<p>I have a question about the whole "adversity advantage" program that some colleges have talked about adopting. The reason I ask is because my father died when I was young and I wrote about the death's impact on my life etc. etc. in some of my essays. Does this have any weight when colleges consider me? If so, how much? I've been adopted since then, so my last name changed and on most applications I have my adopted father listed under the "father" portion, but I still made it clear that he adopted me and my biological father is deceased...</p>
<p>You shall soon find out!</p>
<p>I think it can have a powerful effect depending on how you present it like it positively made you a better person, that you dont feel bitter, or confused or jealous of others...etc.</p>
<p>That's what I tried to do...I tried to say something about how it was a traumatic experience but made me better etc. and I threw something in there about how it showed me to avoid substance abuse since he died from smoking...hopefully it'll add a little bit, but I think it depends on the college...</p>
<p>bump bump bump</p>
<p>input anyone????</p>
<p>My dad was physically and verball abusive I wrote an essay about that and how it motivated me to excel in academics and life to become more independent and free myself from him. I've gotten As althroughout highschool in freshman, junior, and senior year: 14 AP classes but the my sophomore year my grades went to Cs and Bs because my dad went on a rampage until he was finally arressted. I don't know if my essay about it helped....it may have come of sounding really like an excuse for my poor academics sohpmore year...may have backfired. But I have gotten into CMU and Umich engineering so far so maybe. No one can say for sure.</p>
<p>I wrote about my father's early verbal and physical aggression as well. However, I am afraid that the adcom members would look upon these circumstances favorably, like that they might think i am therefore also predisposed to aggression, and I don't know if that was such a good idea, in retrospect :(</p>
<p>thanks for the input guys...if you want my opinion as to your situations, I think writing about an abusive home life would help, as long as you don't make it seem like you're complaining or that you're only writing the essay because you think that's what they want to read...The only reason I bring this topic up is because I read an article that talked about this a couple years ago and I wanted to know how true it was...</p>
<p>In the words of that idiot of a PE coach, Bobby Smith, "Everybody has asthma."</p>
<p>Dont really understand ^^ post. Plz expln.</p>
<p>I hope you're applying to several safeties...</p>
<p>No, seriously, lol...what he, and Smith, meant was that everyone has adversity. We can manipulate and justify our existence so as to appeal to almost any set of circumstances.</p>