<p>I grew up in Queens, New York(still do), and go to school in Spanish Harlem. Does this educational experience in such an urban and lower-class arena count as a bonus for applying to college? Many people i've spoken to seem to agree that it does, but what are your takes on it?</p>
<p>Are you low-income?</p>
<p>Yes, my mother makes less than 30k a year and is a single mother supporting me and my sister.</p>
<p>Ahh, excuse me, but how are your grades?</p>
<p>My grades are very good for the particular school I am in, and most public schools. I am not applying to any ivies or top 100 schools and this was more of a general question than one to a specific college or group of colleges.</p>
<p>well if you have a gpa above say 2.6 you might consider at least applying to a top 50 or 2, you might be able to get fee waivers if you need them</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip spetsnaz. :) My gpa is about a 3.3.</p>
<p>It really depends. I would say that more often than not, being an inner city applicant is a disadvantage, because there are so many ambitious students like you with whom you are competing for admission to these schools.</p>
<p>i think at the excellent small liberal arts schools in new england it would definitely be a bonus, because the majority of the applicants are wealthy white kids(btw im not assuming you are not white- just describing the typical applicant, and so diversity is always encouraged among applicants!)</p>
<p>Being an inner city kid is NOT a disadvantage in any way.</p>
<p>Yes, being from "the inner city" would be an attractive feature of your profile for many colleges who do not receive lots of applications from such areas. So aim high but be practical also. Look beyond the northeast. But as a New York resident, think about SUNY Geneseo, Oswego and Plattsburgh. Don't necessarily follow the 'Ivy League at all costs' crowd. But give Columbia University some thought, nonetheless.</p>
<p>Some good and bad advice on this thread. First off, if you are low income, come from a high school that rarely sends people to college, have parent(s) who did not graduate college (or even high school), and have a decent academic record, it is a PLUS!!</p>
<p>On the other hand, if your 3.2 is considered "weak" because your high school is considered weak, or if your high school has sent people to some colleges before and they didn't do well, many colleges will reject you figuring that they would be doing you a disservice by admitting you into an environment where you are unlikely to succeed.</p>
<p>In addition, while being low income is a real plus for the rich schools, it's a disadvantage at the poorer ones. When making admissions decisions, many schools will take the top applicants regardless of need and then a certain percentage who are not the top applicants will be rejected because of need.</p>
<p>If you had better grades and your SAT scores were very good, I'd say you were in very good shape for substantial financial aid at a rich school. But right now, I'd say you're a "tweener." It's a bit tough to predict how the admissions/financial aid issues will play out without knowing a great deal more about your school and your stats.</p>
<p>I wish you luck.</p>
<p>Thank you for your detailed post Tarhunt. :) </p>
<p>Lots to mull over now, as I fit all the criteria of your first post, however you made a good point in your second paragraph. In my recent memory, only 1 person from my school got into a good school(Cornell, and that was really good!). Our graduation rate is about 50%, although i'm not sure how our graduates do after they go to college. Truthfully, i'm assuming for the majority of them, it's not good.</p>
<p>As for LakeWashington, I did look at SUNY Oswego, and was going to apply Early Decision, until I found College of the Atlantic. :)</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your responses.</p>
<p>i think it's a bonus, especially if you take advantage of the cultural diversity and artistic experiences available in a city compared to a suburban environment.</p>