Residency issue- how do I put this on my application? (incarcerated parent)

Applying to College
1

<p>One of my parents has been gone for many years, and they don't really have a 'residency'. Is the residency a required field in an application? Do I have to put the name of the correctional facility-- it wouldn't have any impact on the impression I give to admissions, right?</p>

<p>Wondering what anyone else facing this issue has ''put''- this isn't a temporary issue, nor am I milking. I do not know this person and they do not have a home. Do I put my grandmother's house, perhaps? I also don't know their educational level, but I highly doubt they have finished any form of education. What do I do? I know them to only a basic extent, is this parent worth even listing? Though they do want to know about deceased parents, so there's no reason to not fill out the form.</p>

2

<p>The reason the colleges ask is to determine the general family background, influences of parents’ professions and education level. You’d meet the colleges’ needs by simply stating X Correctional Facility, education level: unknown, profession: unknown.</p>

<p>Is it worth listing? I think it’s part of your narrative which gives you texture and context. Nothing to be ashamed of.</p>

3

<p>Who’s supporting you where you live and go to high school? Who provides the place where you live, groceries, etc.? Who claims you as a dependent on his or her taxes? These things will probably determine where you qualify for resident tuition. </p>

<p>As for what you put on your application, there’s a preview version of the Common Application that you can see here: <a href=“https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012/2012-13FY-FinalHighlightedPreview.pdf[/url]”>https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Docs/DownloadForms/2012/2012-13FY-FinalHighlightedPreview.pdf&lt;/a&gt;. Take a look at the top of page 2. You won’t have to specify your father’s level of education; you can just write “none” for college. I think you could put your father’s address if you know it. I think it’s OK to leave the spaces for occupation and employer blank if you’d rather not write that he’s an inmate.</p>

4

<p>“Do I have to put the name of the correctional facility-- it wouldn’t have any impact on the impression I give to admissions, right?”</p>

<p>Not only should you put the name of the correctional facility, but you should also make a point of the fact that you have accomplished all that you have without your parent and in spite of that parent’s circumstances. That fact that your parent is incarcerated does not reflect poorly on you. Like T26E4 says, it adds context and is not something for you to be embarrassed about.</p>

5

<p>I agree that the incarceration of one’s estranged father doesn’t and shouldn’t reflect on oneself.</p>

<p>But I can also understand why a person might opt not to share such information widely or unnecessarily. I agree that there is background information that could help an admissions officer appreciate what the OP has accomplished without the support of two parents. But it may be enough to convey merely that the father is absent from the family, or estranged from the family, or something along those lines.</p>