My chronology comes through much more clearly in my Common App essay. My mother is a Panamanian and now U.S. Dual-Citizen.
Being closer to my sibs simply by being in the United States is a strong secondary objective-- $400 return trips to TN and MI, where my sibs live with their respective guardians, as opposed to $2500+ per return trips from Australia, which follows a different academic calendar and poses other logistical barriers. My family moves a lot, so a continental approach is good enough for me. For example, I spent ~$15000 on a trans-American trip last summer to visit family and prospective universities, only to be told on the week of that my siblings were delayed from returning from a trip to Panama and that my father would be leaving to an overseas work assignment.
My primary objective at those schools comes through strongly in my supplemental essays and short-answers, and o realize that I will be scrutinized more closely than the so-called “traditional” applicant.
As far as the GFC, I was referring specifically to the Global Financial Crisis, a time that saw me transfer schools between Junior and Senior years (internationally) and again mid-senior year as my family unit dissolved through its own crisis (lawsuits, divorce, separation of siblings, remarriage to a mistress, remarriage to an abusive boyfriend and subsequent second divorce). Ultimately, I ended up completing HS at a distance learning program, living independently and in borderline poverty. At one point I slept in my car, which then doubled as my workplace as a deliver driver.
Anyway, that aside, I have strong recommendations-- one from the principal of my antepenultimate international high school, CNG, and another from my Honors English IV teacher and Theater director (EC). I was involved in extracurriculars, including: JV Football (Freshman year; school 1 of 5; TN, USA), Community Soccer (Sophomore year; school 2 of 5; distance learning; Melgar, Colombia), the aforementioned DoD/DoS internship, Rugby - inaugural squad (Junior Year; school 3 of 5; Bogota, Colombia), Theatre (School 4 of 5; TN, USA), and professional work experience from then until present, including the aforementioned philanthropy in Australia. My course load was as rigorous as the respective curriculums would allow, including honors, advanced, and AP courses. My GPA is artificially low because my graduating program, which only accounted for two credits, did not weigh my advanced courses when calculating as the earlier schools did.
Some of my more recent professional recommendations include a Director of the Asia-Pacific division of an international corporation and a three-time Tour De France (Cycling) Champion/ Director of another company that I have had close involvement in.
My applications are in now, so we shall see.