Diversity by Lauren

Diversity by Lauren - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

I have planned on continuing my education at a university ever since I could remember. I have grown up in a town of five hundred residents and with a school of two hundred students. Where I live, everyone knows your parents, siblings, and grandparents. You know the teachers on a first name basis and wave to each other on the street. I started pre-school with the same kids that I will be graduating with this May. As much as I love this town and who it has made me, it’s not flawless. For these very reasons, this town and school have played an important role on why I wish to attend college, for one simple reason: diversity.
Diversity in a university entails so many things that I haven’t experienced in my small school. It means that I will be able to experience clubs, classes, students and excitement that you can only get with a large number of students. It means that I will be able to not only learn about new things from the classes that I go to, but also through the people I meet. You can only learn so much in a classroom, the rest you learn through your own personal experiences or through networking.
Looking at other schools, it’s hard not to get jealous when I see that they offer more of a variety of classes, clubs, sports, and activities. In a small school, we don’t have the opportunity to customize our schedule to our specific interests due to the limited number of teachers and small school budget. It’s also hard to have a diverse classroom discussion when there are only two to five other like-minded students in it. As I am planning on pursuing Wildlife and Fisheries, with minors in photography, journalism, and history, I feel as though I am quite behind on my education. If we were offered more classes in high school, I would take photography, animal science, zoology, honors English, journalism, anthropology, etc. Having more course options would allow students to be more decisive on what college or major is the best decision for them. With the appreciable opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to take Dual Credits, it has helped me, and many others, to be able to take some of these classes and get a head start on our future education.
Another reason why I chose diversity as my word is because of the college atmosphere. When you go to college, even for a brief moment, you can feel the excitement radiate through your body. When you attend games, everyone is dressed up in their best school spirit and cheering on their team. People are studying throughout campus – lounges, rooms, libraries – trying to better themselves and their grades. When you are around people who are motivated to take action and achieve these things for themselves, it motivates you. These are the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. Along with this, there are many different ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds in college that I didn’t have in my hometown. This diversity will help enhance my social development and my self-awareness, while preparing me for a global workforce. A diverse college campus will provide me an opportunity to expand my views and options, while opening the doors to the rest of the world.
I have chosen the word diversity because I am more than eager to start college and experience a more diverse setting, whether it is in the campus, atmosphere, classes, friends, or environment. As individuals, we have different ideas, thoughts, and ways we think about various issues. By going to college, we are able to enable our minds to take on different ways of thinking and conforming it to work in just that way – diverse.