How to Write A College "Diversity Essay"
Colleges love what I call the “diversity question.”
It usually looks something like this: “[INSERT COLLEGE] values a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today allow you to contribute to our diversity?”
And the unspoken subtext often feels like: “So… how are you marginalized, kiddo?”
Here’s the thing most students miss: you do not need a dramatic life story, a tragic background, or a perfectly labeled identity to write a strong diversity essay. Colleges are not asking you to audition your suffering.
They’re asking how you move through the world.
They want to know how you engage with difference, how you respond to people who are not like you, and what kind of presence you bring to campus.
The goal is not to prove you are underrepresented. The goal is to show how you treat underrepresentation in others.
Yes, even Brad Pitt could theoretically do this.
I can usually crack how a student is actually diverse and get the essay finished in an hour (so I highly recommend booking one, because personalized advice is always best!). But here are some one-size-fits-all pointers.
Stop Writing About Proximity
This essay isn’t about how many different people you’ve met or how many multicultural food festivals you’ve attended. It’s about how you interact with the world.
Are you a good listener? Do you look past surface-level differences?Do people feel seen and respected around you?
One of my past students, for example, wrote about growing up in a house full of rescue dogs, including a wolf named Bozkurt(!) Instead of turning it into a quirky animal essay, she focused on what living with an undomesticated creature taught her. This wasn’t about the wolf. It was about how she accepts others’ unmanageable nature.
Diversity Lives in Specificity
Diversity is not limited to race, religion, sexuality, or gender. It can show up through illness, family structure, being tall or short, age gaps between siblings, or speaking a language at home that no one at school understands.
For instance, one of my students once wrote about how their father’s work in another city meant he wasn’t always available in person. Over time, he realized he deeply related to classmates whose parents were deployed, absent, incarcerated, or nontraditional. So, he’ll handle diversity by showing up and bringing presence to a campus.
That essay worked because it was not abstract. It was precise. And it got a white straight boy into the Ivy League.
Kill the Buzzwords
Please, for the love of good essays, stop stuffing words like “inclusive,” “open-minded,” or “empathetic” into your writing without evidence.
By the way, I have a rule: never-ever-ever use the word empathy. It sounds weird. You’re probably using it wrong. And empathetic people don’t call themselves empathetic. (People with low self-awareness do!)
Admissions officers are extremely good at detecting fluff. You cannot charm your way past them with vocabulary. You have to show who you are through moments, decisions, and behavior.
Tell me what shaped you. Tell me what you noticed. Tell me what changed how you treat people (not just with empathy but by concrete action.)
This Essay Is About How
Forget labels. Focus on process. How do you handle disagreement? How do you navigate tension? How do you bridge gaps between people with different viewpoints?
Maybe you are the mediator in group projects. Maybe you are the friend people call when things fall apart. Maybe you are the one who stays curious instead of defensive.
Don’t just say you were inclusive. Tell me how and why you act that way.
The diversity essay isn’t about checking boxes or proving you’re special. It’s about sharing how you approach people, differences, and connection.
You are not being asked to prove you are diverse. You are being asked to prove you can handle diversity in a way that’s true to you.
That is a skill. And it is one you can absolutely demonstrate with the right framing.
There is still time before deadlines. If you want this done right, I am here.
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