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In the year since the Supreme Court banned听the consideration of race in college admissions听last June, students have had to give more thought to how they present themselves in their application essays.

Previously, they could write about their racial or ethnic identity if they wanted to, but colleges would usually know it either way and could use it as a factor in admissions. Now, it鈥檚 entirely up to students to disclose their identity or not.

Data from the Common Application shows that in this admissions cycle from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups used at least one of 38 identity-related phrases in their essays, a decrease of roughly 1% from the previous year. The data shows that about 20% of American Indian and Alaskan Native applicants used one of these phrases; meanwhile 15% of Asian students, 14% of Black students, 11% of Latinx students, and fewer than 3% of white students did so.

To better understand how students were making this decision and introducing themselves to colleges, The Hechinger Report asked newly accepted students from across the country to share their college application essays. The Hechinger staff read more than 50 essays and talked to many students about their writing process, who gave them advice, and how they think their choices ultimately influenced their admissions outcomes.

Here are thoughts from a sampling of those students, with excerpts from their essays.听

Jaleel Gomes Cardoso of Boston: A risky decision

As Jaleel Gomes Cardoso sat looking at the essay prompt for Yale University, he wasn鈥檛 sure how honest he should be. 鈥淩eflect on your membership in a community to which you feel connected,鈥� it read. 鈥淲hy is this community meaningful to you?鈥� He wanted to write about being part of the Black community 鈥� it was the obvious choice 鈥� but the Supreme Court鈥檚 decision to ban the consideration of a student鈥檚 race in admissions gave him pause.

鈥淓ver since the decision about affirmative action, it kind of worried me about talking about race,鈥� says Mr. Cardoso, who grew up in Boston. 鈥淭hat entire topic felt like a risky decision.鈥澨�

In the past, he had always felt that taking a risk produced some of his best writing, but he thought that an entire essay about being Black might be going too far.听

鈥淭he risk was just so heavy on the topic of race when the Court鈥檚 decision was to not take race into account,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was as if I was disregarding that decision. It felt very controversial, just to make it so out in the open.鈥澨�

Courtesy of Jaleel Gomes Cardoso

In the end, he did write an essay that put his racial identity front and center. He wasn鈥檛 accepted to Yale, but he has no regrets about his choice.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e not going to see what my race is in my application, then I鈥檓 definitely putting it in my writing,鈥� says Mr. Cardoso, who will attend Dartmouth College this fall, 鈥渂ecause you have to know that this is the person who I am.鈥澨� 听听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听听

听鈥� Meredith Kolodner

Essay excerpt:

I was thrust into a narrative of indifference and insignificance from the moment I entered this world. I was labeled as black, which placed me in the margins of society. It seemed that my destiny had been predetermined; to be part of a minority group constantly oppressed under the weight of a social construct called race. Blackness became my life, an identity I initially battled against. I knew others viewed it as a flaw that tainted their perception of me. As I matured, I realized that being different was not easy, but it was what I loved most about myself.听

Klaryssa Cobian of Los Angeles: A seminomadic mattress life

Klaryssa Cobian is Latina 鈥� a first-generation Mexican American 鈥� and so was nearly everyone else in the Southeast Los Angeles community where she grew up. Because that world was so homogenous, she really didn鈥檛 notice her race until she was a teenager.

Then she earned a scholarship to a prestigious private high school in Pasadena. For the first time, she was meaningfully interacting with people of other races and ethnicities, but she felt the greatest gulf between her and her peers came from her socioeconomic status, not the color of her skin.听

Although Ms. Cobian has generally tried to keep her home life private, she felt that colleges needed to understand the way her family鈥檚 severe economic disadvantages had affected her.听She wrote about how she鈥檇 long been 鈥渄esperate to feel at home.鈥�

She was 16 years old before she had a mattress of her own. Her essay cataloged all the places she lay her head before that. She wrote about her first bed, a queen-sized mattress shared with her parents and younger sister. She wrote about sleeping in the backseat of her mother鈥檚 red Mustang, before they lost the car. She wrote about moving into her grandparents鈥� home and sharing a mattress on the floor with her sister, in the same room as two uncles. She wrote about the great independence she felt when she 鈥渕oved out鈥� into the living room and onto the couch.听听

