<p>I'm a high school junior looking into top tier schools. I'm male, Hispanic, low income, and a resident of Florida. How would colleges like the ivy leagues and those ranked around the top 20's or 30's react to sympathy on Essays? How could certain circumstances, whether being financial or personal concerning those in my household, be used to my advantage? Could certain situations make up for some minor academic mishaps and possibly increase my chances of acceptance? Which colleges would react best to an applicants hardships?</p>
<p>Why would you post this again…</p>
<p>at least 2 million people use college confidential and I only get two replies…no offense though, your answer was awesome. Id like to get the most out of CC.</p>
<p>Colleges are not going to admit you because of sympathy. They will be flexible and forgiving when an applicant has faced hardships, but they will still expect to see significant academic and personal accomplishments. </p>
<p>Your essays can discuss hardships you have experienced, but the essays also should show your strengths and show through detailed, personal, revealing writing that you are more than your hardships.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t want to hear you moaning and groaning about your problems. They do, however, want to see how those hardships you encountered shaped you as a person and how you can bring those qualities to their campuses. Keep in mind, they read thousands of essays, your sympathy essay isn’t a new topic to them…</p>
<p>The sympathy factor probably won’t get you in… But you’ll have a good chance if you can show how the hardships made you who you are today :)</p>