Agreed. In GP's scenario, telling the story of how they were able to balance working a night job with going to the public library to do their homework, say, or

Agreed. In GP's scenario, telling the story of how they were able to balance working a night job with going to the public library to do their homework, say, or how they dealt with a rough situation at home, or whatever else it was, could be quite impressive. I don't look at academic success too hard when I hire, but if someone really worked their tail off to beat obstacles and get that 4.0, I'll find those stories to be a great indicator.