<p>Like, 0 EFC, income > $15,000 bracket?</p>
<p>Increase your chances at? Getting into an ivy league school, getting into a state school? getting a scholarship?</p>
<p>Generally, some schools with need blind admissions would look favorably at a candidate from a poverty background if that student has strong (not necessarily the best) credentials. </p>
<p>Other schools want kids that can pay the tuition. </p>
<p>So, the answer to your question depends on what you want and what you managed to accomplish despite your life circumstances.</p>
<p>Make sure that you’re applying to places that are likely to give you the financial aid that you need. It’s very worth it to pay the $15 to access the US News online college site until next Aug., because that site gives detailed breakdowns of thousands of colleges’ financial aid (and also admissions) policies.</p>
<p>Do make sure that you have a financial safety: A school you know you’ll be admitted to and also can afford. For many students – including middle income ones – their financial safety is their local community college.</p>
<p>Also, consider travel expenses and distance when you’re considering colleges. Even the most generous colleges only factor in a trip home in Dec. and at year’s end. Most students go home more than that such as the Thanksgiving holiday, spring break, and some three-day weekends. They also may want their parents to visit for parents weekend.</p>
<p>If you go to college a long distance from home, it also may be very difficult for your parents to get you and your belongings to and from school and the beginning and end of the year.</p>
<p>Most students go to college within 250 miles of their home for good reason.</p>
<p>Well, the school i’m looking at now is Tufts (which I believe is need blind, and meets 100% of student need with no loans <em>in my bracket</em>). It’s 30 miles from home. My biggest concern is some of my stats (mainly SAT scores) aren’t up to par with Tufts norm. However, i’ll be graduating salutatorian with a 4.0. I just wanted to know if being of a low soci-ec background would help?</p>
<p>Being low income may very well help at Tufts. It’s also a college to which it’s important to show interest, so make sure you visit, and do things like send them updates about your activities, honors, and awards. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Last year, I read on cc that Williams College tracked ‘low-ec’ kids, so it is likely that they get a plus factor in admissions at that college.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>^ It’s true. They flew a bunch of us up for W.O.W. and said we were tagged in their admissions database.</p>
<p>I’ve been wondering about this issue for a while. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/469331-do-colleges-actually-prefer-admit-wealthy-students.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/469331-do-colleges-actually-prefer-admit-wealthy-students.html</a> </p>
<p>Some colleges claim to look out for students from families with limited resources–let’s see how this works out in practice this year.</p>
<p>It would only help at a very few schools and would hurt at most colleges. At Tufts, yes, it would help because they are looking to round out their wealthy leaning student body with lower income kids for diversity. Most colleges, however, don’t have they money to do this and need to favor kids who can pay.</p>
<p>If you don’t have the scores and live near Tufts you probaly won’t get in though. Living near takes away from diversity, you’d be a much better candidate if you lived in S. Dakota. Try to focus on need blind, 100% need schools where your stats are all in range.</p>
<p>I know that Harvard is interested in attracting low income and first generation students in their area, and I imagine Tufts has similar interests.</p>
<p>Good point NST, schools do want to serve their community. Would they give a break on scores if he’s not a URM though?</p>
<p>Many colleges do give breaks on scores to students of any race who are low income and/or first gen college. The colleges realize that such students are at a disadvantage when it comes to achieving high scores: They typically have lacked access to excellent educations (including public schools), and to enrichment opportunities.</p>
<p>Yes, if you’ve done something to make yourself stand out of most people in that income bracket.</p>
<p>I don’t think colleges look at your income before making the decision on whether to take you or not.
I dont think just having low income means much. How about ppl with assets?</p>
<p>The original question referred more broadly to “(very) low socio-economic bracket,” and certainly having limited resources is an important issue for many young people who hope to attend college.</p>