Do life experiences matter?

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
1

<p>I’m an international student with a 4.0 GPA, have been playing varsity-level sport for 5 years etc etc, but unfortunately unlike some people I don’t have any international accolades or any major roles of leadership.</p>

<p>I was wondering if life experiences matter at all? I’m 17, have lived in three countries, am a first-generation immigrant in England, raised by a single parent (no contact with father in over a decade, no step-father), annual household income of approximately $20,000 et cetera.</p>

<p>Would the fact that I’ve got a 4.0 GPA and high SAT Scores (hopefully) despite a lack of resources & despite the fact that I’m a first-generation immigrant (obviously I had to adapt to the culture & learn the language) be of any intrigue to colleges?</p>

2

<p>I think your life experiences help more if you show how they’ve made you grow as a person, learn in knew ways, develop new and interesting worldviews, etc. It doesn’t do much for your app to say that you’ve overcome adversity unless you show how it’s benefitted you as a person and changed your life. If you can work your life experiences well, you can definitely get in. I know of a girl who got a 27 on her ACT and still got into Harvard because she had older siblings all involved in international policy and living all over the world, so she would visit them and learn all about other cultures and whatnot. Also, she came from a low-income household and both of her parents were refugee immigrants.</p>