Personal and Economic Hardship
Youll have four boxes and space for 1,000 total words (Aiming for around 850). A common misconception is that you must answer all four prompts. You are not required to answer all prompts; you may choose to focus on the prompts you have the most to talk about or you could choose to answer all four prompts. Essay 1: Describe any personal or economic hardship/barriers you have experienced and/or are experiencing. Explain how the hardship/barriers directly affected your ability to be successful in your college academics. As hardships/barriers may occur throughout your life, be specific about when you encountered these hardships/barriers, how long they lasted, and how they impact your academic record. Essay 2: In the context of your life experience, describe your understanding of cultural differences and how this awareness was acquired. Talk about how your experiences influenced the person you are and what you will bring to the Foster School community (i.e. classroom, extracurricular, future career, etc.). You define what experience means to you; if it is important to you, it is important to share. Essay 3: Describe 1-2 experiences that demonstrate your leadership within a group or organization outside of class. Please do not use examples from high school unless you have completed high school within the past 18 months or your leadership involvement from high school continues today. Examples could be taken from employment, community service, family responsibilities, student organizations, or similar situations. Explain what you learned about yourself through the experience(s). Essay 4: How has the educational background of your parents/legal guardians influenced your own education, especially your decision to go to college? What kind of support did you receive in making and pursuing the decision to go to college? Please tell us if you are among the first generation in your family to go to college. (First-generation, defined by the U.S Department of Education as students whose parents/guardians have not completed a bachelors (4-year) degree).
