Conceptualizing Students' Identities in College Admissions Essays


Jennifer Weerasinghe, York University

This paper explores the identification of students identities in Californias college admissions essays, exploring their narratives in the absence of affirmative action policies. This paper investigates how applicants convey identity narratives, drawing from a pool of 165,000 individuals who submitted essays in Fall 2017. Incorporating social identity, intersectionality, performativity, and narrative identity theories, it dissects linguistic strategies. This paper suggests the need for more computational studies on identity in college admissions. Beyond theoretical contributions, it aims to guide diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies in education, providing insights for admissions and offering broader social perspectives on identity in evolving educational landscapes.

This paper will be presented at the following session: