If you want to get a clearer sense of all that the University of Miami is looking for, you can explore an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. And for insights into how the university envisions itself and its role, and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its strategic plan. Reading through these will give you a strong idea of what UMiami values.
What is the University of Miami supplemental essay prompt?
University of Miami Supplemental Essay Prompt #1
Located within one of the most dynamic cities in the world, the University of Miami is a distinctive community with a variety of cultures, traditions, histories, languages, and backgrounds. The University of Miami is a values-based and purpose-driven postsecondary institution that embraces diversity and inclusivity in all its forms and strives to create a culture of belonging, where every person feels valued and has an opportunity to contribute.
Please describe how your unique experiences, challenges overcome, or skills acquired would contribute to our distinctive University community. (250 words max)
How to Write the University of Miami Supplemental Essay Prompt
Located within one of the most dynamic cities in the world, the University of Miami is a distinctive community with a variety of cultures, traditions, histories, languages, and backgrounds. The University of Miami is a values-based and purpose-driven postsecondary institution that embraces diversity and inclusivity in all its forms and strives to create a culture of belonging, where every person feels valued and has an opportunity to contribute. Please describe how your unique experiences, challenges overcome, or skills acquired would contribute to our distinctive University community. (250 words max)
This is a pretty standard “How will you contribute…” prompt—for a full guide to those prompts (and other kinds of “diversity” prompts), head here. Here’s a shorter version:
In this essay prompt, Miami wants to understand how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to their diverse student community. Let's break down the key components of the prompt to guide your approach.
Which of your life experiences have had the most impact on your personal development? This essay offers the opportunity to delve into specific experiences that have shaped your perspective on life, education, and more.
How will you contribute? Make sure your answer to this question is clear. How have these experiences positioned you to make an impact at Miami? What do you bring to the school and community (in ways that maybe others don’t)? While it doesn’t have to be truly unique, it’s great to aim in that direction: the best response will highlight a contribution that only you (or maybe you plus a few other applicants) would think to make.
Again, one important aspect with this prompt is its focus on your contribution to the Miami community.
Another detail to note is Miami’s encouragement to show where you come from—the people, places, and things that have shaped who you are today. This is your chance to connect your unique upbringing, in a very broad sense of the word, with what has helped make you unstoppable. So take it.
While there are many things outside of “community” that might fit this prompt, if you’re looking for a way to brainstorm ideas, that’s a good place to start. (Especially since “community” and “identity” tend to overlap a lot. But keep in mind that you’ll want to include some “how will you contribute” details in your essay—this isn’t just a “tell us about a community” prompt.)
For a full guide to “community” essays, head there.
Here’s how to brainstorm possible essays:
Step 1: Brainstorm (all about you).
Do the “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise.
Step 2: Research the college (learn all about them).
Make a copy of the “Why us” Essay Chart 2.0, research the school you’re writing your essay for, and fill in the first two columns.
Once you’ve done these exercises, you’ll have a better sense of:
YOU: A bunch of different talents/skills/identities/qualities that you’ll bring to a college campus, and
THEM: A variety of programs/courses/clubs/affinity groups that your college offers.
Step 3: Connect you… to them (i.e., the college you’re applying to).
Make connections between what the school offers and what you’re interested in.Here’s an example essay (written for MIT’s version of this prompt) with analysis:
Example:
“I don’t have a mommy – and no, I was not adopted.” This was an early attempt, (albeit from a five-year old’s perspective), to proudly explain to my classmates that I had two dads (yes they are gay!) and was conceived via invitro-fertilization. Looking back, this statement undoubtedly triggered several conversations around my classmates’ dinner tables. Years later, I learned how my simple declaration broadened many family’s perspectives.
I was raised as part of a community that proudly celebrates diversity and encourages change through personal interaction. My parents and I are not the kind to go to protests. While we greatly respect those loud voices, we find influencing others on a personal level can be a more effective way of instigating change. Throughout my formative years, being part of one-on-one personal interactions within a predominately heterosexual community allowed me to witness the dismantling of stereotypes one person at a time.
At MIT, I aspire to perform similar roles, broadening perspectives and strengthening the LGBTQ+ climate through personal relationships. By being open with my gender identity, having a great sense of humor, and embracing my peers and professors in thoughtful, relaxed one-on-one conversations, I hope to develop strong bonds founded in mutual respect. Just as MIT can be considered the home of science, MIT should be a home for the LGBTQ+ community. My dream is to form relationships that have a cascading effect at MIT through developing new champions and strengthening the climate for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff. (247 words)
Tips & Analysis:
Share (a core part of) your world view. We’d recommend thinking about everything that Miami is getting elsewhere, through your personal statement, activities list, and additional info section. Then assess: what aren’t they seeing yet? Remember, your essays’ primary function is to help a reader see who you are, what you value, what you bring to their campus and community. This essay uses the prompt as an opportunity to share a core part of their growing up, and how that shaped their values (celebrating diversity, encouraging change, personal engagement)
Half for you, half for them. Give or take—it doesn’t have to be a perfect 50/50 split. But notice that about 60% of the word count here is used to share specific details and insight gained from the student’s background. Then, about 40% is used to connect to specific aspects of the college community that the student wants to engage with, and how they want to do so (using specific examples and verb phrases) in order to show how they’ll contribute to the school. Be sure you’re including a decent amount of word count that gets really specific with how whatever aspects of background/identity you’ve discussed in the first half will allow you to add to the lives, perspectives, and understanding of other students in the second half. (And for more on how to mostly show, but probably tell a little in college essays, head there.)
