology with a strong emphasis on the social importance of immigration (Wayland, 1997). Their Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism is often seen as the originator of modern multicultural views.
Canada has created special provisions for the French-speaking majority of Quebec, allowing them to autonomously govern their own members and use French as an official language. Taking inspiration from Canada, most Western countries also adopted a multicultural outlook.
Countries in Asia and Africa have their own diverse groups, although their historical backgrounds are different. These nation-states have also created policies to accommodate differences and maintain harmony.
Criticism of Multiculturalism
Although multiculturalism is widely seen as an inclusive approach to diversity, it has also faced criticism from many scholars.
One of the most common criticisms is that multiculturalism leads to social fragmentation. Brian Barry argues that multiculturalism encourages people to identify more strongly with their respective cultures, creating divisions in society and eroding a shared national culture (2001).
Another criticism is that multiculturalism reinforces cultural stereotypes and perpetuates inequality. Tariq Modood says that it can promote essential views on culture, that is, the belief that members of a particular group must necessarily share certain characteristics (2007).
However, both these criticisms have their own limitations. Social cohesion does not require a homogenous society or a national identity; it can be based on a shared acceptance of diversity. We can promote social cohesion even as we celebrate diversity.
Similarly, multiculturalism does not try to promote essential views. Instead, as Kymlicka points out, it actually counters negative stereotypes by encouraging people to recognize and accept different cultural practices (2012).
Related Concepts
- Multicultural Education Strategies
- Cultural Lag
- Cultural Convergence and Convergence Theory
- Cultural Transmission
Multiculturalism refers to the coexistence of diverse cultures in a society.
It means the recognition and acceptance of the cultural practices of different groups. In political philosophy, it refers to the ways in which a society accommodates its cultural diversity, say creating special provisions for marginalized sections.
In our globalized world, most societies are a mosaic of cultures and must inevitably find ways to accommodate differences. While there are concerns about divisions, the right form of multiculturalism can promote social cohesion and still celebrate cultural diversity.
Barry, B. (2001). Culture and equality: An egalitarian critique of multiculturalism . Harvard University Press.
Giddens, A. (2006). “Multiculturalism”. In J. R. Gibbins & W. E. Paterson (Eds.), Canadian society: Global perspectives . Pearson Education Canada.
Kymlicka, W. (2012). Multiculturalism: Success, failure, and the future . Migration Policy Institute.
Modood, T. (2007). “Multiculturalism and the politics of recognition”. The Political Quarterly , 78(2). Wiley-Blackwell.
Wayland, Shara (1997). “Immigration, Multiculturalism and National Identity in Canada”. International Journal of Group Rights . 5 (1). Brill Academic Publishers.
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Writing in Multicultural Settings
Book Severino, Carol, Juan C. Guerra, and Johnnella E. Butler, eds. 1997 Modern Language Association, New York, NY PE1405.U6W75 1997 Topics: Teaching Writing | Diversifying the Curriculum | Teaching Diverse Students
Language Learning: Why Is Intercultural Communication Important?
March 24, 2023
Thanks to fast transportation, global media, and the world wide web, we are now more connected than ever to other people worldwide.
Working with the international community for economic survival means countries and cultures can no longer operate in a vacuum. Because of this, intercultural communication is no longer a choice but a must .
In addition, misunderstandings resulting from a lack of familiarity with another culture are often embarrassing. Blunders like these can make it difficult, if not impossible, to reach an agreement with another country or close a business contract with a foreign partner. For travelers, a faux pas can also make interactions more awkward. In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of intercultural communication.
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Intercultural Communication Definition
The capacity to communicate with people from diverse cultures is referred to as intercultural communication. Interacting effectively across cultural lines requires perseverance and sensitivity to one another’s differences. This encompasses language skills, customs, ways of thinking, social norms, and habits.
There are many ways in which people all around the world are similar, yet it is our differences that truly define us. To put it simply, communication is the exchange of ideas and information between individuals by any means, verbal or otherwise. Sharing knowledge with others requires familiarity with social norms, body language, and etiquette.
Having the ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries is critical for the success of any intercultural or multinational endeavor. Additionally, it helps improve relationships by facilitating two-way conversations, which in turn foster mutual understanding between people of diverse backgrounds.
Intercultural Communication Examples
There are several facets to intercultural communication competence, from language skills to knowledge of social practices and cultural norms. These capabilities are constantly used throughout organizations and in all forms of communication. Here are a few examples of intercultural communication in action:
It can be challenging for multinational corporations to find appropriate product names that will not offend customers in their target markets due to linguistic differences. For instance, Coca-Cola initially considered renaming its brand KeKou-KeLa for the Chinese market. However, they didn’t take into account that this cute moniker means “female horse stuffed with wax” or “bite the wax tadpole.” Unsurprisingly, a rebrand was necessary. Coke then looked up 40,000 Chinese characters to get a phonetic equivalent and came up with “ko-kou-ko-le,” which roughly translates to “happiness in the mouth.”
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Business Relationships
Respecting the social norms of another culture requires an understanding that practices may vary. While Americans value making small talk with potential business partners, the British may try humor, while the Germans may jump right to the point.
