So I am filling out the AMCAS application for 2013

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

And it's asking me "In what area did you spend the majority of your life from birth to age eighteen?".

We immigrated from Hungary to the US in 1997. I am a US Citizen. I am a US Resident.

From birth to age 9 we lived in Hungary. From Age 9 to 18 we lived in the US. I went back to Hungary for 2 school years.

So do I put Hungary or the US for that question? Or should I just "Decline to Answer"?

Did you move exactly on your 9th birthday or sometime after? Remember 51% is a majority! Or you can just decline to answer. I believe this is mostly for demographics and determining whether you came from an underserved/disadvantaged/rural area.

Originally Posted by sc4s2cg

And it's asking me "In what area did you spend the majority of your life from birth to age eighteen?".

We immigrated from Hungary to the US in 1997. I am a US Citizen. I am a US Resident.

From birth to age 9 we lived in Hungary. From Age 9 to 18 we lived in the US. I went back to Hungary for 2 school years.

So do I put Hungary or the US for that question? Or should I just "Decline to Answer"?

You may decline to answer. You may also choose one or the other. This shouldn't be a huge deal, though note that it might be a better choice to choose United States for this because I can imagine an adcom wondering about your language skills if you chose hungary.

I believe we moved in the summer of 2007, so that's a couple weeks after my birthday (July 7).

I don't think there would be any questions on my language abilities (there was a separate question where I had to rate my fluency in Hungarian and in English), the only thing I thought might pop up is that I am not native to the US. So would I be at a disadvantage because I am from a different country, despite my citizenship? Or would this be an advantage because I am from a non-first world country?

Originally Posted by sc4s2cg

I believe we moved in the summer of 2007, so that's a couple weeks after my birthday (July 7).

I don't think there would be any questions on my language abilities (there was a separate question where I had to rate my fluency in Hungarian and in English), the only thing I thought might pop up is that I am not native to the US. So would I be at a disadvantage because I am from a different country, despite my citizenship? Or would this be an advantage because I am from a non-first world country?

It would only be an "advantage" if you yourself considered you and your family to be disadvantaged/medically underserved. A large part of my hometown is considered medically underserved (as classified by AAMC), but my family was not disadvantaged/underserved so that served no advantage.

If you are legally a US citizen, I'm pretty sure you'll be fine. You can become the governor of a state, I'm sure they'll let you be a doctor

It can only be to your advantage if you choose Hungary. I heard from an adcom that if you are an immigrant, you are considered disadvantaged. Also, don't worry about them questioning your language. They can clearly evaluate that in the interview and I highly doubt that it will be an issue before then.