How to Write a Diversity Secondary Essay for Medical School

Nearly every medical school applicant completing the AMCAS application (or TMDSAS) will encounter some version of a diversity essay during the secondary application process. For some students, this prompt feels straightforward. For others, it can feel intimidating, especially for those who don’t identify as being from a traditionally underrepresented background.

The good news is that medical school diversity essays are not limited to race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Admissions committees are interested in the experiences, perspectives, values, and life circumstances that have shaped who you are and how you will contribute to your class. Everyone has something meaningful to contribute.

In this guide, I’ll explain what medical schools are really looking for in diversity essays, share common themes that work well, and provide real examples from successful applicants.

What Is the Medical School Diversity Essay?

Many medical schools include a secondary essay question asking how your unique experiences and perspective will contribute to the medical school community. This isn’t necessarily the same as an adversity essay prompt, which focuses on challenges and hardship. It’s a way to focus on what distinguishes you from other applicants on your journey to becoming a doctor.

Strong diversity essays typically demonstrate:

• Self-awareness: You understand how your experiences have shaped your identity, values, and perspective.
• Perspective-taking: You can appreciate and learn from people whose backgrounds differ from your own.
• Cultural humility: You recognize that effective physicians must care for patients from a wide range of backgrounds and lived experiences.
• Contribution to the class: You can articulate what unique experiences, insights, or skills you will bring to your peers.
• Potential to serve diverse patient populations: Your experiences have prepared you to communicate with and advocate for patients from many different communities.

Get access to 84 secondary essays that REAL students used to gain acceptance at Hopkins, NYU, Stanford, Harvard, and other top medical schools.

Common Topics and Themes to Consider

The diversity essay aligns with many of the interpersonal and cultural competencies medical schools value in applicants. When writing your response, consider the experiences, perspectives, and personal qualities that have shaped your identity and prepared you to contribute to a diverse medical school community.

If you’re not from a traditionally disadvantaged or underrepresented background, don’t worry. Diversity can take many forms, and every applicant has experiences that influence how they understand and relate to others.

Here are some common and not-so-obvious themes to consider in your essay questions:

• Socioeconomic status: Highlight your socioeconomic background, whether marked by financial privilege or hardship, and how your experiences shaped your perspective, values, and resilience.
• Significant life events: Discuss meaningful events that have shaped your worldview or character. This may include personal challenges, the loss of a loved one, or experiences within your community that influenced your outlook.
• Racial identity: Share how your racial or ethnic background has influenced your experiences, relationships, and perspective.
• Experiencing healthcare disparities: Describe personal encounters with health disparities and how they have influenced your understanding of patient care and inclusion.
• Physical disabilities: Explain how living with a disability has shaped your understanding of healthcare, accessibility, empathy, and patient advocacy.
• Gender and/or sexual identity: Reflect on how your gender identity and/or sexual orientation have influenced your experiences and perspective.
• Neurodivergence: Discuss how ADHD, autism, or other neurodivergent traits have contributed to your approach to problem-solving, communication, or patient care.
• Unique or rare physical traits: Highlight characteristics such as visible medical conditions or distinctive physical traits and how they have impacted your life and interactions with others.
• Insecurities you have overcome: Share personal challenges and how overcoming them contributed to your growth, confidence, resilience, or understanding of others.
• Family circumstances: Describe unique family dynamics, responsibilities, or challenges that have shaped your sense of responsibility, empathy, and perspective.
• Religion/faith background: Reflect on how your religious, spiritual, or faith background has influenced your values, worldview, commitment to service, or career goals.
• Cultural heritage: Discuss traditions, customs, and values from your cultural background and how they have influenced your identity and aspirations.
• Immigration experience: Share the challenges and perspectives gained from being an immigrant or coming from an immigrant family.
• Educational path: Nontraditional applicants can highlight a unique academic journey, such as switching majors, taking time away from school, or pursuing an unconventional field of study.
• Work experiences: Reflect on meaningful job experiences and what they taught you about responsibility, leadership, service, or working with diverse populations.
• Volunteer work and community service: Discuss extracurriculars that show a commitment to serving others and describe how these experiences deepened your understanding of different communities.
• Hobbies and interests: Showcase hobbies or interests that have contributed to your personal growth, perspective, or ability to connect with others.
• Global perspective: Describe experiences abroad, such as studying, volunteering, working, or living in another country, and how they broadened your worldview or perspective on social justice issues.
• Leadership roles: Reflect on leadership experiences and how they prepared you to contribute to a collaborative and diverse medical school community.
• Interpersonal skills: Highlight your ability to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and what those experiences taught you about communication, empathy, and collaboration.