In contrast, people from Thailand don’t bat an eye when asked what may be seen as intrusive questions in the West, such as whether you’re married or what you do for a living. Similarly, Americans prefer first names, but in Austria, titles are used to prevent coming off as disrespectful.
Advertising
You may have heard the popular myth that the Chevrolet Nova of the 1970s was a resounding flop in Latin America due to its name, since “no va” translates to “no go” in Spanish . The car was a smashing success since the name “nova” also means “new.” Nevertheless, there are innumerable examples of poorly translated advertisements across cultures that led to more severe outcomes.
For example, the Spanish equivalent of the American “Got Milk?” campaign featured the phrase “Tienes leche?” which translates as “Are you lactating?” The campaign completely bombed, ruining the brand’s reputation in that area. This mishap could have been avoided with more thorough focus group testing of intercultural communication.
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Public Relations and Media Events
Executives from the United States frequently interview international media and publicly appear in other countries. Working knowledge of the language is obviously necessary for such work, but words alone can’t account for how people will interpret things like tone of voice, the pace of speech, gestures, and facial expressions. In Japan, for instance, it’s rude to point out. Instead, you should wave politely in that direction. Similarly, the Indian equivalents of “please” and “thank you” are sometimes seen as overly formal and even disrespectful.
The Importance of Intercultural Communication
When we investigate the cultural influences on communication, we gain a deeper understanding of both areas. Additionally, it aids in expanding our knowledge of who we are as individuals and as a society.
Understanding our communication styles, habits, and tendencies and how they may serve or work against us when interacting with others from other cultural backgrounds is a valuable personal benefit of studying intercultural communication.
When seen in a broader context, intercultural communication can shed light on a wide range of human experiences, from the process of defining the workings of the brain to the power of languages in bringing people together.
As the world gets more interconnected, the ability to communicate successfully across cultural boundaries is becoming more and more vital. Since we are now able to travel to more places, we are exposed to other cultures and ways of living.
The ability to communicate effectively across cultural boundaries is crucial for the successful collaboration and relationship-building of multiethnic and international communities. It is also essential for avoiding and resolving conflicts. If you want to learn about other people and their customs and find common ground around the world, this is how to do it.
Intercultural Communication Competence
There are a variety of skills that are necessary for effective intercultural communication; some of them may be taught, while others are inherent and just require practice. Let’s take a look at some of the most crucial personal competencies for intercultural communication, as opposed to just linguistic ones like speaking, listening, and body language.
- Self-awareness: Recognizing how your personal views, behaviors, and possible prejudices and stereotypes might affect a conversation is a massive step in improving your ability to have meaningful interactions with others.
- Empathy: Intercultural communication relies heavily on empathizing with others and gaining insight into their experiences.
- Respect: Even if you don’t agree with or appreciate every aspect of another person’s or group’s culture, you may still respect them by recognizing their right to do so.
- Emotional intelligence: Learning to pick up on the subtleties of communication is essential when working with people from other cultures. Whether you get what is being communicated or not depends on how well you use your senses, how well you know yourself, and how well you can empathize with others.
- Adaptability: One of the goals of intercultural communication is to teach people how to modify their way of speaking to replace ambiguity, conflict, and antagonism with clarity, harmony, and cooperation. That’s why it’s important to be adaptable in our thinking, reactions, and interactions with others, as well as in our speech, listening, and body language.
- Patience: Effective communication across cultural boundaries doesn’t happen immediately. That’s why you need to have patience. Don’t rush through the process of becoming well-versed in best practices; instead, take your time and make them part of your routine. Due to cultural differences, it may take more or less time than usual to absorb new information.
- Positivity: Maintaining an optimistic attitude when interacting with people of other cultures is crucial. Misunderstandings occur all the time, and in most cases, it’s not because someone was trying to be deliberately unclear. Those of us who aren’t well-versed in other cultures often fail to grasp the intended meaning of a message. This is why it’s essential to look at every intercultural exchange in a constructive light.
Improving Your Intercultural Communication Skills
Here are some steps you can take to begin improving your intercultural communication skills:
Acquire Cultural Knowledge
Discovering the world through the lens of other people’s beliefs, values, and ways of expression is a fascinating and eye-opening experience. Educating yourself on the fundamentals of intercultural communication, such as language and gestures, is just as important as expanding your knowledge of the world’s diverse cultures.
Watch International Shows
To truly immerse oneself in the nuances of a different culture, indulging in international films in their original language proves far more rewarding than enduring subpar English dubs. It’s akin to embarking on a sensory journey, where the cadence of speech, the inflections, and the expressions hold the essence of the culture itself. Delving into Indian, Turkish, or Chinese cinema unveils a tapestry of traditions, values, and societal dynamics that might otherwise remain obscured in translation.
Enhancing this experience can be as simple as grabbing a beverage from the drinks fridge , settling comfortably, and letting the cinematic journey unfold. Modern streaming platforms offer a treasure trove of international TV shows and films, granting viewers a window into distant cultures from the comfort of their homes.
