So... is this a lie?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Ok, well, to be honest, this is a semi chance thread. I wonder if I have a shot at a school like yale. Basically, think of me as an average applicant, 33 act, 4.0 gpa unweighted, and decent ecs. Now, if all of these things do not shine out, my question is would it be better for me to put down my status as a low income family. I ask this because I am trying to figure out if I would have a better shot at acceptance if i put that economic status. </p>

<p>Story time...
Basically, my dad died when I was 10. He was a great man, however, and left me, my sister, and my mom well off (or at least good, maybe not what you think of like five lincoln's in the drive way). So, right now my mom gets a private school librarian salary. So, basically, our technical income is low, but our economic status is not bad... not rich granted, but good.</p>

<p>So, anyways, this post mainly wants the question answered: Would it be better for me say I come from a low income family to increase my chances at Yale? I do not want to lie, but I need every advantage I can get. Sorry if it sounded like I repeated myself. By the way, im not bragging in the least nor looking for pitty...</p>

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<p>It is impossible to lie on your fafsa since you’re NOT asked how much money your family earns, rather the TAXES you pay. Assuming you pay taxes on what your father has left you, the colleges you apply to will truly know your situation. Liars never prosper.</p>

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<p>Move your father’s money into an off-shore account in the Cayman Islands.</p>

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<p>OR actually you can move your father’s account into a tax free swiss bank account.</p>

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<p>lol, i think the last two posts over estimate my economic posistion.</p>

<p>but, nuclear, my question was more so on the college application itself should I mention the single parent private school salary. I would obviously fill out fafsa correctly, i was more so asking about before fafsa was actually looked at by colleges.</p>

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<p>Yale will have all of your family’s financial information between FAFSA and Profile. You will be asked how much money your family has in the bank, stocks and bonds and of any other assets including the value of your home. If you are not just living on the librarian salary they will see that.</p>

<p>When looking for low income kids they look at zip codes. They are looking for kids that bring different perspectives from the inner city and poor rural areas. If you live in an affluent suburb and attend a private school, they may get some clues there too.</p>

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<p>^just wondering how do you know they look at zip codes?</p>

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<p>Because it’s well known that the schools looking for economic diversity – schools like HPYS – do look at zip codes. They have very detailed ways of figuring out where to send applications so as to attract the kind of students they’re looking for. They also use census and other data to figure out what kind of neighborhoods – in terms of socioeconomic status – applicants come from.</p>

<p>Having a zip code in a low income area is a big plus when it comes to schools that are trying to attract low income applicants.</p>

<p>So, if you’re, for instance, using a false address to attend a better school, you will be hurting yourself when it comes to admission. You probably would have been better off excelling in your zoned school, and doing everything possible to get enrichment opportunities to compensate for the inferior education that your zoned school would be giving you. That could mean attending free and low cost summer programs designed for talented, low income students.</p>

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<p>I know because I once worked in admissions.</p>