Learn More: Common Medical School Interview Questions (With Sample Answers)

Mistakes to Avoid

You can miss the mark on the diversity question by focusing too much on the experience itself and not enough on the perspective it created. When answering the diversity prompt, avoid these common mistakes:

• Assuming diversity only refers to race or ethnicity. Medical schools value many forms of diversity, including life experiences, family circumstances, personal interests, education, work experience, and unique perspectives.
• Writing a generic essay. Avoid broad statements about diversity without specific examples. Adcoms want to understand your individual experiences and how they shaped you.
• Focusing only on the experience, not the impact. Don’t simply describe what happened. Explain how the experience influenced your values, perspective, relationships, or future approach to medicine.
• Trying to sound impressive instead of authentic. Admissions committees can quickly identify essays that feel exaggerated or insincere. Focus on genuine experiences and honest reflection.
• Positioning yourself as a hero or savior. When discussing volunteer work or service experiences, emphasize what you learned rather than portraying yourself as someone who fixed a problem for others.
• Ignoring the school’s specific prompt. Diversity essays vary significantly between medical schools. Make sure your response directly addresses the question being asked. You should also carefully consider the school’s mission statement.

The Importance of Diversity in Medical School

Diversity has become an increasingly important consideration in medical school admissions, and for good reason.

Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision restricting the use of race-conscious admissions policies, many medical schools have placed greater emphasis on holistic review processes. Diversity essays allow admissions committees to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and perspectives that shape each applicant beyond their grades and MCAT scores.

A diverse student body and physician workforce are also important for patient care. The medical field has historically been dominated by white male and Asian physicians, leading to a lack of representation for other racial and ethnic groups. This disparity can impact patient care, as studies have shown that patients often receive better care when treated by doctors who share their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Diversity also plays an important role in expanding access to medical education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Historically Black Medical Schools (HBMSs) have played a critical role in educating physicians from underrepresented backgrounds despite funding and resource disparities. Efforts to increase diversity across medical education help create pathways for talented students from all backgrounds to pursue careers in medicine.

Finally, diversity enriches the learning environment for every student. When you interact with peers from different backgrounds, it fosters cultural competency, empathy, and collaboration, all essential skills for future healthcare providers. These experiences help prepare future physicians to work effectively in diverse healthcare settings and provide better care to their patients.

What if I’m Not From a Traditionally Diverse Background?

One of the most common misconceptions about diversity essay prompts is that they are only relevant for applicants from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds. That simply isn’t true. Even if you don’t come from a traditionally diverse background, you still have unique qualities and experiences that can contribute to a diverse student body.

Some of my favorite diversity essays from former students have come from unique stories that weren’t about culture or socioeconomic status. For instance, I once worked with a competitive ballerina who discussed her extensive training as part of diversity essay questions.

Maybe you’ve developed a unique perspective through competitive athletics, the arts, or volunteer work at a free clinic. Hobbies, personal interests, and community involvement can all reveal aspects of your identity and worldview. The key is identifying the experiences that have shaped how you think, interact with others, and approach your future role as a physician.

Diversity Essay Examples

Need inspiration to get started? Below, I share three med school diversity essay examples written by students accepted into their programs. Each offers a different example of how diversity can be expressed in this format and how applicants can demonstrate the unique experiences they would bring to a medical school community. (Names have been removed for confidentiality.)

