Despite the Trump administration’s recent sweeping executive orders barring federal agencies from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, “diversity” remains one of the most important essay prompts in college applications.

Ever since the 2023 US Supreme Court ruling that banned race-conscious admissions, many American universities have added supplemental essay prompts on diversity, often focusing on upbringing, identity, race, or cultural background. While the ruling restricted the consideration of race in admissions, it left room for universities to assess how race has “affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university.” 

Themes of racial and ethnic diversity have long been central in American literature. For instance, Nella Larsen’s novel, “Passing,” tells the story of two childhood friends, Irene and Clare. Although they are both light-skinned African American females, they choose different paths in a racially divided society in the 1920s. Irene lives in Harlem with her African American husband, while Clare chooses to “pass” as white and marries a white man unaware of her true racial heritage. Similarly, many other literary works, such as Amy Tan’s “Joy Luck Club,” Jhumpa Lahiri’s “The Namesake,” and Sandra Cisneros’ “Caramelo,” explore the immigrant experience and the enduring impact of race and identity.

The heightened competition in college admissions has pushed some Asian American students to highlight atypical Asian extracurricular experiences in their essays, or even change their last names to sound less Asian. While such acts of “self-deAsianization” are troubling, two questions remain unanswered: Should Asian American applicants address their ethnic identity in their “diversity” essays? If yes, how should they write about their ethnic heritage in such essays?

The answer to the first question lies in the literal definition of “diversity.” “Diversity” means “having a range of people with various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds and various lifestyles, experience, and interests.” This expansive definition invites us to think beyond the traditional markers of race or culture. So it is completely fine if you prefer not to focus on your Asian American identity in your essay on diversity. Instead, you can develop your essay on the diversity of your opinions, passions, or aspirations.

The answer to the second question is not straightforward. It depends on how ethnicity has shaped your life and how you choose to express it. Let’s look at the opening paragraph of the essay written by an Asian American girl, who was admitted by all of the eight Ivy League colleges in 2017: “In our house, English is not English. Not in the phonetic sense, like short ‘a’ is for apple, but rather in the pronunciation—in our house, ‘snake’ is ‘snack.’ Words do not roll off our tongues correctly—yet I, who was pulled out of class to meet with language specialists, and my mother from Malaysia, who pronounces ‘film’ as ‘flim,’ understand each other perfectly.”

This essay shines because the student wrote about the unique way her family communicates in English, describing how their imperfect English became a source of connection and cultural richness. 

Another compelling example comes from a Korean American student recently admitted to Johns Hopkins University: “A myriad of sticky notes adorn our bedroom door, each bearing a telling Korean word. Opening the door, I repeat them aloud. Hal-in: Discount.”

What makes this essay stand out is the student’s unique experience growing up in a low-income immigrant family. She helped her mother manage tight budgets by carefully using coupons at Korean grocery stores while learning to appreciate the beauty of the Korean language and culture.

The most compelling essays are those that tell a unique story in a unique way. If your ethnic identity has shaped your life and made you into who you are now, then it deserves to be at the heart of your essay on diversity, even if you belong to an ethnic group sometimes labeled as “overrepresented” at elite universities. There is no need to deliberately avoid your ethnic identity in your essay on diversity. 

On the other hand, if you really don’t have much to say about your ethnic identity, you don’t have to force it into your essay, manufacture a tragedy, or make up a sob story in an attempt to touch the hearts of admissions officers. A sob story can probably make admission officers feel bad for you, but that doesn’t mean it will earn you admission.

At its core, “diversity” is not a new topic in college application essays. The key to writing such an essay is not whether it should include your ethnic identity, but whether it is a genuine and unique part of your story. If it is, embrace it. If not, let it go and write the story that truly belongs to you.

