You’re Not Just One Thing—And Your Essay Shouldn’t Be Either
Part 2 of the VIBE Framework: I is for Identity
Happy Saturday!
As I’m writing this post, I am a 28 year old Asian woman who is also a:
Wine Enthusiast
Globetrotter
Pescatarian
Daughter
Optimist
Reader
Runner and…
Writer
To put it simply, I have many roles and interests, all of which come together to form the person I am today. Each label represents a piece of me, and that’s what we’ll be going over today. The I in VIBE stands for Identity.
Last week, we introduced the VIBE Framework, which consists of the four key elements that turn ordinary essays into extraordinary ones (refer to last week's post for a refresher). Today, we’ll be diving into part two.
So, why is identity important, and how should you think about it?
The Hype Around Identity
Gone are the days of singularly focused applicants who only focus on one thing. You’re a swimmer? Cool. Biology expert? Awesome. But… only showing one side of yourself can actually be pretty boring. While top colleges want applicants who demonstrate strong potential in their chosen majors, they also want these applicants to show interest in other academic/non-academic areas too.
From an admissions perspective, students with multiple interests and roles are more likely to be more engaged on campus, and the best way to showcase your dimensions is through your essays.
After all, colleges aren't just building freshman classes; they're building communities where people with diverse identities and experiences learn from one another. Showing different facets of who you are helps them see not just what you'll bring to the classroom, but how you'll enrich campus life in both expected and surprising ways.
Four Dimensions of Identity
You can think about identity in four ways:
1. Personality
Your natural tendencies and character traits shape how you approach challenges and interact with the world. Are you cautious or spontaneous? Analytical or intuitive? These qualities influence everything from how you study to how you build relationships.
To learn more about your personality, take a free MBTI test.
2. Roles & Relationships
How do you see yourself in relation to others? Are you the mediator in your family, the captain who leads by example, or the friend who always lends an ear? These roles reveal how you interact with others.
3. Community Influences
Our backgrounds shape our perspectives, period. How have your cultural experiences, neighborhood, or family traditions influenced what you value and how you see the world?
4. Passions
Be it the debate captain who is also a Sencha tea enthusiast or the dancer who builds robots, your varied interests show the complexity that makes you human and interesting. Lean into everything that brings you joy.
Brainstorming Exercises
Here two exercises that can help you think deeper about identity.
1. The “Labels” Exercise
Take 5 minutes to list all the "labels" that describe different facets of who you are:
Personality Traits (analytical, creative, persistent)
Roles (sister, team captain, volunteer)
Cultural Identifiers (rural, first-generation, multilingual)
Interests (chemist, poet, basketball player)
Now, identify the unexpected combinations. Which labels might surprise someone who only knows one side of you? These mashups often signal your most interesting dimensions.
2. The “Contrast Moments” Exercise
Think about a time when you felt different from those around you. What aspects of your identity became more obvious in that moment? How did this experience deepen your understanding of yourself?
Now remember, the most compelling essays don't just list your various "labels"—they also show how these different aspects of your identity interact and influence each other. Here's an example of how this might look in practice:
When I designed a recycling system for our robotics club's discarded parts, it wasn't just my engineering side at work. Growing up in a less privileged Filipino household where we repurposed everything, I saw opportunity where others saw junk. In the end, our team’s recycled transmission actually outperformed our previous design—connecting my family's resourcefulness, the team’s environmental concerns, and my engineering passion in one unexpected moment.
Hope this was helpful. Next week, we'll explore the "B" in VIBE: Beliefs.
More to come!
Cheers,
May