I know it sounds like a bit of a strange question, but hear me out.
I’m currently a senior in high school applying for colleges at the moment, and I cannot figure out whether my financial situation will act as a benefit or burden in my admissions process.
I can objectively say that I do have rather good stats with a 3.91 unweighted GPA, 4.27 weighted GPA, and a 1570 SAT score. So if this is coupled with the fact that my family is too poor to have afforded nice tutors or camps or certain extracurricular activities, would that be seen as a plus?
I heard that if colleges see that a certain student achieved high standards without the financial support, it can show levels of diligence and hard work; however, I also understand that universities are businesses and want people who will make them money.
Please define “poor”? I have seen posters here on CC whose parents earn a 6 figure income claim to be low income because the parents cannot afford to pay $70,000/year for college. Will you qualify for a Pell grant?
I am going to answer a slightly different but more important question. Will it hurt or help in completing College(including admissions)?
It will not help you. A few of the very top schools try to make it neutral. At most schools, it will be a negative.
Being dependent on financial aid and scholarships to afford college will hinder your ability to go to college.
Some colleges that may be safety, likely, or match for you for admission will be reach for you because they are only affordable to you if you get a competitive merit scholarship that is a reach.
Colleges that offer sufficient need based financial aid to make them affordable tend to be more selective (and some of them are need aware for individual applicants to limit the aggregate financial need of the admit class). The exception may be in state publics if you live in a state where they offer good financial aid for you.
I don’t think people are answering the question. He (she?) is not asking for financial advice. He just wants to know if his financial situation might help ADMISSION chances. Which it seems could go both ways- some schools will give full tuition-paying applicants a boost, but they still have to be impressed by a kid who can rise to the top without the advantages that $ can bring. It might depend on the college, but I bet the same college can approach this both ways too.
I think a lot of factors play into this, and as @TomSrOfBoston asked, depending on how “poor” OP is. Also, another factor that plays into this question, I think, is a race; it’s subtle, but it’s definitely there especially in terms of statistics with Pell Grant/Race.
Also, another very important thing is citizenship status. Citizens and LPRs are essentially in the same pile, where generally, low-income would be a slight boost at least if the college is need-blind. If OP is a visa-holder, DACA, or an undocumented alien, I think this is where that low-income will hit him/her the most.
Unfortunately, OP hasn’t provided any information regarding this.
The lower SES category, if Pell eligible, can be a help if a school is actively trying to find great students to help with their USNWR ranking related to this factor. But many claim to be need blind, so it may not come up until waitlist time. Hard to know.
However, the life story that comes across in recommendations and essays will reflect well on your character and focus as a student. Both huge drivers as they read your application.
@privatebanker I agree, but I think it’s also important to add that many schools are looking for “poster babies”, as in, a certain number/quota of students they want to admit to make their percentages look appealing (racial and socioeconomic diversity). I think a lot of the “poor but smart” students may be cherry-picked through Questbridge because it knocks two birds out with one: Satisfies Questbridge as a nod to lower-income but fully capable students, and their flashy diversity pamphlets.
I might just have an overly pessimistic view on the matter, but I wholely think colleges would probably not want to admit as many poor students if the public wasn’t conscious or aware of “diversity”.
If you consider “admission” in the practical sense of meaning “you can attend this college”, then admission without sufficient financial aid or scholarships equals rejection. Since being able to attend is the goal, the financial aspect cannot be ignored.
I am an Asian American, US Citizen, and when I say poor, I mean below the poverty line. I have free lunch, am eligible for a Pell Grant, get fee waivers for everything because my family cannot afford a lot of things and so on.
To add on to my stats, I have taken 5 AP exams so far and have received either a 4 or 5 on all of them.
I think that at a number of schools, this could make your achievement more remarkable and yes, it will help. If they are trying to recruit Pell-eligible students, you meet that criteria and appear academically quite capable. At other schools, you may get admitted but perhaps not be offered sufficient FA. That’s lousy whenever it happens.
But there are so many other pieces in the equation that it’s hard to generalize. Your family’s financial situation has no doubt had an impact on you, but it doesn’t solely define you and what you would bring to a school community.
I assume you are not applying through Questbridge. My guess is you will end up with good options.
Oh yeah another important thing, @hyunjino, are you applying through Questbridge? Because if so, being poor and high achieving will be a definite hook. If you apply through the Common App w/o Questbridge recognition, I don’t think your low-income status will help much - if not a detriment.
I’m currently applying through Questbridge after taking a gap year and although we are similar - besides having a similar name - in terms of academics (except my mediocre GPA) and financial status, you have one thing to your advantage: citizenship status. Citizenship plays a huge role in my opinion so I don’t think your poverty will negatively affect you as much as it did to me, a then-DACA applicant.
@HKimPOSSIBLE Hi, fellow Korean. Unfortunately, I am not applying through Questbridge. A lot of this application process has been kind of a maze for me, and I didn’t even know about the opportunity until after the time had passed. Even though I didn’t have any people or resources around me to tell me about it, I regret not researching and finding out about it myself.
Some states have better in-state financial aid for students from low income families than others. Which state you live in can matter in terms of whether you have affordable in-state public options.
Yes, I am applying to BU. My older sibling received a merit based full ride, and I wonder, would that hinder my own chances of receiving a full ride as well?
UVA meets full need and being instate is a big plus. They limit loans to $1k per year for low income instate students. They claim to be need blind for admissions but your stats put you in the ballpark easily.