How much is foster care/homelessness/etc. factored in admissions?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi Guys-</p>

<p>I am currently a senior in high school. I spent freshmen year and the first half of sophomore year in a very abusive household, often with no food, electricity, etc. One parent was the abuser, other was alcoholic who could care less about her children. You get the picture. I was removed from home by CPS and placed in foster care temporarily, and then placed back with my alcoholic parent. We got evicted, ended up being homeless for a little and I lived out my car. At this point I was starting junior year. I then went to live at my grandmothers house and continued to through junior year. At that point my mother got a crappy apartment in a really rough part of town, (where I live now, almost halfway through senior year). And when I refer to abuse, I was beaten almost every single day, oftentimes with a metal rod. I was also emotionally and mentally abused, I don't even wanna talk about that part.</p>

<p>So enough of my pity party, but as you can see I had a less then ideal home situation throughout high school. And if anyone's concerned, I got the proper counseling, therapy, and support from the proper government agencies. </p>

<p>Some stats:
My SAT is a 2080 (M600+R730+W750),
GPA is 3.7/4.2
Varsity cross country and for 3 years, track for 2.
30+ hour a week job @‌ McDonalds
4 years JROTC</p>

<p>I applied to some of the better schools (Notre Dame, USC, Chapel Hill, UMich, etc.), and NROTC and AROTC scholarships but I just don't think I'm quite competitive. How much will my home situation be factored into admissions? I'v heard from some Ill be a shoe in, others it wont really matter. Also if anyone knows of any schools in particular that would be especially understanding please let me know.</p>

<p>I made my home life the topic of all my essays BTW.</p>

<p>Thanks Y'all</p>

2

<p>First off, I’m sorry that you’ve had such a bad home situation. I am glad though that you have persevered both personally and academically despite your hardships. The plus side is, colleges will think the same thing I do in that regard. You have good greats, a great SAT score and have done so without the ease some students have. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I agree with the above, I’m so sorry and major congratulations for doing so well despite the horrendous situations.
Have you spoken with your guidance counselor about all of this? I would ask him/her to write about it in their section of the application, for sure. You may also want to talk to the teachers who are writing your recommendation letters. If they don’t know about this, or the severity of it, I’m sure it would color (in a positive way) whatever glowing things they’re already planning to write about you :)</p>

<p>As far as schools that would be particularly understanding, I’d suspect that smaller Liberal Arts Colleges would be, but it doesn’t look from your list as though you’re interested in any of those. </p>

<p>I’d also recommend you spend some time searching for scholarships to apply to. When we were researching for my daughter we came across a lot that were geared towards students who’d overcome huge obstacles like yours. Even small, private scholarships of $500 or $1000 are worth applying for, IMHO. You have a compelling story, great stats, and you write very well. I’d guess you would win some scholarships if you applied!</p>

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<p>Assuming you’ll need a full ride? UVA Jefferson. USF, Seattle U. Drexel. Smaller LACs are more likely to weigh the essay and recommendations. For target = Hobart William Smith, Drew. Reach = Vassar, Bates. Safety = Colby sawyer, salve Regina. Look at the list of colleges 1that change lives. </p>