Is sexual orientation a good theme for an admission essay sample?

Most college application essay resources discourage talking about sensitive topics such as politics, religion, and sexuality in your admission essay.  However, change is slowly but surely arriving, as more and more people are approaching these subjects with more tolerance and acceptance.  Despite this, topics such as one’s sexuality should still be written with a lot of care.  Though you want to reveal more of yourself to the readers of your essay, great care should be taken when expressing your views, your aspirations, your experiences, and what else you deem fit to discuss in your college application essay.  

*  Is sexual orientation within the scope of affirmative action?

Affirmative action is a kind of approach that takes into account a person’s ethnicity, gender, religion, and disability and allows him or her the equal rights to employment or admission.  This approach is mandated in most corporations and government agencies when it comes to employment while most universities and academic institutions also follow these to strike a balance in their student body.  Sexual orientation is also a part of what affirmative action covers and as such, people cannot be judged regarding their sexual preferences when it comes to looking for a job or getting a college degree.

*  What are the pros of using sexual orientation as an admission essay theme?

The thing about discussing sexual orientation in your college admission essay is to not make it just the central theme of your piece.  Though most people nowadays are more open to liberal views on relationships and sexuality, make it a point to refer to more than just your partner preference.  Applicants who have differing gender preferences can discuss how their choices have influenced their lives.  Say you’re an officer at the local LGBT club.  You can cite the experiences and skills that you’ve learned so far and how it has made you a better person.  As long as you discuss your sexual preferences in your essay in a tactful and effective manner, it becomes an effective topic.

*  What are the cons of using sexual orientation as an admission essay theme?

Though discrimination is largely frowned upon on nowadays, there is still that degree of discomfort that can be felt especially if the topic of gender and sexuality is not clearly discussed in your college admission essay.  This kind of topic is still a bit sensitive to hear or discuss for most people and most online resources on college essay writing also discourage making this a very prominent theme in one’s essay.  In fact, some people actually don’t think it’s necessary to disclose sexual preference when applying for a job or for college because it does not and should not be the basis for your acceptance or employment.  However, if you strongly feel that sexual preference plays a big part in giving the college admissions panel members an insight to your personality as a prospective student, then proceed with caution.  Also be prepared for questions that though not discriminatory in nature, are just borne out of the uniqueness of your topic.