8 Effective Ways to Talk about Race in Your College Admission Essay

In a highly competitive academic environment, students always look for ways to make their admission essays stand out from others. One such method is to discuss racism in college essays, especially if one’s racial identity has any influence on one’s life. A 2024 survey by Statistics Canada found that 51% of racialised individuals experienced discrimination in the past five years, with 66% citing race or skin colour as the main reason. 

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling about the use of race in admission essays, as reported in The New York Times, students can discuss it only in the context of how it helped them gain some life experiences and achievements. 

So, if you are going to discuss racism to enhance your application, you should tackle it carefully by following experts’ suggestions. To assist you in this regard, we will discuss the 8 best and most practical ways to talk about racism in college essays.

How to Effectively Talk about Racism in my College Essay? 8 Best Ways

College admission essays are meant to portray student’s personalities, backgrounds, life experiences, and unique perspectives. While writing this essay, you need to add every possible information that shows your honesty, personal growth, and strengths. 

That’s why talking about racism in college essays is important, but it demands immense attention to detail as it may ruin your chance of admission if you attempt it carelessly. To highlight your achievements, get help with college admission essay writing online from experts. They will not only assist you in designing your essay but also ensure your selection by attempting it efficiently.

The following are 8 best techniques that you must use while discussing racism in your essay:

1. Share Your Experience Authentically

You have to show your real identity and reflection through your essay, so write everything authentically. It does not mean discussing general things but rather focusing on sharing unique experiences that impacted your life. You should talk about your racial identity in such a way that how it shaped your life, values, and perspective.

Furthermore, you should steer clear of overgeneralising or offering what you believe admissions officials want to hear. Rather, you need to describe your own narrative and experiences. 

For example, you can discuss the incidents when this racism helped you to interact with others, give you a sense of being a part of something, and make your future plans. Being honest lets readers relate to you more deeply, which distinguishes your writing from others.

2. Highlight Your Growth and Strength

Pew Research Center reported that about 75% of black adults faced racial discrimination in their lives. Talking about race sometimes means confronting difficult issues that you often face. But discussing your development and resilience is also equally valuable here. Tell them through your admission essay how you overcame challenges, negotiated tricky situations, or discovered strength in your identity.

For example, if you have ever gone through a situation of discrimination, you should highlight all the aspects and see how these events shaped your growth and made you committed to social justice dedication. Colleges appreciate students who can emerge from hardship and carry those teachings back into their local communities.

3. Share Cultural Traditions and Their Impact

Every race has its own culture, traditions, and a specific way to celebrate events. According to A Guide to Writing College Admission Essays, you should talk about how this racism, cultural background, and practices affected your identity and make sure to discuss these in your own words. You should add all these elements into your admission essay to help you present a rich and vivid picture of yourself.

For example, while talking about racism in college essays, you can tell them how engaging in cultural events enabled you to connect with your background or how these customs shaped your values. By telling these tales, you will not merely add depth to your essay but also show your respect for your cultural background.

4. Talk about How Race Shaped Your Goals in Life

Colleges are curious about how your background shapes your life goals. So, to help them know about it, you should clearly portray everything about your race in a racial discrimination essay. Share if there is any link between your racial background and academic achievements and career aspirations.

For example, describe how your identity motivated your aspirations to be a teacher advocating for underprivileged communities or a lawyer against racial injustice. This strategy demonstrates to admissions officials your clear vision related to things and how your experiences motivated you throughout this journey.

5. Describe How Your Background Influenced in Making Who You Are Now

Everyone comes from a different background, so it is necessary to discuss it in your college admission essay. It is not only about describing the background but also about how it shaped your personality and made you who you are today. You should focus on the favourable features of your development and how those events strengthened you.

For example, Isabella, a student at Johns Hopkins, said that her community of Filipino background influenced her to change from being alone to a unique and special person. She also talked about her background and how it provides the opportunity for me to learn, develop, and increase my respect for what makes me unique. This story shows resilience and personal development, which are the qualities colleges seek in candidates.

6. Use Clear, Specific, and Personal Examples

Using general statements in your essay will negatively impact your chance of winning it. So, try to avoid generalisations and show your arguments with particular anecdotes. While talking about racism in college essays, you should add your personal stories to help the readers understand your world. 

By discussing unique and specific examples, you will enable the reader to relate to your experiences on a deeper level, therefore enhancing the relevance and appeal of your work. As most of you consider essay writing to be a time-consuming task, you need to attempt it early on to ensure success.

For example, rather than saying that race has been a difficulty, you may relate a particular incident, such as a classroom debate in which you felt misinterpreted, and how it helped you to discover your voice. These elements give your experiences life and make your admission essay more valuable.

7. Pay Attention to Contribution and Positivity

Although you should tackle issues and discuss the difficulties you may have faced, avoid letting your essay only revolve around the difficulties. You should discuss your racial identification, its positive impacts, and its contributions to your life. Discuss how these incidents have inspired, strengthened, or made you proud.

Talk about the great things you have done for your community—plan cultural activities, offer your time, or coach others. This strategy demonstrates your proactive nature and also brings about change and shows the qualities that institutions seek in new applicants.

8. Link It Back to the Values of the College

Research the universities you are hoping to apply to and think about how your background fits their goals and beliefs. You should portray yourself as a great fit for that institute so that they can select you without any confusion. Most colleges prefer students who are more involved in their community and its progress and influence others. So, you should picture yourself by linking the college values with your own while talking about racism in a college essay.

For example, if a college promotes social activity, you should talk about how your experiences with race motivated you to fight for inclusion and fairness. This reveals that you have done your research and really want to help the university community.

Can I Talk about Racism in My College Essay?

Yes, you are free to discuss racism in your college essays, but you can do it only to highlight your special skills and background and share the stories that have impacted your life. You can talk about racism in a way that how it changed your perspectives and helped you learn about various life experiences. 

Boston University says as long as it seems appropriate for you to share and your narrative is real, you are free to write about confronting prejudice, including racism. Remember that talking about a personal experience with racism could be a great approach to highlight your resilience, empathy, and original viewpoint.

This is how you can approach it:

  • Be sincere and talk about your real feelings and experiences in your essay.
  • You should discuss how this racism helped you in achieving personal growth while overcoming various challenges.
  • You should not discuss it in a general way or about others; rather, make it as personal as possible.
  • Also, add valid arguments to support your point of view and finish it with a positive message in your essay.

Conclusion

Excelling in college admission essays is essential to get into your dream institute. While many factors influence your essay, racism is also an important tool to share your side of the story to attract the admission committee and show yourself as an exceptional candidate. Here, we have mentioned the top 8 ways that you must read and follow before going to talk about racism in college essays to make it more impactful and winning. 

In addition to this, students suffering from writer’s block or facing difficulty in writing admission essays often consult trustworthy essay writing companies in the UK. They help students craft perfect essays with the right portrayal of racism and show the true reflection of the candidate to make it a great success. So, get the benefit of these mentioned techniques and portray your positive attitude towards the betterment of the community.

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