<p>what if you have kind of a sob story, and you were able to rise above your problems and beat them into submission? What do colleges think of that?</p>
<p>transfer interests:
ucla, nyu, yale, penn, columbia</p>
<p>it might be more pertinent to talk about if it affected your grades or something. in all honesty, i think colleges are more concerned with seeing how you are a fit for their college and what you’ll accomplish there.</p>
<p>colleges like that. but make sure your essay is more about how you overcame the problems more than what the problems actually were because they don’t really want to just hear your sad story. </p>
<p>but if your GPA is low or you have nothing else other than a sob story, it won’t help that much.</p>
<p>but don’t think you’re the only one with a sob story. you really should just write about how it affected you and don’t try to gain their sympathy. just talk about how you overcame it like i said before, rather than the actual story.</p>
<p>look, this is going to sound awful but many students have had cancer/lost a parent/had drug problems/overcame some sort of horrendous obstacle. everyone has lived an interesting life. </p>
<p>I think your essay needs to be a personal reflection of the person you are now, it could be how you came to be (which may include a “sob” story), an event that changed your life (but it must be VERY unique to you and your circumstances) and how you feel your will benefit most from attending X university.</p>
<p>please don’t write a sob story. it didn’t work for me at all last year. write about how interesting your life will be in the school you are applying to (and inject occasional humor), but sob stories, unless extremely well-crafted, often fail.</p>
<p>“I think your essay needs to be a personal reflection of the person you are now, it could be how you came to be (which may include a “sob” story), an event that changed your life (but it must be VERY unique to you and your circumstances) and how you feel your will benefit most from attending X university.”</p>
<p>This was the approach I took and I had great success.</p>
<p>Why is it that people think they can get into a school like Yale with a mediocre resume?</p>
<p>^
What does that question have to do with this thread?</p>
<p>yeah Pea, you didn’t have to post that. you don’t even know the person’s entire resume so why would you say it’s just mediocre.</p>
<p>The original poster alluded to their sob story which led me to think they don’t have the credentials to get into the best schools. If they had the credentials they wouldn’t have to refer to their sob story. I’m just wondering why they think that the standards that apply to everyone else don’t apply to them. They mentioned Yale in the list of schools they want to transfer to. I don’t think I have to tell anyone how hard Yale is to get into. The original poster can apply but I’m honestly wondering why they think they should be admitted if they don’t have the credentials and will instead being relying on a sob story?</p>
<p>^
Because many people with the proper credentials get rejected from Yale. I assume the OP was looking for a way to add an emotional tug to her essay by showing growth through struggle that might compel admissions to look favorably upon her. And I honestly think this tactic, combined with an already competitive resume, can work and has worked for prior applicants (including applicants to Yale). That’s WHY competitive colleges ask for essays, so you can say things that your resume doesn’t.</p>
<p>It looks like I misread the original post. OK, maybe she/he should add it for the human interest aspect.</p>
<p>My essays weren’t sob stories. More like the uncovering of the dark and painful past and reality.</p>
<p>I expressed my dissatisfaction with my school, but more in terms of how poor a fit it was, not knocking the actual school.</p>
<p>It’s funny how for me, that wasn’t even worth talking about. I go to a community college.</p>
<p>not everyone has lived a difficult, interesting life…i wouldnt rely on a sob story…but include something about it if it caused some grade drops</p>
<p>I wrote what I would classify as a very witty/satirical essay and I got into very good schools (thus far)considering my GPA wasn’t the “magic 3.5”</p>
<p>what schools have you been admitted to then sofy?</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s relevant which but…if you go by “rankings”</p>
<p>I got into 1 top 10 National Universities (waitlisted at another) and one top 30 LAC</p>
<p>well, i have the credentials but i don’t have years of experience in my credentials like other actually qualified candidates do, and i know its hard to get into, duh. I wasn’t doubting that. But my story is a sobbish one to say the least. Thanks for teh advice everyone, but is not having years of experience a big hinderance?</p>