<p>Andre Bradley
African American
low-income
Hometown-Philadelphia</p>
<p>Hi all,
I am the first person in my family to apply to college and I have been struggling for the past few weeks (like many of us on CC) to keep my mind off of college decisions. My anxiety stems from being a very unconventional student who has dropped out before. I’m going to try my best in this post to provide a glimpse of the application packet that I sent to:
UPenn, Stanford U, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, Swarthmore, Bard, Morehouse, Hampshire, Northeastern, Carleton,and the University of California- Merced, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>Reading through the post on this website it has become apparent to me that my educational trajectory is not reminiscent to almost anyones on this site. Here is my information.</p>
<p>Academic:</p>
<p>SAT’s- Horrendous (didn’t even submit scores)
ACT’s- Reading 27, English 20, Writing 8, Mathematics 14, Science 14, C-19
High School GPA- 3.5
College GPA (taken a few college courses)- 4.0
no AP, SAT2’s or IB(Students are not encouraged to take these types of classes in inner city public High Schools) I didn’t even know that they existed.
Essay-I will post it here:</p>
<p>**I used to believe, that hopelessness and despair defined my childhood personality. When I was younger, life for me was constantly unloving, uninspiring and unsupportive, emotionally, mentally and physically. My mother seemed to constantly be under immense stress, consumed by uncontrollable anger, and always loving someone else, from my selfish point of view. I contemplated my position as the child and why I was the recipient of verbal and emotional lashings; questioning my environment took the place of being a worry free kid. I was always aware that something in my household wasnt right; I was a product of dysfunction but couldnt define what that meant. Although I felt it very deeply, I knew it was something I didnt deserve as a child, a creation, a person brought into the world and not by request. At an extremely young age, after enduring years of emotional and physical abuse by the one person I knew was suppose to love and care for me. No one around me seemed to express concern and the traumatic experiences led to my first real taste of being neglected or unseen. Before I was in kindergarten I was mindful of my status as a victim and began to victimize others. </p>
<pre><code>I was an abundance of goodness, love, positivity, and blackness slowly being broken by an environment where those qualities arent embedded in a persons psyche affirming their individual humanity. As times got harder and I grew older, life in my wounded household was not the only problem, I became apart of that problem. The effects of harboring anger and resentment towards my family and surroundings boiled to the point where expressing my feelings wasnt possible in words. Through intelligent self-critical thought, internalized rage and episodes of hyperventilation I persevered. I used to believe this defined my adolescent personality. I became the breaker, the mental disruptor, a conductor of emotional lynchings on my peers. I told people I had no feelings, no conscience, and no respect for them. I made sure to make other people afraid to accept who they were; humiliating anyone became my weapon of choice. People thought of me as cool and accepted. I attracted an infamous popularity, but what I craved was a thorough goodness, self- love, and consistent optimism. None of which I felt could ever be in my reach. No one ever noticed my armor, how easy it was to break through it or the internal pain that caged my emotions.
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<p>This I believe, I am currently a representation of the fact that I have always maintained my ability to love and be loved, happiness and goodness, all in one package. Despite constant attempts by other peoples and my own ignorance I conspired with temporary material need to degrade my consciousness. I am evolving, changing constantly, and Im headed somewhere deep in my newly elevated consciousness to a peaceful mentality that feels extremely positive and optimistic. I have realized that people, circumstances, places, and beliefs constantly change. I am no longer trapped by negative beliefs and when they do appear theyre defeated quickly. I am thankful to be awake, idealistic, devoted to learning, and no longer a prisoner of resentment, anger and negative thoughts. I am becoming greatness.** </p>
<p>That is the essay I submitted.</p>
<p>Resume:
**
Awards Won **</p>
<p>HIV peer Educator Award (I got this award for completing a course on HIV/AIDS as apart of my community service)</p>
<p>Technological Excellence Award (received this award for displaying excellence through work and effort in my vocation)</p>
<p>AmeriCorps Education Award (received for completing 900 hours of community service)</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p>As a senior at Youthbuild Charter High School its a requirement for students to complete 900hrs of community service as a part-time AmeriCorps volunteer. </p>
<pre><code>* Refurbished old computers for non-profit organizations, daycares, and community centers in Philadelphia.
- Helped to recycled more than 200 unusable computers.
- Organized with classmates, weekly service projects at nursing homes, food drives and community gardens for everyone to participate in.
- Repaired computer networks for non-profit organizations in Philadelphia
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<p>**
Organization**-Organized Youth for Educational Alternatives<br>
Dates of Participation- 06/06-Present </p>
<p>**Position Held **<br>
Co Founder/Director/Volunteer </p>
<p>Total # hours a week-20</p>
<p>**
Awards Won **</p>
<p>Youth Venture Grant (Presented in front of panel and established ourselves as a Youth Venture)</p>
<p>Invitation to submit proposal (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invited us to Submit a proposal for Funding)</p>
<p>Starbucks Make your Mark Grant (Thousand dollar grant received for volunteering as an employee from Starbucks) </p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p>Organized Youth for Educational Alternatives is a non-profit, youth empowerment agency that focuses on increasing the levels of youth voice, leadership and student achievement in high schools that are apart of the Alternative High School Initiative Network. </p>
<pre><code>* Co-Founded non-profit in 2006.
- Presented and attended at national conferences funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Developed a concept paper for the Gates foundation and was successfully invite to submit a proposal.
- Took part in a week long leadership institute at Emory University and was asked to do a speech.
- Currently writing proposal to submit and working on program model for national replication.
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<p>**
Organization**-AmeriCorps<br>
Dates of Participation-08/07-Present<br>
**
Position Held**-Volunteer<br>
Total # hours a week-35
**
Awards Won** </p>
<p>AmeriCorps Education Award (Forthcoming 7/08-for completing 1700 hours of community service)</p>
<p>Description:</p>
<p>As an AmeriCorps service volunteer at The Metropolitan Regional and Career Technical High School, my service includes:</p>
<pre><code>* Helping the co-founder and co-director of the national education reform company Big Picture, to found a college.
- Conducted Focus Groups with High School juniors.
- Presented at a conference in Washington D.C.
- Developing a student handbook, activities for student life, and the admissions process.
- Working with the former Director of the national Alternative High School Initiative as an office intern.
- Organized for students to attend a conference In Providence, Rhode Island.
- Teaching Recording Production program after school to ninth graders.
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<p>Recommendations-Outstanding!!!</p>
<p>Please let me know what you think my chances of getting into the schools I applied to are. Thank you for reading through all this!!! I know it was a lot… </p>
<p>Thank You!!!</p>