<p>I remember that sometime during my application season, someone here said that needblind admissions just means that the admissions office doesn't retrieve the financial info of the students on file with the financial aid office.</p>
<p>That said, some people here are trying to write their essays on their adverse economic conditions, hoping that will aid them in some way; they wouldn't be the first.</p>
<p>The question that comes to mind, then, is whether revealing financial conditions (if only a rough ballpark [e.g., "my parents are poor," "my mom is unemployed," etc.]) can act to applicants' detriment in terms of admissions @ needblind schools.</p>
<p>But you’re assuming that the file readers are pressured to be biased against students who might require financial aid? Why should they? It’s not their money and the schools that practice need blind admissions 1) cost a ton and many kids receive FA and 2) are very rich and can afford to give away lots of FA.</p>
<p>That’s why they can practice need blind admissions</p>
<p>Most colleges are not actively looking for poor students. A handful of top schools with lots of aid dollars do want some low income students for diversity, but those are rare and full pay students are the bread and butter of most colleges.</p>
<p>Even then, the strive for diversity is not absolute. It’s hard to imagine that with other factors held constant, a college would prefer a student from a low-income family to one from a high-income family.</p>
<p>I think revealing one’s financial situation could be beneficial in certain situations. For instance, Harvard has begun a major recruiting drive for for both middle and lower class families.</p>