How do these schools view overcoming significant challenges?

<p>For Stanford, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, how do these schools each individually view a student's overcoming adversity. </p>

<p>I'm not talking about something like just a parent divorce or having to move a few times because of a parent is in the military. I'm talking about a student whose parents were abusive heroin addicts, that student had to move over 17 times, in and out of foster care, who was abused by his brother who is a homeless, high school dropout, whose father passed away from cocaine during high school and his mother is severely ill. This student is so poor that he had to work 24 hours a week during the school year to be able to afford things. His school is not every good and it doesnt have AP courses, but he paid for courses at the local college. </p>

<p>This student also has pretty good academic achievement... something like a 32 or 33 ACT, a 3.98 unweighted GPA etc etc</p>

<p>Does this stick out in the pool of applicants or does it not really make a difference?</p>

<p>Definitely sticks out. Overcoming adversity and still having stellar grades and scores proves that you’re capable of handling challenges thrown at you in your life.</p>

<p>With sincerity in essays, really good teacher recommendations, is this something that makes an admissions officer want to fight for that student’s admission?</p>

<p>Yes, it’s potentially a very important – and very favorable – “admissions wedge issue.” However, I’ll offer a recommendation: use the essays to explain HOW these extremely adverse experiences enhanced the student’s character, potential, and goals. </p>

<p>mhm</p>

<p>I agree with @TopTier‌ just be sure the focus of the essay is not bashing the parents, but rather how this difficult upbringing combined with the strong personal attributes the student has helped to form the student into the strong, motivated, successful, forward looking person he/she is today.</p>

<p>Yeah, that’s what my essays are about :)</p>