尽管美国政府最近发布一系统行政命令禁止联邦机构支持多元化、公平和包容（DEI）计划，“多元化”依然是大学申请中最重要的文书题目之一。

自2023年美国最高法院裁定，禁止大学在招生中考虑申请人的种族因素，美国很多大学在其补充申请文书中新增了关于多元化的题目，题目设定往往围绕成长经历、身份认同、种族、或文化背景。尽管这一法院裁决限制了招生过程中对种族因素的直接考量，但它仍然为大学留下了评估空间，允许申请者探讨族裔背景如何“影响其人生经历，前提是这一讨论必须密切联系这名申请者能够贡献学校的人品特质或独特能力。”

探讨种族与族裔多样性的主题，在美国文学作品中由来已久。例如，Nella Larsen的小说《冒充白人》讲述了童年好友Irene和Clare的故事。两人都是肤色较白的非裔女性，却在1920年代种族隔离社会中选择了截然不同的人生道路。Irene与她的非裔美国丈夫定居于纽约非裔集中的Harlem区，而Clare则选择冒充白人，嫁给了一位并不知晓她真实种族背景的白人男子。不少其他文学作品，例如谭恩美的《喜福会》、Jhumpa Lahiri的《同名》、以及Sandra Cisneros的《拉拉的褐色披肩》，通过不同视角，探讨了移民经历，以及种族与身份认同对个人的深远影响。

大学招生竞争日益激烈，这使一些亚裔美国学生在申请文书中，刻意强调自己的“非典型亚裔”课外经历，甚至有人选择改变姓氏，使名字听上去不像亚裔。这种“自我去亚裔化”（self-deAsianization）的现象令人忧虑，但仍有两个关键问题亟待解答：亚裔申请者是否应该在“多元化”主题的文书中主动谈及自己的族裔身份？如果是，他们又该如何着笔呢？

第一个问题的答案可以从“多元化”一词的字面定义中找到。“多元化”指的是“一个群体由具有不同种族、族裔、社会经济、文化背景，以及不同生活方式、经历、兴趣的人所构成。” 这一广义的定义鼓励我们跳出种族或文化的范畴，重新思考多元性的内涵。因此，如果你不想在“多元化”主题的升学文书中强调自己的亚裔身份，完全没有问题。相反，你的这篇“多元化”主题文书，可以围绕自己多元化的观点、兴趣、志向展开，呈现另一种层面的多元性。

第二个问题的答案并不直接了当。这取决于你的族裔背景如何塑造了你的生活，以及你选择如何表达它。让我们来看一篇由一位亚裔女生撰写的申请文书开头，她在2017年被所有八所藤校录取：“在我们家，英语并不是英语。不是在语音学意义上，比如短元音‘a’用于‘apple’，而是在发音上。在我们家，‘snake’听起来像‘snack’。单词从我们的舌尖滑落时总是不太对劲。然而，我这个曾被老师单独叫出课堂去见语言专家纠正发音的孩子，与我来自马来西亚、将‘film’念成‘flim’的母亲，却能彼此完美理解。”

这篇文书之所以出彩，在于这位亚裔女生形象描绘了自己家庭独特的英语交流方式，展现了如何将“不完美”的英语转化为情感纽带与文化财富。

另一个鲜明例子来自一位最近被霍普金斯大学录取的韩裔学生：“我们的卧室门上贴满了便利贴，每张都写着一个富有意义的韩语单词。每次推门进房间时，我就大声重复地念。比如：Hal-in：折扣。”

这篇文书之所以突出，在于这位韩裔学生独特的成长经历。她成长在一个低收入的移民家庭，通过精打细算地使用优惠券，帮助母亲在韩裔超市购物时规划开支，同时也领悟到韩裔语言与文化的独特魅力。

最打动人心的申请文书，是那些以独特方式讲述独特故事的文书。如果你的族裔身份深刻影响了你的成长经历，让你成为今天的自己，那么它理应成为你多元化主题文书的核心，即便你的族裔群体有时被精英大学贴上“过度代表”的标签。在有关多元化的文书中，没必要刻意回避自己的族裔背景。

另一方面，如果你的族裔身份对你的成长经历并无显著影响，你也无需勉强将其融入文书，更不必编造和渲染悲情故事来博取招生官的同情。悲情故事或许能引起他们的同情，但同情这并不意味着他们会因此决定录取你。

归根结底，“多元化”在升学文书中不是新的题目，写作此类升学文书的关键，并不在于是否应该涉及族裔身份，而在于它是不是你故事中真实且独特的一部分。如果是，那就“旧壶装新酒”，大方拥抱它。如果不是，那就顺其自然，写下真正属于你的故事。