Speak to People
When you have coworkers or neighbors from other countries, you gain access to a wealth of undiscovered possibilities. In-depth conversations with people about their backgrounds and the culture shock they may have felt upon arriving in your country can yield a great deal of valuable knowledge and perspective. If they are treated with respect and dignity, people all around the world are happy to have their voices heard.
Take in What You Hear and See
There are a wide variety of ways to enhance your intercultural communication competence. Among these are learning when to ask open-ended questions, stick to yes/no answers, and decide when to use humor. The two most crucial pieces of advice for improving your communication skills are to listen attentively and to watch what others do.
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Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a tourist taking a trip overseas, a businessperson negotiating a merger, or a professor teaching a classroom full of international students, you need to be aware of the importance of effective intercultural communication.
In today’s interconnected world, the ability to communicate across cultural boundaries is more important than ever. It facilitates communication across linguistic and cultural boundaries, leading to more tolerance, acceptance, and, ultimately, stronger relationships amongst people of diverse backgrounds.
Enrolling in a language program is an excellent first step if you’re interested in learning more about intercultural communication and identifying and overcoming your own cultural biases. You can improve your language skills and your ability to communicate across cultures by enrolling in one of the Middlebury Language Schools’ immersion programs . Teaching both beginners and more advanced students, our immersion and graduate programs cover a wide range of languages.
When you need help learning a new language, Middlebury Language Schools is here to guide you. Contact us today !
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What Is Multiculturalism? Definition, Theories, and Examples
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In sociology, multiculturalism describes how a given society deals with cultural diversity. Multiculturalism assumes members of different cultures can coexist peacefully and society is enriched by preserving, respecting, and encouraging cultural diversity. In the area of political philosophy , multiculturalism refers to ways societies formulate and implement official policies dealing with the equitable treatment of different cultures.
Multiculturalism Key Takeaways
- Multiculturalism is how a society deals with cultural diversity at national and community levels.
- Sociologically, multiculturalism assumes that society benefits from increased diversity through the harmonious coexistence of different cultures.
- Multiculturalism typically develops according to one of two theories: the “melting pot” or the “salad bowl.”
Multiculturalism can take place on a nationwide scale or within a nation’s communities. It may occur naturally through immigration or artificially when jurisdictions of different cultures are combined through legislative decree, as in the case of French and English Canada.
Proponents of multiculturalism believe that people should retain at least some features of their traditional cultures . Opponents say that multiculturalism threatens the social order by diminishing the identity and influence of the predominant culture. While acknowledging that it is a sociopolitical issue, this article will focus on the sociological aspects of multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism Theories
The two primary theories or models of multiculturalism as how different cultures are integrated into a single society are best defined by the metaphors commonly used to describe them—the “melting pot” and the “salad bowl” theories.
The Melting Pot Theory
The melting pot theory of multiculturalism assumes that various immigrant groups will tend to “melt together,” abandoning their cultures and eventually becoming fully assimilated into the predominant society. Typically used to describe the assimilation of immigrants into the United States , the melting pot theory is often illustrated by the metaphor of a foundry’s smelting pots in which the elements iron and carbon are melted together to create a single, stronger metal: steel . In 1782, French-American immigrant J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur wrote that in America, “individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.”
The melting pot model has been criticized for reducing diversity, causing people to lose their traditions, and having to be enforced through governmental policy. For example, the U.S. Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 forced the assimilation of nearly 350,000 Indigenous peoples into American society without any regard for the diversity of their heritages and lifestyles.
The Salad Bowl Theory
A more liberal theory of multiculturalism than the melting pot, the salad bowl theory describes a heterogeneous society in which people coexist but retain at least some of the unique characteristics of their traditional culture. Like a salad’s ingredients, different cultures are brought together, but rather than coalescing into a single homogeneous culture, retain their distinct flavors. In the United States, New York City , with its many unique ethnic communities like “Little India,” “Little Odessa,” and “Chinatown” is considered an example of a salad bowl society.
The salad bowl theory asserts people don't have to give up their cultural heritage to be considered members of the dominant society. For example, African Americans do not need to stop observing Kwanzaa rather than Christmas to be considered Americans.
On the negative side, the cultural differences encouraged by the salad bowl model can divide a society resulting in prejudice and discrimination . In addition, critics point to a 2007 study by American political scientist Robert Putnam showed people living in salad bowl multicultural communities were less likely to vote or volunteer for community improvement projects.
Characteristics of a Multicultural Society
Multicultural societies are characterized by people of different races, ethnicities, and nationalities living together in the same community. In multicultural communities, people retain, pass down, celebrate, and share their unique cultural ways of life, languages, art, traditions, and behaviors.
The characteristics of multiculturalism often spread into the community’s public schools, where curricula are crafted to introduce young people to the qualities and benefits of cultural diversity. Though sometimes criticized as a form of “political correctness,” educational systems in multicultural societies stress the histories and traditions of minorities in classrooms and textbooks. A 2018 study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that the “post-Millennial” generation of people ages 6 to 21 is the most diverse generation in American society.
Far from an exclusively American phenomenon, examples of multiculturalism are found worldwide. In Argentina , for example, newspaper articles, and radio and television programs are commonly presented in English, German, Italian, French, or Portuguese, as well as the country’s native Spanish. Indeed, Argentina’s constitution promotes immigration by recognizing the right of individuals to retain multiple citizenships from other countries.
As a key element of the country’s society, Canada adopted multiculturalism as an official policy during the premiership of Pierre Trudeau in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, the Canadian constitution, along with laws such as the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Broadcasting Act of 1991, recognize the importance of multicultural diversity. According to the Canadian Library and Archives, more than 200,000 people—representing at least 26 different ethnocultural groups—immigrate to Canada every year.
Why Diversity Is Important
Multiculturalism is the key to achieving a high degree of cultural diversity. Diversity occurs when people of different races, nationalities, religions, ethnicities, and philosophies come together to form a community. A truly diverse society recognizes and values the cultural differences in its people.
Proponents of cultural diversity argue it makes humanity stronger and may be vital to its long-term survival. In 2001, the General Conference of UNESCO took this position when it asserted in its Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity that “...cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.”
Today, entire countries, workplaces, and schools are increasingly made up of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. By recognizing and learning about these groups, communities build trust, respect, and understanding across all cultures.
Communities and organizations in all settings benefit from the different backgrounds, skills, experiences, and new ways of thinking that come with cultural diversity.
Sources and Further Reference
- St. John de Crevecoeur, J. Hector (1782). Letters from an American Farmer: What is an America? The Avalon Project. Yale University.
- De La Torre, Miguel A. The Problem With the Melting Pot . EthicsDaily.com (2009).
- Hauptman, Laurence M. Going Off the Reservation: A Memoir . University of California Press.
- Jonas, Michael. The downside of diversity . The Boston Globe (August 5, 2007).
- Fry, Richard and Parker Kim. Benchmarks Show 'Post-Millenials" on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet . Pew Research Center (November 2018).
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Essay on Multiculturalism
Students are often asked to write an essay on Multiculturalism in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.
Let’s take a look…
100 Words Essay on Multiculturalism
What is multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism is when people from different places, with different ways of living and different beliefs, come together in one society. It’s like a salad bowl, where each unique ingredient adds to the flavor, making it better.
Benefits of Multiculturalism
When we live in a place with many cultures, we learn a lot. We get to try new foods, celebrate different festivals, and make friends with different backgrounds. This teaches us to be kind and open-minded.
Challenges of Multiculturalism
Sometimes, people find it hard to understand each other’s ways. This can lead to disagreements. But, talking and learning about each other’s cultures can help solve these problems.
Multiculturalism in Schools
Schools are great for multiculturalism. Kids learn about the world’s cultures and languages. This helps them become better citizens of the world, ready to work and live with all kinds of people.
250 Words Essay on Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is when many different cultures live together in one place. Imagine a school where students come from all around the world. They may speak different languages, eat different foods, and celebrate different holidays. This mix of cultures adds variety and can make life more interesting.
Living in a multicultural society is like having the world at your doorstep. You get to learn about other ways of life without traveling far. For example, you can try different types of food, listen to new music, and make friends with people who have different stories to tell. This can help us become more understanding and accepting of others.
Sometimes, when people from different backgrounds live together, they might not agree on everything. It can be hard to understand someone who is very different from you. But it’s important to talk and listen to each other. This is how we can solve problems and live together peacefully.
Learning from Each Other
In a place full of different cultures, we can learn a lot from each other. We can see that even though we might do things differently, we often have the same hopes and dreams. By sharing our cultures, we can teach each other new things and grow together.
In conclusion, multiculturalism is about different cultures living together and learning from one another. It has its ups and downs, but it makes our world a more exciting and caring place.
500 Words Essay on Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is like a big garden with many different types of flowers. Each flower has its own color, shape, and smell. This garden is more beautiful because it has so many kinds of flowers. In the same way, multiculturalism means having people from many different cultures and backgrounds living together in one place. Just like each flower adds beauty to the garden, every culture adds something special to a country or community.
When people from different cultures come together, they share their ways of life, their food, music, and stories. This sharing makes life more interesting for everyone. Imagine eating the same food every day; it would be boring. But in a multicultural place, you can try new foods, learn new dances, and hear different languages. It’s like going on a trip around the world without leaving your home.
In a multicultural school, you might have friends from different countries. You can learn from them about their holidays, how they dress, and what games they play. This is not just fun, but it also helps you understand how people see the world in different ways. By learning about other cultures, you become smarter and more understanding. It’s like each new friend is a new book full of exciting stories and lessons.
Sometimes, having many cultures together can be hard. People might not understand each other because they speak different languages or have different customs. It’s like when you play a team game, and everyone has different rules. To play well together, you need to learn the same rules. In multiculturalism, the “rules” are respect and kindness. When everyone follows these rules, it’s easier to get along.
How to Support Multiculturalism
You can support multiculturalism by being curious and open-minded. This means wanting to learn about other cultures and not being afraid of things that are different. It’s like trying a new sport; at first, it might feel strange, but you might end up loving it. You can also support multiculturalism by standing up for your friends if someone is not being nice to them because they are from a different culture.