鈥淲hich mattress I sleep on has defined my life, my independence, my dependence,鈥� Ms. Cobian wrote.听

She鈥檇 initially considered writing about the ways she felt she鈥檇 had to sacrifice her Latino culture and identity to pursue her education, but said she hesitated after the Supreme Court ruled on the use of affirmative action in admissions. Ultimately, she decided that her experience of poverty was more pertinent.听

Courtesy of Klaryssa Cobian

鈥淚f I鈥檓 in a room of people, it鈥檚 like, I can talk to other Latinos, and I can talk to other brown people, but that does not mean I鈥檓 going to connect with them. Because, I learned, brown people can be rich,鈥� Ms. Cobian says.听 She鈥檚 headed to the University of California, Berkeley, in the fall.

鈥� Olivia Sanchez

Essay excerpt:听

With the only income, my mom automatically assumed custody of me and my younger sister, Alyssa. With no mattress and no home, the backseat of my mom鈥檚 red mustang became my new mattress. Bob Marley blasted from her red convertible as we sang out 鈥渃ould you be loved鈥� every day on our ride back from elementary school. Eventually, we lost the mustang too and would take the bus home from Downtown Los Angeles, still singing 鈥渃ould you be loved鈥� to each other.听

Oluwademilade Egunjobi of Providence, Rhode Island:听The perfect introduction

Oluwademilade Egunjobi worked on her college essay from June until November. Not every single day, and not on only one version, but for five months she was writing and editing and asking anyone who would listen for advice.

She considered submitting essays about the value of sex education, or the philosophical theory of solipsism (in which the only thing that is guaranteed to exist is your own mind).听

But most of the advice she got was to write about her identity. So, to introduce herself to colleges, Oluwademilade Egunjobi wrote about her name.

Ms. Egunjobi is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who, she wrote, chose her first name because it means she鈥檚 been crowned by God. In naming her, she said, her parents prioritized pride in their heritage over ease of pronunciation for people outside their culture.听

And although Ms. Egunjobi loves that she will always be connected to her culture, this choice has put her in a lifelong loop of exasperating introductions and questions from non-Nigerians about her name.听

The loop often ends when the person asks if they can call her by her nickname, Demi. 鈥淚 smile through my irritation and say I prefer it anyways, and then the situation repeats time and time again,鈥� Egunjobi wrote.听

Courtesy of Oluwademilade Egunjobi

She was nervous when she learned about the Supreme Court鈥檚 affirmative action decision, wondering what it might mean for where she would get into college. Her teachers and college advisors from a program called Matriculate told her she didn鈥檛 have to write a sob story, but that she should write about her identity, how it affects the way she moves through the world and the resilience it鈥檚 taught her.听

She heeded their advice, and it worked out. In the fall, she will enter the University of Pennsylvania to study philosophy, politics, and economics.听

鈥� Olivia Sanchez

Essay excerpt:

I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever had to fight so hard to love something as hard as I鈥檝e fought to love my name. I鈥檓 grateful for it because it鈥檒l never allow me to reject my culture and my identity, but I get frustrated by this daily performance. I鈥檝e learned that this performance is an inescapable fate, but the best way to deal with fate is to show up with joy. I am Nigerian, but specifically from the ethnic group, Yoruba. In Yoruba culture, most names are manifestations. Oluwademilade means God has crowned me, and my middle name is Favor, so my parents have manifested that I鈥檒l be favored above others and have good success in life. No matter where I go, people familiar with the language will recognize my name and understand its meaning. I love that I鈥檒l always carry a piece of my culture with me.听

Francisco Garcia of Fort Worth, Texas:听Accepted to college and by his community

In the opening paragraph of his college application essay, Francisco Garcia quotes his mother, speaking to him in Spanish, expressing disappointment that her son was failing to live up to her Catholic ideals. It was her reaction to Mr. Garcia revealing his bisexuality.听

Mr. Garcia said those nine Spanish words were 鈥渢he most intentional thing I did to share my background鈥� with colleges. The rest of his essay delves into how his Catholic upbringing, at least for a time, squelched his ability to be honest with friends about his sexual identity, and how his relationship with the church changed. He said he had striven, however, to avoid coming across as pessimistic or sad, aiming instead to share 鈥渨hat I鈥檝e been through [and] how I鈥檝e become a better person because of it.鈥澨�

He worked on his essay throughout July, August, and September, with guidance from college officials he met during campus visits and from an adviser he was paired with by Matriculate, which works with students who are high achievers from low-income families. Be very personal, they told Mr. Garcia, but within limits.听

鈥淚 am fortunate to have support from all my friends, who encourage me to explore complexities within myself,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淢y friends give me what my mother denied me: acceptance.鈥�

He was accepted by Dartmouth, one of the eight schools to which he applied, after graduating from Saginaw High School near Fort Worth, Texas, this spring.

鈥� Nirvi Shah

Essay excerpt:听听

By the time I got to high school, I had made new friends who I felt safe around. While I felt I was more authentic with them, I was still unsure whether they would judge me for who I liked. It became increasingly difficult for me to keep hiding this part of myself, so I vented to both my mom and my closest friend, Yoana ... When I confessed that I was bisexual to Yoana, they were shocked, and I almost lost hope. However, after the initial shock, they texted back, 鈥淚鈥檓 really chill with this. Nothing has changed Francisco:)鈥�. The smiley face, even if it took 2 characters, was enough to bring me to tears.听

Hafsa Sheikh of Pearland, Texas:听Family focus above all听

Hafsa Sheikh felt her applications would be incomplete without the important context of her home life: She became a primary financial contributor to her household when she was just 15, because her father, once the family鈥檚 sole breadwinner, could not work due to his major depressive disorder. Her work in a pizza parlor on the weekends and as a tutor after school helped pay the bills.听

She found it challenging to open up this way, but felt she needed to tell colleges that, although working two jobs throughout high school made her feel like crying from exhaustion every night, she would do anything for her family.听

Courtesy of Hafsa Sheikh

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely not easy sharing some of the things that you鈥檝e been through with, like really a stranger,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ecause you don鈥檛 know who鈥檚 reading it.鈥�

And especially after the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action, Ms. Sheikh felt she needed to write about her cultural identity. It鈥檚 a core part of who she is, but it鈥檚 also a major part of why her father鈥檚 mental illness affected her life so profoundly.听

Ms. Sheikh, the daughter of Pakistani immigrants, said her family became isolated because of the negative stigma surrounding mental health in their South Asian culture. She said they became the point of gossip in the community and even among extended family members, and they were excluded from many social gatherings. This was happening as she was watching the typical high school experiences pass her by, she wrote. Because of the long hours she had to work, she had to forgo the opportunity to try out for the girls鈥� basketball team and debate club, and often couldn鈥檛 justify cutting back her hours to spend time with her friends.听听

She wrote that reflecting on one of her favorite passages in the Holy Quran gave her hope:

鈥淥ne of my favorite ayahs, 鈥榲erily, with every hardship comes ease,鈥� serves as a timeless reminder that adversity is not the end; rather, there is always light on the other side,鈥� Ms. Sheikh wrote.

Her perseverance paid off, with admission to Princeton University.

-- Olivia Sanchez

Essay excerpt:听

Besides the financial responsibility on my mother and I, we had to deal with the stigma surrounding mental health in South Asian culture and the importance of upholding traditional gender roles. My family became a point of great gossip within the local Pakistani community and even extended family. Slowly, the invitations to social gatherings diminished, and I bailed on plans with friends because I couldn鈥檛 afford to miss even a single hour of earnings.

David Arturo Munoz-Matta of McAllen, Texas: Weighing the risks of being honest

It was Nov. 30 and David Arturo Munoz-Matta had eight college essays due the next day. He had spent the prior weeks slammed with homework while also grieving the loss of his uncle who had just died. He knew the essays were going to require all the mental energy he could muster 鈥� not to mention whatever hours were left in the day. But he got home from school to discover he had no electricity.听

鈥淚 was like, 鈥榃hat am I gonna do?鈥欌�� says Mr. Munoz-Matta, who graduated from Lamar Academy in McAllen, Texas. 鈥淚 was panicking for a while, and my mom was like, 鈥榊ou know what? I鈥檓 just gonna drop you off at Starbucks and then just call me when you finish with all your essays.鈥� And so I was there at Starbucks from 4 until 12 in the morning.鈥澨�

The personal statement he agonized over most was the one he submitted to Georgetown University.听听

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be mean or anything, but I feel like a lot of these institutions are very elitist, and that my story might not resonate with the admissions officers,鈥� Mr. Munoz-Matta says. 鈥淚t was a very big risk, especially when I said I was born in Mexico, when I said I grew up in an abusive environment. I believed at the time that would not be good for universities, that they might feel like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want this kid, he won鈥檛 be a good fit with the student body.鈥欌��

He didn鈥檛 have an adult to help him with his essay, but another student encouraged him to be honest. It worked. He got into his dream school, Georgetown University, with a full ride. Many of his peers were not as fortunate.听

鈥淚 know because of the affirmative action decision, a lot of my friends did not even apply to these universities, like the Ivies, because they felt like they were not going to get in,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat was a very big sentiment in my school.鈥澨� 听听听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听 听

鈥� Meredith Kolodner听

Essay excerpt:

While many others in my grade level had lawyers and doctors for parents and came from exemplary middle schools at the top of their classes, I was the opposite. I came into Lamar without middle school recognition, recalling my 8th-grade science teacher鈥檚 claim that I would never make it. At Lamar, freshman year was a significant challenge as I constantly struggled, feeling like I had reached my wit鈥檚 end. By the middle of Freshman year, I was the only kid left from my middle school, since everyone else had dropped out. Rather than following suit, I kept going. I felt like I had something to prove to myself because I knew I could make it.

Kendall Martin of Austin, Texas: From frustration to love

Kendall Martin wanted to be clear with college admissions officers about one thing: She is a young Black woman, and her race is central to who she is. Ms. Martin was ranked 15th in her graduating class from KIPP Austin Collegiate. She was a key figure on her high school basketball team. She wanted colleges to know she had overcome adversity. But most importantly, Ms. Martin says, she wanted to be sure, when her application was reviewed, 鈥淵鈥檃ll know who you are accepting.鈥�

Courtesy of Kendall Martin

It wouldn鈥檛 be as simple as checking a box, though, which led Ms. Martin, of Kyle, Texas, to the topic she chose for her college admissions essay, the year after the Supreme Court said race could not be a factor in college admissions. Instead, she looked at the hair framing her face, hair still scarred from being straightened time and again.听

Ms. Martin wrote about the struggles she faced growing up with hair that she says required extensive time to tame so she could simply run her fingers through it. Now headed to Rice University in Houston 鈥� her first choice from a half-dozen options 鈥� she included a photo of her braids as part of her application. Her essay described her journey from hating her hair to embracing it, from heat damage to learning to braid, from frustration to love, a feeling she now hopes to inspire in her sister.听听

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I wanted to get across: my growing up, my experiences, everything that made me who I am,鈥� she says.

鈥�听Nirvi Shah

Essay excerpt:听

I鈥檓 still recovering from the heat damage I caused by straightening my hair every day, because I was so determined to prove that I had length. When I was younger, a lot of my self worth was based on how long my hair was, so when kids made fun of my 鈥渟hort hair,鈥� I despised my curls more and more. I begged my mom to let me get a relaxer, but she continued to deny my wish. This would make me so angry, because who was she to tell me what I could and couldn鈥檛 do with my hair? But looking back, I鈥檓 so glad she never let me. I see now that a relaxer wasn鈥檛 the key to making me prettier, and my love for my curls has reached an all-time high.听

This story about听听was produced by听, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for Hechinger鈥檚听. Listen to Hechinger鈥檚听.