@pdelacru Hi! My uncle is the Dean of Admissions for a college in NYC and he has given me an insight on how diversity weighs on admission decisions in SLP. Depending on your location, a diverse cohort is an important factor. The admissions committee assumes that you will pursue a career in the same state you received your certification. With that being said, places like NYC are very diverse, which in return, requires a diverse group of professionals. The ability to identify and empathize with a culture is a very important skill to have and unfortunately, some people do not have those skills. Therefore, finding people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds who can relate to their clients and families is a deciding factor as well. Granted, it is not as important as your GRE's, SOP's and GPA, it can still help boost your application.