Multiculturalism is like a colorful quilt. Each piece of fabric is different, but when sewn together, they make something warm and beautiful. Living in a multicultural world helps us learn, grow, and understand each other better. It’s important to remember that even though we might look or speak differently, inside, we all have feelings, dreams, and the need to be loved and respected. So, let’s celebrate the beauty of every culture and build a world where everyone feels like they belong.
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Writing in Multicultural Settings
1998, TESOL Quarterly
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Intercultural Communication Perspectives Essay
Introduction, intercultural communications, intercultural communications has been necessitated by the following factors, case study- intercultural communication in classroom, personal experiences.
The ability of an individual to communicate meaningfully is considered a critical aspect of social interaction among people of different cultures. This essay explores various issues pertaining to intercultural communication and its application on the classroom setting.
These include the definition of intercultural communication and an overview of the contents involved in teaching it; it also provides a brief overview of personal experience as a teacher in an intercultural learning institution. With the advent of globalization and enhanced international integration, cross-cultural communication has become inevitable.
Intercultural communication occurs in a situation where distinct cultural communities negotiate shared values and meanings in social interaction. What is understood as intercultural communication depends on individual’s conceptualization of culture.
Intercultural communication can also refer to a communication between people of different nationalities or people of different economic classes; it may be inter-ethnic, inter-regional, or inter-religious. It may also encompass communication among individuals of different sexual orientations or gender.
Communication can be intercultural when the identities of the parties in the interaction are salient in their values, prejudice, language, non-verbal behavior and idiosyncratic characteristics (World Bank, n.d., p. 1).
The move towards a more interconnected world has been aided by rapid technological changes that have led to increased digital communications, good transportation systems and effective movement of people over vast distances. This has resulted in an unexpectedly high level of interaction between individuals of diverse national, ethnic and religious backgrounds (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2009, p. 2).
Intercultural communication may be applied in the context of daily communications between national governments, in learning institutions and business circles. This essay will focus on the aspects of culture and communication that can affect intercultural communication, especially regarding the exchange of information and ideas with another individual of a different culture.
The study of intercultural matters heralds a new beginning. The world has witnessed an unprecedented level of interaction by people of different cultures throughout history in times of wars, religions and transacting commerce. It should also be noted that intercultural communications has its challenges and obstacles.
For people to coexist meaningfully in this multicultural setting, they must be competent and informed in intercultural communication.
Communication is an unavoidable act; it is fundamental to modern daily life, it is an act that we do and enjoy a lot at every moment. Communication is defined as “the management of messages with the objective of creating meaning” (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2009, p. 9).
On the other hand, culture is defined as “historically transmitted pattern of meaning embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate and develop their knowledge and attitudes towards life” (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2009, p.10).
Intercultural communication is, therefore defined as a set of communication between people of different linguistic and cultural origins. Culture encompasses values, beliefs, norms, behaviors and attitude, which have the ability to define the levels of people’s interaction. People’s awareness of cultural variations can enhance meaningful and effective interaction.
A teacher, for example, can achieve better communication in the classroom if he/she factors in the cultural differences existing between him and the students. Consequently, an international businessman who is informed of the existence of cultural variations communication matters will be in a better position to negotiate contracts successfully.
Cross-cultural problems can be avoided by both parties if they become aware and develop an understanding of the various components of intercultural communication. These cultures should be applied in the immediate context of communication in order to enhance understanding between interacting parties.
Having the knowledge and understanding of intercultural communications and the ability to effectively use it can assist in bridging cultural differences and facilitates the realization of more harmonious and productive interactions (Martin and Nakayama, 2007, p. 24).
Technological Advancements
The development of modern means of information and technology has enhanced the flow of information, beliefs and ideas across boundaries. It has led to faster and efficient communication leading to interdependence among people. Communication technology has transformed human interaction by minimizing social, economic and cultural barriers.
This is an emerging phenomenon that is increasing daily. This has enhanced the ability of the people to speak and try their best to ensure that they understand unfamiliar language especially of the country they are migrating to because language is the principal tool that is used to conduct social relations.
In the modern world, therefore, intercultural communication is a necessity. This is due to the increased intermingling brought about by the recent developments in the field of information and communication technology which has increased the frequency of virtual interactions among people and states.
The changes in environmental conditions and demographics have led to increased migrations due to conflicts, commerce or for education purposes. This increased migration creates a likelihood of cultural conflicts.
There are various components of culture that are necessary in the analysis of intercultural communication; these are: “perception, cognitive patterns, verbal and non-behaviors and contextual influence” (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2009, p.17).
Intercultural communication takes place whenever a message is transmitted by an individual of one culture for consumption by an individual of a different culture, in this event, the message must be effectively understood. Due to cultural differences, there might be a potentiality for misunderstanding or disagreement by the two parties and because of this risk, it is imperative to study intercultural communication.
There has been an urge to relate culture and language, but there is no consensus as to whether there exists direct relationship. According to Sapir-Whorf approach, language defines culture; there is a claim that language transmits and shapes the way we think, belief and our attitudes (Ting-Toomey, 2005, p. 6).