And here’s a nice example essay written for a similar prompt from Colgate University:
Aside from my inherent love for bagels, my Jewish background has led me to become more embedded in my community, joining Jewish activists and building a website on Holocaust education.
In the 1930s, 36 members of my family were lost to the Holocaust, and that fact has led me to carry on the memory of my ancestors through tradition—with my Bar Mitzvah—as well as with an educational lens—teaching others about the Holocaust and about specific stories of survivors.
Feeling disconnected from Jewish activism, I decided to become an educator on the Student Leadership Board of the Seattle-based Holocaust Center for Humanity last year. Each week, we met to discuss present-day instances of oppression and discrimination across the world, and finished the year by building a website to share the story of a Holocaust survivor.
Being on the board connected me to a network of other passionate Jewish activists, and helped me to channel the pride for my culture and ancestors into visual media that reaches many viewers. At Colgate, I hope to find myself surrounded not only by like-minded Jewish students, but by a diverse group of people with whom I can learn and make connections. (196 words)
Tips & Analysis
Highlight a core identity. In the example essay, the applicant highlights their Jewish heritage and the profound impact it has had on their life choices and commitments. This is a great way to approach this prompt—think of communities/identities that you claim, pick one that Miami isn’t seeing elsewhere, and show how that aspect of you + your experiences will allow you to contribute to the Miami community. Similarly, for the Miami prompt, ensure you shed light on the aspects of your background that have shaped your identity. This could be cultural, familial, or personal attributes that have molded you into the individual you are today.
Provide concrete examples of impact. Just as the sample essay vividly narrates the applicant's journey in Jewish activism, so you’ll want to offer specific instances that exemplify the impact your background has had on your decisions and pursuits. Whether through personal experiences, engagements, or projects, share specific moments where your background has led you to initiate meaningful actions. In short, show us.
Connect to the college's community. The sample essay could be stronger if the writer reflected even more on how they might continue to nurture their identity at Miami. How can you do that? Address how your background, values, and commitments align with Miami's vision and how you intend to extend these connections on campus to foster learning and shared growth. For example, perhaps you plan on joining (or creating?) relevant student clubs, volunteering at a local museum, or finding innovative ways to connect with students who share a similar background.
And here are two more examples, written for UMiami.
Example:
Sophomore year, I founded the New York Modern Political Club to provide a platform for students to express their opinions on civic and political issues in New York City. When I founded the club, several faculty members were concerned that certain topics involving race and gender might be unsafe to discuss. However, when my club garnered over twenty members from different racial, socio-economic, and cultural backgrounds, and attracted the interest of students from all grades, I proved that engaging in sensitive discussions can strengthen community.
I constructed presentations on topics such as LGBTQ rights in single-sex schools, vaccine mandates, the over-incarceration of African Americans, and the legalization of marijuana. Through facilitating these discussions, members of our community embraced vulnerability and shared personal stories. One member spoke about his experience being gay in an all-boys school, another shared a moving story about his African American friend who was unfairly frisked for suspected marijuana possession. Through fostering an inclusive space for discourse, I learned how other students’ experiences differ from mine.
During the two summers that I spent studying at UMiami, I had the opportunity to room with students from Uruguay and China, whose stories of growing up abroad captivated me. On campus, I want to join “Canes Chat” to meet international students, learn about their cultures, and help them integrate into the campus.
Through facilitating dialogues, I’ve come to appreciate the richness of perspectives within my community. I will continue listening and learning at UMiami while striving to make positive change. (250/250)
Example:
I never expected I would find so many Caribbean kids here in Raleigh, North Carolina. I felt out of place in my part of the city, until I went to high school. The more I socialized, the more students from the Caribbean I met. I realized it would be amazing if we could build a community together, since many were unaware of the significant Caribbean population at our school.
Finding connection with your community is a beautiful thing, and that’s what inspired me to initiate the Caribbean Students Association. During meetings, seeing the kids bob their heads along to the beat of the reggae music made me feel I had succeeded in creating a space for Caribbean students. I organized a potluck event so we could all bring dishes from our specific country and connect with each other through food. The laughter and conversations we have at meetings show how I have utilized my leadership skills to impact students within my community and provide them a place to discuss things they may feel like nobody else would understand. We laugh about shared superstitions our moms instilled in us, debate names of dishes which differ in our countries, and talk about hardships we endured growing up Caribbean-American. At the University of Miami, I would love the opportunity to participate in the Caribbean Students Association by cooking traditional meals, organizing social and charitable events, and sharing our culture with students who have different backgrounds.
