If you are not applying through Questbridge and are attending a private school in the Bay Area, your background story will need some validation from school counselors. Your story, if it were to help, needs to be verifiable.It will not make up for less than average stats. A difficult background is fairly common in many students who apply- and some students cannot even afford computers or lunch or books. So, don’t dwell on your family difficulties because the application right before you might have been someone who is in a worse situation. Instead, focus on how you prevailed in the face of adverse circumstances! For example, the today show featured this black Compton guy, who has an incarcerated father and no money and lives in a neighborhood prevalent with gun violence. He still managed to travel hours to go to school everyday and be the valedictorian with a 33 ACT and strong leadership positions throughout his school (a top private school where he was receiving full financial aid). THAT is a success story and a compelling applicant to the Ivy League.
You need to expand on what you mean by being independent and explain how your able to afford a top private school. Your hook cannot be “I’m not the typical Asian applicant,” because there are many Asian applicants who do not fall into the admission stereotype.
Good luck and I wish you the best in your college aspirations.
GOOD QUESTION. There are SO many students who mistakenly think that being well-rounded beats having a spike in one area and they are unfortunately wrong. So to answer your question, it is better to have a small list of EC’s that directly relate to your intended major. Not only does this show your commitment to these few ECs (which by simple math shows you spend more time on these few ECs rather than dabbling in many) and also displays your interest in a certain area. Hope this helped!
It is really incredible that you have accomplished all of that given your family difficulties. One question I had though is how do you afford a top 25 private high school if your family faces immense financial hardship?
Ok so your stats look great but I have some essay advice
Do NOT call your dad crazy. You have every right in the world to be upset with him because he was abusive whether or not he had a mental illness and could not control it (it seems like he didn’t try to get better, and even if he did, you have a right to be upset by whatever he did). I am not about to invalidate you there and go on some spiel about how you need to forgive him because you do not. However, calling him “crazy” in the application sounds insensitive and dehumanizing. You can indicate the distress it caused you and what a terrible person he is without dehumanizing him (there are several people who abuse drugs and do not have a mental disorder, and several people who do not have a mental disorder but are abusive. If he does not really have a mental disorder and you’re calling him “crazy” then at this point you’re just throwing around words).
I kind of get what you're trying to say with the "not your typical Asian" thing, but you might want to say it differently. Perhaps you mean to say that when you think of "Asian" you are less likely to think of someone who is low income because of the model minority archetype. However, even that is wrong sometimes due to a variety of factors. And if this is not what you mean, I have to wonder what you mean. Like, I have a friend who is Chinese American and graduated from our state's math and science academy. She struggles with depression and anxiety and people who do not know this will think she's a jerk, a slacker, (or "crazy".......and it's not like she comes off this way. It's just something people think upon hearing the names of mental illnesses). She hasn't been through what you have to my knowledge, but the biological factors did not play out in her favor, and several other factors occurred.
I also know someone who is Chinese, was raised in a competitive society, and was thought of as less intelligent because he had a stutter. He is not less intelligent and he made it into med school in America, which took more effort than most people. Not to mention my boyfriend (who is Asian under some definitions) who was on welfare early on in his life and another acquaintance of mine who is Filipina American, struggles with bipolar disorder. and said she didn’t understand me until she was emotionally abused for a bit over a year.
And if I got to know anyone well enough, very few people fit that archetype because, like most standards of perfection (and you probably know a similar concept due to your body positivity club), it is a very narrow box that very few people actually fit into because there are so many ways to deviate. So if I did not get your reasoning at the beginning of my #2 advice, what exactly is “the typical Asian”?
Good luck on your apps and it looks like you’re doing a lot of cool things that I hope you continue regardless of what college you get into!
No one has mentioned this, but your proposed safeties are NOT safeties (UMich and Emory at the least). You need to look for a school where you are guaranteed or practically guaranteed admission, one that you can definitely afford.
Hey i know this is super late and months later, but I hear you. I am actually on a full scholarship at my private high school, and all my teachers who are writing my recommendations are aware of my hardship and my responsibility, and they will be able to verify (on the administrative aspect). Living alone since I was 14 was definitely not easy. It was isolating, alienating, stressful, overwhelming, and exhausting. I developed bipolar disorder and struggled a lot with myself because I never had the stability other families had. On top of that, supporting myself financially as well as maintaining good grades, playing 4 varsity sports, and leading many extracurriculars on top of that was an incredible challenge. In my personal statement however, I stated these hardships, but I also turned it around, and ended it with me talking about how my isolation made me realize my appreciation and gratitude for companionship, community, and connection.
The GPA is probably good, considering the school. However, you can’t go by the acceptances from your school, as you won’t be evaluated the same way. The ECs are fairly good. Need to know the SAT and SAT II scores to chance. However, will probably get in somewhere good but not HYP.
What is your approximate class rank? You give a good idea of the level of the school, but I am not sure what 3.75 means. With that information and standardized test scores, I could give you an idea of what level of school you might be able to get into.
Are you applying to UCs or CSUs (since you live in California)?
All of the schools in your subject line are reach for everyone.
Have you checked on financial aid issues? Unlike UCs and CSUs that use only the FAFSA form and use only the finances of the parent you live with the most (or gave the most financial support if you lived with neither one more than the other), the schools on your list also use the CSS Profile and both parents’ finances.
The larger ROTC scholarships can be very competitive.
If your goal is to be an officer in the military, also consider the service academy of the branch you are interested in. However, admission is quite competitive at those schools.
If you have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, that could potentially disqualify you from ROTC and the service academies. Please look into applying for financial aid at some “meets full need” schools as a backup while you still have time.
I have this process under control and have gotten through all my medical waivers… Not sure if you are aware of the ROTC process fully and the medical qualifications… Looks like you haven’t done your research.