Intercultural communication is aimed at reducing culture shock. Culture shock is the feeling of anxiety when an individual loses grip of familiar symbols and signs of social intercourse due to the fact that it is the signs and the clues which define our communication orientation. Culture shock acknowledges that understanding the cultural symbols and differences are requisites for effective communication.
There are emerging complex problems that have been brought about by globalization and technological developments. Different cultures bring together diverse attitudes, values, languages and backgrounds into a campus and classroom environment. Communication in an intercultural education setting involves teaching and learning with people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
Cultural variations have both demands and challenges for teachers and students in any learning institution and cultural competence is of essence. Intercultural communication is an essential aspect in school if a teacher is to respond to students from different cultures while taking into consideration cultural differences and similarities of students from diverse individual background, communities and families (Gur, 2010, p. 65).
Education demands better and effective communication between the teacher and the students. Intercultural communication is gaining popularity because learning institutions are becoming culturally diverse due to globalization which has led to students from different countries learning in one institution.
It is argued that a successful educator must effectively communicate and be culturally competent in cross-cultural environments and cross-cultural communication. Teachers should be sensitive to and appreciative of the problems of intercultural communication in a culturally diverse class. Intercultural communication cannot be learned without understanding the intercultural aspect of it that is acquired through learning of culture.
The fundamental step in understanding of culture is having a vivid idea of other people’s culture and factoring in mind our perceptions towards the same culture.
When students, for example, are instructed by the teacher to write an essay about their understanding of marriage, it will be possible that students of different cultures will have varying perceptions of several cultural aspects of marriage, a factor that should be put into consideration by the teacher while assessing and marking the essays.
When students are shown photos of various ways of greeting may be between man and a woman, two men or two women, they will be in position to understand differences in cultures and they may develop a vivid understanding and perceptions about other cultures which will enable them to appreciate cultural differences (Van, Harmsen & Bruijnzeels, 2002, p. 63).
The teaching and learning of second or several languages are considered a perfect way of appreciating another culture and a way to enhance individual’s knowledge of intercultural communication. Culture and language is the core of teaching and learning; language is considered the window to understanding culture (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel, 2009, p. 53).
Having an understanding of intercultural communication will minimize tension associated with interactions in a multicultural setting. Communication is by itself a useful source of intercultural knowledge and mutual enrichment among students from different cultures when it is better managed by the teacher. It can as well be a source of frustration and intercultural conflict if it is ignored by the teacher.
Intercultural communication in classroom setting should strive to achieve two purposes: enjoyment and benefit; it should be pleasant, bring fun and beneficial to the students. Good interpersonal communication between the teacher and the students will facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills; it will also enhance the transmission of information to the students.
Successful communication is a mode of knowledge transfer in learning institution. A better understanding of both verbal and nonverbal behaviors of students is necessary in an intercultural environment and better capabilities to react with fellow communicators from different cultures is a requirement in transmission of knowledge.
Intercultural communication teaching is the formal efforts that are designed to prepare students for better interpersonal relations when they interact with other people of different cultures. Also, intercultural communication is aimed at encouraging constructive and meaningful relations between people of different cultures.
There are several obstacles to intercultural communication, they are: dispositions, stereotyping and ethnocentrism (Van, Harmsen and Bruijnzeels, 2002, p. 64). In several learning institutions, it is the theoretical approach of intercultural communication that dominates and minimal cases of skill-oriented approach.
Teachers are faced with challenges of teaching in a classroom with students of different cultures, learning styles and abilities. Providing effective learning in such environment is an overwhelming task. Teachers should apply both variety and choice to enable students become independent learners.
With these developments, teachers have been forced to find out what and how learners should learn in order to live to their full potential and fulfilling lives. Teachers have the responsibility to develop learners who are motivated enough in order to meet the challenges of the modern world. In the ancient times, it was not essential or necessary to teach or learn intercultural communication in schools.
This was because students were surrounded by their cultures and their values, which at home, school or churches were constant; their standard of behavior was uniform. Children were secure and dominant with their cultures due to the minimal exposure to different cultures.
In the contemporary world, this situation is different since children are exposed to other cultures throughout their lives due to the presence of media and other modern means of communication. This has, therefore enabled education to enhance intercultural education by gaining knowledge of different cultures.
Intercultural understanding education-wise plays a very important role in ensuring that we benefit from cultural diversity (UNESCO, 2010, p. 7). Teaching in an intercultural environment, one should be motivated by a deeper understanding of cultures and the desire to impart knowledge. A teacher should also explore various personal values and attitudes.
Students undertaking studies at an intercultural institution face alienation and marginalization due to cultural incompatibility, they experience perceived difficulties and deficiencies.
As a teacher it is imperative to avoid the assumptions on how students learn due to their cultural background, this is because there are some cases that teachers take shortcuts while teaching or interacting with students due to the assumptions that all students are homogeneous.
Teachers, for example, can refer students as from South Asia or Africa without putting into consideration their social, political, linguistic or cultural backgrounds since not all students of South Asia are of the same culture. Teachers also assume that students can comprehend the meaning of a particular story or metaphor without explaining its meaning since different cultures have various interpretation of a similar metaphor.
