<p>So the essay that asks to talk about your neighborhood... Did I screw myself over by talking about Brooklyn and Manhattan even though it said "neighborhood?" I talked about my neighborhood specifically, but went on to talk about New York City as a whole, and how it influenced me and shaped who I was...</p>
<p>Am I in trouble? :((</p>
<p>I doubt it. You may have strayed just a tad bit too far from the prompt but I think relating your experiences in terms of the bigger picture (NYC instead of just a neighborhood) could be a positive thing as well.</p>
<p>Either way if your academics/XCs are good I doubt it will hurt you a ton.</p>
<p>I’m applying this year as well so I don’t positively know how this works, but I do know that at other top engineering schools (Purdue, UMich) the essay doesn’t hold a ton of weight. They just want to see that you can craft a paper and organize your thoughts well. I’d surmise that it’s similar at GT.</p>