Just because you are going to college doesn’t mean you can’t be a city girl, because much like Yung Miami, with the University of Miami, Miami is right in the name. Located in Miami-Dade’s Coral Gables, U Miami is a private research university. It is home to around 10k undergrads and 12 schools, including specialized colleges like the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, Miami Herbert Business School and Frost School of Music. The school has once again extended its test-optional policy and has around 19% acceptance rate.

If you hope to make it to the 305 for college, you want to put your best sandal-clad foot forward, which means writing a great supplement. U Miami only has one question, so let’s break it down. Dale, read on.

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)

So, this question is a mouthful, but really, the last line is the bulk of the question. That being said, you will still have to fit a lot into the fairly short 250-word limit. First, you need to tell a personal story about “unique experiences, challenges overcome, or skills acquired.” That’s broad and encompasses a lot of different personal stories, as most of them could be considered “unique experiences.” However, some stories will work better than others here because while you are telling a personal story, your answer should also contain two main points:

Your values align with diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity.
You would enrich the U Miami community.

When choosing a story, consider the principle of inclusivity. We like this word because it captures diversity but doesn’t lead students to write essays solely about their race, gender, or sexuality (you can write about any of these factors in a dynamic way, but you don’t need to answer this question well).

What you shouldn’t do is write something that boils down to “being [insert ethnicity here] makes me diverse.” If you choose to talk about your culture, bring us in and show us how that culture has given you skills or connected you to others. For example, you could write about learning how to make Indian food from your grandmother and then having a potluck with your friends and sharing your culture with them. Yes, this answer is about culture, but it is also about acquiring skills and sharing your culture with others.

There are many ways to talk about inclusivity. You could tell a story about bringing a new person into your friend group, doing outreach for a club, attending an event from another culture and trying to learn more, going out of your way to help someone you care about, etc. Honestly, these are our favorite answers to this question because they are easy to connect with the type of person you will be at U Miami and showcase your commitment to your community and including others.

This essay doesn’t need a formal conclusion, but you can hammer home the skill, quality, or knowledge and how it applies to how you will exist at U Miami. It's a lot to fit into 250 words, but we believe in you!

Supplements take time, even these shorty ones. Make sure you give yourself enough time to really make it shine! It’s only one question, but that doesn’t mean it's easy. And if you aren’t giving 100% confidence, we would be happy to help.

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