It is understood that teachers can not contextualize past cultural experience or the expectations of international students, but it is critical to have sensitive approach while teaching them. Teachers should design contexts that deem fit for all students to be included and allowed to participate in class discussions.
Classrooms, which are culturally diverse, present a lot of opportunities for intercultural communication skills for international and local students.
Teachers should devise strategies that promote cultural interaction and which can offer a learning environment where students can nurture their skills to communicate in a multicultural setting and widen their appreciation of global understanding of knowledge (Carroll and Ryan, 2005, p. 16).
A successful teacher in an intercultural setting should have a strong understanding of his cultural heritage and be willing to share it with the students, and should also have knowledge of the culture of his/her students. The promotion of intercultural interaction requires various teaching and learning strategies ranging from curriculum content to assessment techniques.
Teachers have a role to create and promote an environment of inclusion among students both local and international; this is critical in encouraging intercultural learning. Culture of inclusion is understood as a mode of teaching that emphasize on interaction and changing ones attitude, it encourages deeper approach to personal transformation (Carroll and Ryan, 2005, p. 14).
An effective teacher should be in a position to address the needs of the students. Teachers should be aware of and sensitive to the realities of divergent backgrounds and needs of the classroom.
The teacher should endeavor to learn new things and they should review existing teaching practices in order to factor in the dynamics of intercultural fusion. The teacher should be sensitive to review his/her teaching tactics and approaches to meet the needs of all students and not only the needs of the students of dominant culture in the classroom (Gur, 2010, p. 65).
Employing variety and choice while teaching in a multicultural setting involves the use of various instructional approaches which may include powerpoint presentations, handouts, problem-based learning and computer-aided instructions. Teachers in an intercultural environment must factor in communication issues and different learning styles of the culturally diverse learners.
The needs of both local and international students should be put into considerations in the lessons. Teachers should understand the cultural background of learners, together with their beliefs and attitude.
Teaching in a multicultural learning institution presents a lot of challenges. First is the unequal treatment of students. This is because some teachers are not at ease in giving instructions using a different language than his/her native one which can be replicated during exams time where they may award international students more marks to avoid conflict arising from teacher’s inability to decipher well their language.
Different language proficiency between the teacher and the students affects instructions in classroom settings. Some students may not effectively contribute or respond to lessons due to lack of or their limited language proficiency (Gao, n.d., p. 1).
Other challenges facing teachers in multicultural environment are: social, economic and gender discrimination due to differences in culture which affect the quality of education.
There is also lack of appropriate resources which can meet the demands of both international and local students that are required in order to achieve educational goals. There are also cases of misrepresentation of learning techniques by the students from different cultures in classroom setting.
There are several problems that are encountered when people of more than one culture interact in educational setting. It is acknowledgeable that the world is becoming interconnected at a faster rate and due to these people of different cultures interact more frequent times which makes intercultural communication paramount.
Intercultural communication regards two main aspects; communication and training or teaching, it analyzes cultural differences that affect communication in all aspects of life (Stein, n.d., p. 4). Language can influence communication because culture is transmitted through language, all values, attitudes and beliefs that are common to culture are also common to a particular extent in language.
The meaning, wordings and interpretation of a particular group are an indication of the culture of that social group and the analysis of the meanings that are attached to those words is tantamount to the study and understanding of that culture. The language that is taught in any learning institution has explicit reference to a particular culture and this makes intercultural communication in a multicultural setting a sensitive issue.
A better knowledge of intercultural communication can be instrumental in solving problems of communication. Intercultural communication is not a new phenomenon, but it gained prominence when people from different cultures encountered each other.
The new aspect of intercultural communication is the study of how cross-culture interactions occur. The intensification of contacts and interactions among people of different cultures has led to enhanced efforts to comprehend which and why some beliefs, values, attitudes of people vary.
In a classroom setting, all stakeholders should develop an integrated and collaborated approach in multicultural communication.
It is important for a teacher to have an open mind when soliciting for an opportunity to teach in a multicultural setting and for teachers to be culturally competent in class; they should infuse culturally relevant interactions among students which may be achieved through language or teaching materials.
Intercultural communication is a natural phenomenon in an organization which is made up of individuals of diverse social, ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds.
It defines how people from different countries and cultures act, perceive or communicate with people of different cultures around them. Intercultural communication also focuses on social characteristics and attributes of different people.
Intercultural communication is necessary to reduce cases of misunderstanding and antagonism in social interaction because people of different cultural backgrounds encode and decipher languages differently.
Teachers, as well as students, should learn to assimilate with people of different cultures as this will make it possible for understanding to be achieved. The learning process will also be effectively carried achieved when the players involved understand each other well.
Carroll, J. & Ryan, J. (2005) Teaching international students: improving learning for all. New York, NY: Rutledge.
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Gur, C. (2010) Cultural competence in high school , Research Journal of International Studies, Issue 16, pp 64-72. Web.
Martin, J. N. & Nakayama, T. K. (2007) Intercultural communication in contexts. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Samovar, L., Porter, R and McDaniel, E. (2009) Intercultural communication . New York, NY: Cengage learning.
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Ting-Toomey, S. (2005) Understanding intercultural communication. Los Angeles, LA: Roxbury Publishing Company.
