Is Being an Immigrant a good hook?

<p>Although I am not an underepresented minority (Polish), will me being an immigrant (1st grade) give me a little advantage if I write about it in my essay?</p>

<p>not at all.</p>

<p>That’s not to say that an essay about your ancestry or your experience as an immigrant would be a bad idea, just that this isn’t a “hook” - something that gives you an advantage in the applicant pool. Of course, any topic can be effective if it represents you well.</p>

<p>hah, my response came off more terse than i meant it to. the above post is right- as long as you represent yourself well and if you truly believe your immigrant status truly defines you, then go for it. but as an immigrant myself, i can tell you that the majority of us have lived comfortable, american lives that really don’t differentiate from the rest of the applicant pool.</p>

<p>^ i thought all the schools want more diversity so being an immigrant might help a little…(and plus im an immigrant too and i came here only 3 yrs ago:it’s not going to help at ALL???)</p>

<p>Who’s NOT an immigrant these days? :)</p>

<p>unless you were oppressed/suppressed or discriminated against in any other way and managed to be the president of 3 clubs whilst pulling off 3.8s and 2250s, no.</p>

<p>hahaha yeah. I came 7 years ago, speak 3 languages, and yet I’m pretty sure being indian hurts me in the process, not helps me.</p>

<p>Speaking multiple languages may help. But thats if you speak 3-8 languages</p>

<p>An interesting essay about your experiences might help you be accepted, but overall, there are so many immigrants applying to college that in general, colleges don’t need more of that kind of diversity.</p>

<p>^^ I’m wondering how multiple languages may help. Is there any way to prove that you can speak all of those languages?</p>

<p>Agree with Northstarmom. And since you’re an immigrant who’s white, you’re not a URM. :(</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!!</p>

<p>I wouldn’t emphasize it but do claim dual citezenship if that is the case.
Colleges love to brag about students representing x number of states
and x number of countries. If you are the only one from Poland that year
it should help.</p>

<p>It’s debatable whether certain characteristics give you an ‘advantage’ in the admissions pool anyway (aside from athletics and legacy status). It’s not what you are, but what you do with it. Low-income students don’t get extra attention simply because they’re poor, but because if they are poor and they still have stats comparable or just a little bit poorer than their middle-income competitors in the application pool, that’s an admirable feat because they accomplished just as much while being disadvantaged. Similar things can be said of underrepresented ethnic/racial minority groups. (Athletes and legacies are just the potential to bring a lot of money into the school, for different reasons.)</p>

<p>So, just being a Polish immigrant by itself is not going to impress anyone. There are millions of Polish immigrants in the U.S. Rather, you should write about your experiences and <em>what</em> about being a Polish immigrant gave you obstacles that you had to overcome when you moved to the U.S. Did you have to learn English while attending school? Was navigating the American public school system difficult?</p>

<p>Yipyip0901, schools aren’t looking for empty diversity. They want diversity that actually means something, not just warm bodies that are different on the surface. I’m not saying that the OP is that, but a young person who immigrated here whem she was 2 or 3 years old and grew up essentially as a middle-class American adds all the regular diversity that a regular middle-class American would add.</p>