<p>Any comments on discussing “being adopted” on the college application or in the essay? This would be for a student who was adopted into a “like” family, where this fact would not be obvious. </p>
<p>I have two nieces who were adopted, after being placed into their families within days of their birth. They look like each other and their adopted family, but they are not from the same birth mom. The oldest was born to a teen who apparently was in denial, and “didn’t know she was pregnant” for 7 months. She took OCP’s, pain pills for cramps, etc during the first 5-6 months, and smoked through out. Some alcohol as well. No prenatal care until delivery. The younger one was born to a teen having her second teen pregnancy in two years. No smoking, drugs or alcohol, but back to back pregnancies, with nutritional issues and low birth weight.</p>
<p>Both these girls were adopted into a family that gave them every opportunity. They were read to early, played musical intruments before kindergarten, etc. Early on, they were ususally way ahead of their peers at major milestones. Then, about age 12-13, they both started to struggle a bit. The oldest started to struggle more academically, and the youngest started to act out behaviorally. After evaluation, experts reminded the parents that the family was coming to grips with the fact that nurture/environment could not completely make up for nature/genetics/first nine months in the womb. They were told adopted kids often exceed their peers as children, but their genes and early “exposures” become obvious by their teen years. </p>
<p>The oldest is a junior, and will be working on college applications soon. She is the hardest worker. She is the type of student that teachers love to have in their class. She does not get the highest grade, but works the hardest, and puts everything into it. Give her a research paper or project and she’ll have the best one in the class. But she has test anxiety and does not test well, esp on standardized testing and ESPECIALLY on math testing. She took the SAT on a Sat, and the PSAT the following Wed at school. She worried about the SAT “counting” and blew off the PSAT as something that didn’t ultimately matter (she was not going to be NMF anyway…) She got a 490M/570CR on SAT, but a 61M/58CR on the PSAT. She has a 3.4 unweighted, taking honors and AP classes.</p>
<p>Would explaining, perhaps in the essay or elsewhere, that she has had to overcome a diffucult “beginning? be advisable” It seems there are compelling reasons that she may not be able to “live up to” the standards of her zip code, her gated community, her peers… she has two college grad parents with advanced degrees, but was born to birth parents without high school diplomas, whose grandparents did not have any college either.</p>
<p>I thought her test scores would not be an issue, as she and her folks were looking into LAC’s, the type listed in “A+ colleges for B students…” but niece now has her sights set on one of two “flagship” state U’s (instate), and with huge admission numbers, and less than holistic evaluation of applications…</p>
<p>She is going to psych herself out of improving her SAT scores, but they are hoping for at least of 500+ on the math retake. Can she expect this with a 61 on the PSAT? Or is the math on the PSAT different. She has dropped the SAT prep class, it was making the pressure worse. She will retake the SAT in June. She took the ACT in Jan or Feb–did worse that the SAT and will not be submitted those scores or retaking.</p>
<p>She has good EC’s. She was in pre-pro training for ballet for years, has good volunteer hours at the local hospital. She now has a part time job. </p>
<p>Suggestions? Comments? Experiences? This is the type of kid who will go far, but only if she can get beyond her test scores.</p>