<p>Hi, I rarely post anything on CC. I usually lurk around and gather information about the SAT and college admissions. Anyways, I am a senior and will be applying to college soon. I will be applying to all the UC's (University of California). I have a GPA of 3.2. I know it's not the greatest GPA in the world but i was hoping I can compensate for it in my personal statement. During my sophmore year in high school my family went bankrupt and we became homeless. I pursued through school while living in an abandoned warehouse. I was wondering if the UC's will take it in consideration that i was a homeless student. My SAT is still in progress as I am studying for it. I don't know if i should tell them that i was a homeless student. I don't want to look weak but i went through hell while trying to maintain the best grades i could get. Should it be best to write about me being a homeless student in my personal statement and how i grew strong from it?</p>
<p>First of all, I commend you for persevering through all of that. There are some kids who would just break if they went through similar circumstances so that says a lot about you in spite of what any number could ever project. </p>
<p>I’m unfamiliar with UC admissions, but I would hope that if you convey your experiences fervently via your personal statement, you can get some leeway. But I’m not absolutely positive on that statement so take it with a grain of salt. Maybe you could also consider some private schools in California that may perhaps look at your application in a holistic manner.</p>
<p>I think it would make for a very nice essay.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that Berkley is also very generous towards people who have faced challenges such yours, or like working a fulltime job to support a family while in hs.</p>
<p>Hey, congrats on persevering through that. It sounds like a good essay to me. The only potential thing is that since the UCs are public schools they might not be able to weight that perseverance as a factor for admission while private schools would heavily factor that into admission (bumping up your chances) and give you better financial aid</p>
<p>I believe UCs have a “Describe the World you come from” essay which I would DEFINITELY use to tell them about your situation. I think it’s amazing that you could pull that GPA with all that stress. I’m sure some adcoms will think so too.</p>