Hello,
I am wondering about college applications, if I am at a disadvantage… Schools in California (especially the UCs) look at “life challenges” on your application. In other words, they like admitting people with families of low income, or those live in a poor neighborhood, and those who excelled in underfunded schools. It seems that if you are poor, live in the ghetto, you are the first generation to attend college, your father abandons you, ((insert sad story here)) , etc., Then you will have a better chance of getting in.
Let’s get one thing straight: I am not poor, don’t have any family “issues”, I attend a private school, and am NOT the first generation to attend college… I’m concerned that if I don’t have any of these “education or life challenges” to overcome, it will be hard for me to get in.
Do I have to attach my parents tax returns and state their highest level of education? Because (1) Im worried that college admissions will want to take a lower-income student, or a first generation to attend college student, over me. (2) I do not have any access to (or any evidence of) my parents tax returns or income, I’m just guessing we are in the upper/middle class.
So back to my question: Am I at a disadvantage / do poor people have an advantage?
Just to be clear I’m not bragging, or Using the term “poor” in a negative or hurtful way. I just actually want to know, because this is what I’ve heard about college admissions.
Thank you!
You actually have a huge advantage. You likely attend a great school that has prepared you well for college, have good/great test scores, never worry about health care or food, live in a safe area where you can focus on schoolwork and ECs. So relax and apply to a balanced list of schools.
You will have to state your parents’ highest level of education on the common app, you will not have to state their income unless you apply for financial aid.
Coincidentally, my D decried my college education last night at dinner. Now I know why. :))
Here’s the thing: you have had an advantage all your life, and the people you are viewing as competition have been at a disadvantage for a significant portion of their lives. If those people have done well enough to be seriously considered for admission to UC’s, the colleges want to know their circumstances because it might explain why they aren’t quite as competitive stats-wise as a kid like you.
And I am not trying to give you a come-uppance or anything like that. I can see you are asking a genuine question, but it might help you to understand better why your advantaged upbringing does not mean that a disadvantaged kid is going to take your spot. It means that the kid from worse circumstances might be on a more equal footing with you, despite perhaps lower stats and uninteresting or even no ECs, when it comes to college admissions. There will be more kids like you at the UC’s than there will be disadvantaged kids.
The UCs used to like learning about what (genuine) challenges a kid might have faced, for some background and context. This was noted somewhere on their web site(s.) But with the revision to their prompts, this year, it’s too soon to know how they feel today.
No disadvantage. Rather than worrying about this, try to learn enough about your target colleges to see if you match, in the first place. And that’s more than stats.
Ok, I won’t worry about it. Thanks for the responses 