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Van, W. J., Harmsen, J. and Bruijnzeels, M. (2002) Intercultural communication in general practice. European Journal of Public Health, Vol. 12(1), pp. 63-68.
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Diversity essays ask students to highlight an important aspect of their identity, background, culture, experience, viewpoints, beliefs, skills, passions, goals, etc. Diversity essays can come in many forms. ... Maybe a larger public school setting will allow you to broaden your community, or a small liberal arts college has a specialized ...
The push for diversity essays has been compounded by the recent Supreme Court decision ruling affirmative action policies unconstitutional. With this ruling blocking colleges from directly considering an applicant's race or ethnicity in admissions decisions, many institutions have turned to supplemental essays as an alternative way to gauge how a prospective student's unique experiences and ...
What's Covered: How to Write the Diversity Essay After the End of Affirmative Action. Essay #1: Jewish Identity. Essay #2: Being Bangladeshi-American. Essay #3: Marvel vs DC. Essay #4: Leadership as a First-Gen American. Essay #5: Protecting the Earth. Essay #6: Music and Accents. Where to Get Your Diversity Essays Edited.
How to write about your diversity. Your answer to a school's diversity essay question should focus on how your experiences have built your empathy for others, your embrace of differences, your resilience, your character, and your perspective. The school might ask how you think of diversity or how you will bring or add to the diversity of the ...
After each diversity essay sample, we'll include a breakdown of why these are considered college essays that worked. Georgetown Essay Examples. As a reminder, the Georgetown essay examples respond to this prompt: ... Writing a cultural diversity essay or community essay is a personal process. To set yourself up for success, take time to ...
34 essay samples found. Multiculturalism, a societal approach that celebrates and accommodates cultural diversity, holds considerable significance in today's globalized world. Essays might explore how multiculturalism shapes social, political, and economic interactions within diverse societies. Discussions could delve into the benefits of ...
Multiculturalism refers to the coexistence of multiple cultures. It celebrates diversity and promotes collaboration. Multiculturalism involves acknowledging and respecting cultural variation among different groups—their history, values, and practices—to create a space where they can live together harmoniously. In a truly multicultural world, everyone is treated fairly and has equal ...
Multiculturalism's impact on education. Some examples of how multiculturalism has affected the social and political spheres are found in revisions of curricula, particularly in Europe and North America, and the expansion of the Western literary and other canons that began during the last quarter of the 20th century.Curricula from the elementary to the university levels were revised and ...
2.5. Explore how digital technology brings diversity into our lives. According to Edward T. Hall, "Culture is communication and communication is culture."1 For that reason alone, an understanding of culture's influences is essential to communicate effectively in a multicultural society and world. The study of culture is the study of people.
Writing in Multicultural Settings. The twenty essays and four responses ("cross-talks") in this volume, the fifth in the Research and Scholarship in Composition series, confront the challenges presented by the racial, ethnic, class, gender, religious, age, and physical-ability differences among today's writing students.
Intercultural Communication Definition. The capacity to communicate with people from diverse cultures is referred to as intercultural communication. Interacting effectively across cultural lines requires perseverance and sensitivity to one another's differences. This encompasses language skills, customs, ways of thinking, social norms, and ...
Multiculturalism is how a society deals with cultural diversity at national and community levels. Sociologically, multiculturalism assumes that society benefits from increased diversity through the harmonious coexistence of different cultures. Multiculturalism typically develops according to one of two theories: the "melting pot" or the ...
Benefits of Multiculturalism. When people from different cultures come together, they share their ways of life, their food, music, and stories. This sharing makes life more interesting for everyone. Imagine eating the same food every day; it would be boring. But in a multicultural place, you can try new foods, learn new dances, and hear ...
There are four writing assignments: a personal essay, a paper responding to literature, a persuasion paper, and an expository essay. Each of these chapters includes at least two and as many as four readings. The book's last chapters contain guides to editing, quoting, and referencing sources and to paper preparation, including in-class essays.
The goal of this chapter is to fill this gap by focusing on how multicultural experiences may impact intercultural communication. Drawing on the cultural competence model proposed by Chiu and Hong (2006), we contend that effective intercultural communication requires nuanced understanding of cultural differences and discriminative application ...
765 Words4 Pages. Recommended: Development of multicultural education. section {Multicultural setting} Multicultural setting refers to the practice of giving equal attention to different cultures in a particular setting. It incorporates and acknowledge human diversity (YourDictionary.com [sa]).\. oindent Multicultural education refers to a ...
Multicultural Communication Tips Published: Apr 08, 2019 Modified: Mar 25, 2020 By AMA Staff. Right now 11.5% of the U.S. population is foreign born, and the percentage is rising. In his essay "Becoming a Culturally Literate Leader in a Global World" (from the book Partnering, the New Face of Leadership, AMACOM 2003), Robert Rosen explains why ...
This essay will focus on the aspects of culture and communication that can affect intercultural communication especially regarding the exchange of information. ... Employing variety and choice while teaching in a multicultural setting involves the use of various instructional approaches which may include powerpoint presentations, handouts ...