How to Use the Roles and Identities Exercise to Write an “Identity/Diversity + How would you contribute” Essay

The “Why us” Essay

The “Why us” essay is basically already taking this approach. But for more on this, click here.

The “Extracurricular” Essay

This approach could work for a prompt like this one:

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (10-150 words)

How it works:

Devote most of the word limit to answering the prompt. Then include a final sentence that mentions a specific opportunity the college offers.

Example essay (shortened version of the “advocate” essay above for Bowdoin):

I believe in the power of small acts of service. After seeing Middle Eastern migrant workers abandoned in desert mountains with only a broom, water, and one meal, I felt helpless—but that’s when I found my calling as an advocate. Back home, I began volunteering at the NJ Help Center, supporting immigrant families like mine. I translated applications for housing aid and health insurance, listening to stories of escape from war and economic hardship. These small exchanges reminded me how meaningful direct service can be. At Bowdoin, I’ll continue building community through fEMPOWER—working to elevate female voices—and the Muslim Student Alliance, where I’ll foster interfaith dialogue. One day, I dream of becoming the first hijabi U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations—a journey I know begins with small acts, genuine connection, and a commitment to justice. That journey, I believe, starts at Bowdoin.

Brief analysis: Note the one sentence “Why us” that’s woven in. Does the college ask for it? No. But why not take the opportunity to show you’ve done your research and how you might contribute to the campus community?

The “Intellectual Curiosity” Essay

Some colleges will straight up ask for the “How will you contribute” part in their “Intellectual Curiosity” prompt. Take Haverford’s prompt from 2024, for instance:

Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you hope to engage with this topic or issue at Haverford? (200 words.)

Some colleges won’t ask for the “How will you contribute” piece explicitly. Take Tuft’s prompt from 2024:

It’s cool to love learning. What excites your intellectual curiosity and why? (250 words)

But hey, it’s not a terrible idea to weave it in anyway, especially if you do two things:

1. answer the prompt first, and

2. keep the mention brief.

Like this:

Diseases intrigue me more than anything. My interest started in sixth grade when I learned about a small Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Every day I’d go straight home from school and Google news articles about the outbreak. Ebola both terrified and fascinated me. My sixth-grade self worried the outbreak would consume the entire region and never stop spreading. I was fascinated by how such a small virus could cause such irreparable damage. The methods Doctors Without Borders and the WHO employed to try and contain the virus also caught my attention. I noted what worked and what didn’t, and was surprised by the lackluster global response to the outbreak.

My interest in Ebola led me to studying other diseases. After studying Zika, MERS, Nipah, and hemorrhagic diseases such as Lassa Fever, I’ve realized that the world is grossly underprepared for the next pandemic.

Whether I’m petitioning governments or researching vaccines, I want to help prepare the world for the next pandemic. That’s why Tufts’ Community Health programwith electives like Health, Disease, and the Environmentfeels like a perfect fit—I’m especially curious about how environmental change accelerates zoonotic spillover. I’m also drawn to the Global Health Collaborativewhere I hope to contribute to a student-led research project on disease surveillance infrastructure in low-income countries.

Whether I am petitioning world governments or researching new vaccines, I want to help prepare the world for the next pandemic. That’s why I want to study and raise awareness about diseases as an epidemiologist.

Brief analysis: This works well because, again, the author has answered the prompt and the mention of school-specific details are brief.

And, in case you’re wondering: You don’t HAVE to do this. You don’t have to turn every single essay into a “Why us” essay. But hey, if a college doesn’t have a “Why us” (or other similar essay that asks why you’re interested in their campus), I think it’s not a bad idea to weave it in.

The “Why Major” Essay

Notice how everything in the “Intellectual Curiosity” essay example above could apply to a “Why major” essay. The essay could even work almost as is; the author might just want to change 1-2 sentences to say “that’s why I want to major in X,” and expand just a bit.

The “Community” Essay

Some universities ask about your involvement with community, often with some version of this:

Everyone belongs to many different communities and/or groups defined by (among other things) shared geography, religion, ethnicity, income, cuisine, interest, race, ideology, or intellectual heritage. Choose one of the communities to which you belong, and describe that community and your place within it. (300 words)

For this type of essay, we’d say clearly answer the prompt first.

Then if you want to (and you don’t have to), you might consider adding 1-3 sentences naming specific opportunities at the college or university you’re applying to.

As an example, take a look at the “storyteller” community example on our Community Essay guidewhich ends:

I love to perform with my theatre class to entertain and educate young audiences throughout my community. To tell our stories, we travel to elementary and middle schools performing plays that help educate younger students of the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and bullying. As storytellers, we aim to touch lives and better the world around us through our stories.

Note how then the author could have simply continued with something like:

…That’s why I’m interested in (X particular course, program or extracurricular activity) at (Y college / university) as I hope to better understand (Z particular thing).

We could go on and on, giving examples of essay prompts that focus on everything from leadership to social issues to service, but you get the idea here.