Example 1: A Second-Generation Asian American (272 Words/1837 Characters)

Prompt: Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? Please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community. (350 words max)

Essay: When the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community experienced a resurgence in anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us feared for our elderly, experienced physical assaults, and endured constant streams of microaggressions. All these effects led to consequences for my community’s mental health and revealed gaps in mental healthcare for AAPI. As a second-generation Asian American, I have experienced the conflict of identity created by the generational gap between immigrant parents and children, and the surge in anti-Asian hatred compounded these stressors. The stigma against mental illness within our community discourages many of us from seeking treatment, and the increased demand for mental health care led to services becoming more inaccessible. I dedicated myself to addressing this gap by organizing virtual activities and dissemination of resources. Many of my fellow students struggled to adapt to the sudden change to virtual curriculum and social distancing; our goal was to maintain a network for students to discuss their experience, seek support from peers, and empower our communities. Another area that demonstrates the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 is food insecurity. While visiting my grandparents in their assisted living facility, I learned that many residents struggled to access affordable and healthy food. After reaching out to local food banks, I registered as a recurring volunteer. Using my fluency in Mandarin and basic Spanish, I can comfort and serve families who are struggling with the consequences of COVID-19 and recent economic changes. With the knowledge I gained from these experiences, I aspire to continue working to address disparities, advocate for underserved populations, and provide accessible and culturally appropriate care as a future physician.

Example 2: When Cultures Collide in Unity (373 Words/2399 Characters)

Prompt: Describe your identity and how it has impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward individuals different from yourself and how this will impact your interactions with future colleagues and patients. (2500 characters max)

Essay: Growing up, I traveled to India during summers to visit my family. Living in India for months at a time allowed me to understand the rich history of my ancestral homeland, Hyderabad. Unlike other parts of India, Hyderabad historically saw collaboration between Hindus and Muslims. They set aside their differences to live peacefully and build long-lasting monuments, such as the Charminar, symbolizing the value of tolerance on which Hyderabad was established. I experienced firsthand how coexistence between Hindus and Muslims persists today, as my family tailor and my apartment watchman have Arabic names and practice Islamic traditions. Recognizing this aspect of my heritage informed my identity as someone who celebrates diversity and understands its importance.

Upon returning to the US, I had a new appreciation for the values of diversity and acceptance, which I now noticed in my hometown as well. Although the people in my community had our differences, we assisted one another during difficult times. Whether it was shoveling driveways during snowstorms or babysitting children of our working neighbors, we could count on the people living around us to understand our needs and support one another. The values I learned from my neighbors continue inspiring me to behave altruistically and help those in need whenever possible.

My experiences reflect the richness of my life as well as the dual nature of my identity. I embody diverse values because I am both an Indian with deep ties to centuries of history and tolerance and an American with compassionate attributes. Throughout my undergraduate years, I delivered meals at food banks, served underprivileged groups and clinics, and treated patients experiencing multiple medical comorbidities as an EMT. By taking these actions, I aim to apply the diverse aspect of my identity in my life and help others overcome the challenges they face.

As a physician, I hope these core values will meaningfully shape my interactions with colleagues and patients. I will work alongside colleagues and staff to collectively improve patient outcomes. With my patients, I will act compassionately and dedicate myself to addressing their needs through high-quality care. Witnessing different parts of the world, learning to appreciate different backgrounds, and selflessly contributing to others’ health will serve me well as I work toward these goals.

Example 3: Advocating for Those with Disabilities (256 Words/1631 Characters)

Prompt: Please describe how your background and/or your unique lived experiences contribute to our culture of inclusive excellence. Limit the response to 300 words.

Essay: I can contribute to the culture of inclusive excellence through my passion and skillset for caring for persons with disabilities. Through my time caring for over 50 residents with varying disabilities at an assisted living facility and living with my grandma who suffers from Alzheimer’s, I have become a strong advocate for people with disabilities. As a supervisor at an assisted living facility, I ensure my residents receive equitable treatment, respect, and necessary accommodations in both medical and social settings. My resident, “Jeff,” whom I advocate for regularly, experienced a recent traumatic brain injury (T.B.I.) that left him partially paralyzed and nonverbal. Unfortunately, this has led some people to assume he is in a vegetative state and unable to communicate. In such situations, I explain that Jeff is a mature adult with a unique communication style, demonstrated through nods, fist bumps, and facial expressions. By doing this, I help Jeff engage with the community and express his preferences and decisions to medical personnel. I want to emphasize the importance that individuals with disabilities should not be defined solely by their disabilities, but rather celebrated as unique individuals. I am always looking for ways to get my residents involved in the community and want them to feel included wherever they go. I have further advocated for persons with disabilities by sending a letter to my state representative, asking that the government increase funding to support those living with disabilities. I am inspired to use my experiences to promote an inclusive environment as a medical student.