<p>i read here somewhere on cc that overcoming hardships is a def + for college admissions because it shows colleges that you are a strong person. i think i have overcome a few hardships in my lifetime and want to know if it will help me in anyway to get into college. i also dont know if the following can be even be considered “hardships” by colleges</p>
<li>first generation college student</li>
<li>i am pretty much working class poor… my family makes 20-30k annually for a family of 5, two of whom are as of now in college and are older than 18</li>
<li>i emigrated here from korea in 1997 and had to learn english… </li>
<li>in 4th grade my blood parents abandoned me and fortunately my aunt and uncle, who already have 3 of their own and have a hard time meeting ends meet, were loving enough to adopt me </li>
<li>i worked alongside my aunt and uncle sometimes to help them out financially</li>
<li>i dont know about this one… getting my american citizenship was pretty stressful and legally challenging</li>
<li>this is a def hardship. too poor to afford a playstation, warcraft, x-box, and wii</li>
</ol>
<p>is it true that uc’s will care less about this and privates vice versa?</p>
<p>no 2, 5, 7 are prolly shared by most ppl who apply from the third world. If you write a touching essay on how all these shaped your life i think it will be looked upon very favorably.</p>
<p>wow, your #4 is rather unfortuate…but, my piece of advice is that your essay shouldn’t sound sad. It has to prove that despite your difficulties, you have persevered and have become a better, stronger, and more mature person that you are today. your essay’s tone/content has to reflect this, and it will take a bit of work. But, keep in mind, nowadays so many people write very compelling essays and it is becoming rather difficult to get into top schools if you don’t have a compelling essays and only have good stats. so, i am not sure how much of an extent your essay could make the difference, but it could boast your chances.</p>
<p>well i got a 2100 on my SAT first try and i am going to study some more during summer to get that 2200+. umm my weighted GPA from freshman to 1st semester of junior year is a 4.1 if you wanted to know. i am not that worried anyways for college. i feel like i will be happy with whatever outcome.</p>
<p>sounds like you’re on the right track. just be sure to apply to good list of schools. safeties, matches, and reaches. i do wish you good luck come next year, btw.</p>