UCLA transfer 2014: Chance me?

Snorlaz
Mon, 21 Oct 2013 13:25:10 +0000

@iDizzle, you lost me at: “So it actually looks extra good if you have great academics despite those circumstances. It means you are well rounded vs. someone who does great in school but has had it easy going.”

The kid had a “rough childhood” and a “very rough year” with issues in his family. Well gee, this must be something that the adcomms never hear from transfer students… And everyone else must surely emphasize the fact that they had “it easy going.” Come on iDizzle…

@OP, I don’t mean to come off harsh, but, the people I know that have gone through “things most people will never have to go through in their lifetime” were never able to participate in things such as competitive tennis for over a decade. Not to say you haven’t been through a whole lot or anything, just be careful how you phrase things in your PS’s.

I’m not trying to dissuade you from mentioning any rough circumstances. I think that they very much could be beneficial to your PS’s depending on how you go about it. That being said, adcomms can’t really gauge tough circumstances as it’s incredibly subjective. It might get you a couple extra bonus points but how well written your PS happens to be is going to be much more beneficial compared to the best sob story you think someone will read this cycle. Just remain positive as you DON’T want to bum out whoever happens to read your apps over.

Honestly, I don’t think you have much to worry about as your GPA should get you in by itself.