<p>Helix, your situation is like mine. Im also from an Eastern European nation. Mother Russia that is. :) I came here when I was 3 but im fluent in Russian and English, and like 3/4 spanish. Its technically not a hook. Come on, there are so many smart immigrants in NYC, Philly, etc like you and I. It doesnt distinguish you, HOWEVER, it does look nice if you overcame hardship, which you and I both did. If you portray your hardship of immigration, of assimilation, of learning English, and getting that high verbal SAT, now that looks good. Its a combination of things, and theres a lot of logic in it. I will be sure to use all those things that i just said above in my essays, but more so through the fact that my socioeconomic level is low, compared to that of my high place in Russia (im pretty much lower class here). I hear Albanian everyday in NYC, btw, and many Albanians speak to me in Russian, lol. We teach each other. Anyway, good luck, comrade. :)</p>
<p>momrath, you're absolutely right. I am not Muslim, nor is my family, and there is no reason for me to lie and say that I am. I hope a college will want me becuase of my uniqueness as a person rather than someone who will improve their diversity statistics.</p>
<p>Helix, of course you should not lie. However, it's naive to believe that colleges are not looking at everyone's potential to improve their diversity.</p>
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<p>Dont get overly sensitive. Your uniqueness as a person is exactly what will get you in. Call it diversity, call it a hook, call it profiling, call it packaging, call it whatever you like or dont like the point is that colleges are looking for interesting kids who do interesting things and come from interesting backgrounds. Of course they need the basics -- scores, grades, recs, EC, etc -- but when all else is equal, it's the points of differentiation that will push them over the top into the admit pile.</p>
<p>You started this thread asking if your Albanian immigrant background would be a plus for you. In my opinion the most appealing aspect of being Albanian (to an Adcom that is) is that it is a Muslim country that has experienced a lot of religion based conflict. Not many people know this about Albania so you may have to provide some background. (If you were to ask 100 Americans to locate Albania on a map and name its major religion, youd be lucky to get one correct answer.) </p>
<p>I say, if youve got it, flaunt it. If you have to make it up or exaggerate it, forget it.</p>
<p>Thanks, Bklyn2Cornell! I wish you the best of luck as well. </p>
<p>Momrath and Zagat, I understand that it's naive to think that a college will just want me for my uniqueness rather than the diversity factor. As far as I'm concerned, I just want to get accepted into the school of my dreams. I can prove my merits once I'm there. If they want me becuase I'm Albanian, then that's wonderful. What I meant by my previous statement, hoewever, is that I hope the fact that I'm NOT Muslim will not make me any less unique in their eyes. Although I agree that being a Muslim from Albania is very unique, I cannot use my religious background, mainly because my family isn't religious at all, and neither are most of the Albanians we know. Therefore, I will have to focus on another angle for my essay. </p>
<p>You're absolutely right about asking Americans to point out Albania on a map and not getting a correct answer. The knowledge on this board is very refreshing.</p>