My home life is not typical. Neither parent finished high school, both have felony convictions and one has a terminal illness.
I am a registerd native amercan enrolled. What should I leave in and what would be better left out ? I am not low income.
My weighted GPA is 3.8, my SAT scores 1450. Where should I apply? I will only consider california schools.
What kind of school do you want? Large university, small liberal arts college? Something in between? And toward what major are you leaning?
Being Native American is your ticket to many schools. Add your great stats and you have a shot at Stanford. Pomona… Ask your guidance counselor if you should omit certain things, but your history and what you overcame may make you memorable. It’s all in how you approach it.
I did not think a 3.8 weighted would even put me in the running for Stanford. I am reluctant to speak to personally in my essays. I think I should get help from my counselor who is familiar with my circumstances. Thanks for the encouragement!
Talk to your counselor. I would leave in the things that help explain who you are as a person and how you overcame something. If something had a huge impact on you I would talk about it. For example and this is just hypothetical, if your parents not having finished HS motivated you that’s something to talk about. If their felony conviction occurred a long time ago and really didn’t effect you, it may not add to your story. Disclose your story.
@Chancie just apply to stanford so you don’t have to spend the rest of your days wondering if you would’ve gotten in
Registered Native American is a plus in college admissions so include that.
In short you want to use the application to tell your story – to let admission officers understand who you are and what makes you tick. As to your family situation you certainly can discuss the extent that your background has impacted you as a person and as a student as well as if it has led you to having certain life goals etc… If applicable your family obligations could also serve to explain why you don’t have a ton of EC activities (if that is the case). If you don’t want your background to be a focus of your application then perhaps ask your guidance counselor to include a description of your family history in his/her recommendation letter.
You sound great to me…a candidate that many colleges would want…I would pull together a list of safeties/matches/reaches and start applying in the late summer!
Why just CA? Are you a CA resident?
If you feel uncomfortable bringing up some of the family circumstances yourself, but feel they are an important part of who you are and your situation, your college counselor can also address them in his/her write-up for your application.
Yes, the GC can fill in some details and how you triumphed over them. His/her letter is one educator speaking to others.
First, before you pick colleges to apply to, research a few, see what you like, need, and want. A picture will emerge- big vs small, urban vs less so. Different programs they offer. Run the Net Price Calculators, to see what fin aid may be.
The essay isn’t to state your backstory, a full listing of the challenges. It’s a chance to show the attributes those colleges want to see, woven into some nice tale. You learn what those attributes are, in good part, by digging into what the colleges say, what they offer, the sorts of students they brag about. The idea is to find the right school for you.
“Show, not just tell.”
As for Stanford, see if it “fits.” It’s a tough school, once there, and you want to make sure you can thrive, be empowered- not just get an admit and then struggle. (We don’t know enough about you, to predict.) These colleges aren’t like hs or transferring to a better hs. It’s a big leap. Make sure any schools you target are the right leaps for you.
Also get a Fiske Guide to Colleges.
@Chancie
Say it with me: “Affirmative Action”
Just do it. Who knows.