Just for the record, my ACT is a 34C(30/34/35/35/11) and I was wondering if any of these will hold more weight than the other.
So yeah, which of the following below is more valuable to selective schools as a whole combined with high test scores ?
-Super first-gen (first-gen immigrant, mom never finished high school, dad never went to any school, none of my siblings ever finished HS)
-Hispanic (URM but I’m pretty sure the hispanic URM advantage is slowly shrinking)
-Extenuating circumstances (Income of ~20k a year & being raised by a single parent/one income)
Inb4 I get accused of humblebragging, my gpa more than likely puts me out of the running for any of the HYPSMC and probably most/all of the Ivies.
It’s not like you get to pick and choose what hooks you use. All your hooks are going to be considered for the admissions process.
Schools usually don’t know your exact income range if they are need blind.
I think being URM should help. Is there even a section where you state the education level of your siblings?
@rdeng2614 got it right. All of them are nice hooks, but they aren’t everything. I’d say your URM gives you the greatest advantage. First-gen is good as well, but I feel that plays better in your essays or additional info so it’s not objectively better than URM.
Which hook? Native american URM, registered in a designated reservation, with high stats; this would be the best hook.
There are more and more first gen students. Tons of real Hispanic student applicants, along with “new” phantom Hispanics (from family ties of 300+ years ago). Your hooks help, but now there are lots of first gen, hispanic applicants. High stats with URM status is best.