A Guide to Writing a College Diversity Essay

A Guide to Writing a College Diversity EssayYou may be wondering how to write a college diversity essay. Diversity of all types can be hard to achieve in any setting, and the demands on high school students to excel in academics means that they are frequently the target of conscious or unconscious racial bias in admissions and teaching practices. This can lead to resentment on the part of minority students toward administrators and teachers who fail to appreciate their struggles in the classroom, leading to less student interest in school.So you need to consider these things as you plan your college diversity essay. It's often best to take an extra couple of weeks to prepare for this type of writing assignment. One way to do this is to take the SAT and ACT tests, and then go over your scores. Make sure you understand your strengths and weaknesses, and ask a trusted friend or counselor to review your overall score.Get to know the student's life outside of school. Share with him or her a time when you made an effort to get to know him or her on a personal level. For example, you might have introduced yourself by giving him or her a hug, gone out for coffee, or visited him or her at the grocery store.During the interview process, find out more about the applicant and his or her thoughts on his or her essay. As you can imagine, people tend to open up much more when in person. In writing the essay, however, you may need to focus more on your own questions than the applicant's. Ask the applicant if he or she knows where the essay will be placed in the grade book, what his or her expectations are, and how he or she expects the essay to be used.When composing the essay, consider the target audience you want to reach. What are your goals? Can you expect a lot of new contacts or will the applicant need only a few? If the target audience is larger, tell them about some of the recent college experiences that might interest them, such as mentoring a fellow student or going to a career fair. Create a page for each impression.Highlight your strengths and your students' fears. The goal of your essay is to create a bridge between you and the other side. It is important to be sincere but never prove too knowledgeable or impersonal. Make sure that your profile and background are similar enough to allow your readers to see that you understand each student's needs.Use the diversity document as a platform to connect with the student through interaction and make student-to-student contact, if possible. Study the 'diversity spectrum' and start by asking the candidate if he or she could talk about any groups they have met with in person or on campus. You will want to meet people from the groups you want to target in the essay.College diversity essays are tough to write. Use these tips to create a strong college essay. It will provide you with the experience you need to face the world as a college student in today's demanding world.