<p>I only read the essay in the original post. You would do much better to choose 1 obstacle in your life. Discuss how it came about, how it affected you initially, how you overcame it, and how it has changed you. This essay is an opportunity to say: this is the kind of person I am, and this is how I became this way. </p>
<p>It’s the difference between saying, “I was poor growing up so I did badly in school” and saying something like " my friends sometimes tease me about taking such immaculate care of my clothing. I know that it stems from my impoverished childhood, and that I value all the things I have because I’m grateful to have them. My clothes, my family, my education are all things I have learned to appreciate in my adulthood. This was not always the case…"</p>
<p>One of these is an excuse. One is an explanation of the circumstances of previous poor performance, and an insight into you as an individual. If you want to discuss adversity in your life, you darn well had better explain the what, who, how, why of the changes it caused and the outcome, not just the circumstance itself. </p>
<p>I agree with the back to the drawing board approach. On this essay look at what makes you different from everyone else, and what adversity in your life made you this way. </p>