disadvantaged application

[madonna]

hey guys
so my professor told me to apply as disadvantaged applicant. she said you are evaluated against other disadv applicants. does anyone know if this is true or what other effects in has on the application?
thanx for your replies

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[kypdurron5]

hey guys
so my professor told me to apply as disadvantaged applicant. she said you are evaluated against other disadv applicants. does anyone know if this is true or what other effects in has on the application?
thanx for your replies

I asked this previously...the suggestions I got were simply to dang well make sure that you ARE disadvantaged and can strongly support it during an interview. If you feel like you're borderline then I'd go with non-disadvantaged. Otherwise you'd look as if you have some "victim mentality" when it is unjustified.

 

[madonna]

I asked this previously...the suggestions I got were simply to dang well make sure that you ARE disadvantaged and can strongly support it during an interview. If you feel like you're borderline then I'd go with non-disadvantaged. Otherwise you'd look as if you have some "victim mentality" when it is unjustified.

proving it is definately not a problem. i just want to know if it is beneficial to state it.

 

[kypdurron5]

proving it is definately not a problem. i just want to know if it is beneficial to state it.

I say absolutely! If you're genuinely disadvantaged it can't hurt you, and with the possibility that it might help you there's no reason not to use it. I seriously doubt that you'd be lumped into some special group of applicants that's considered completely separate from other applicants, but it does add to your overall application in that it emphasizes your achievements and provides at least some level of "understandable excuse" for your failures. My personal attitude would be to use it, but during an interview focus more on how you overcome it/feel like you're a better person for it/hate to mention it because you don't think it's an excuse....etc.

 

[tacrum43]

hey guys
so my professor told me to apply as disadvantaged applicant. she said you are evaluated against other disadv applicants. does anyone know if this is true or what other effects in has on the application?
thanx for your replies

Applying as disadvantaged should help your application quite a bit so long as you have a good explanation for why you believe you are in fact disadvantaged at your interviews. I guess it is kind of like applying as an URM in that it provides some context for your life experiences and what you've had to overcome. Because you would be in fact "disadvantaged", it is expected that you might not have been able to reach your full academic (or extra curricular) potential, and so you might get a little boost to your app.

 

[madonna]

thanx for your replies
i think i'll try it this year

 

[doublehh03]

is this disadvantaged?

my family income is just around $10,000. im supporting myself through a few scholarships and primarily financial aid.

 

[acrobat]

They should lay out general guidelines defining it even if it is a vague definitition. better than no definition.

 

[kypdurron5]

They should lay out general guidelines defining it even if it is a vague definitition. better than no definition.

I think that's the whole point. It's a personal decision. If you think you are disadvantaged then you have the option of identifying yourself as such. It does provide some guidelines (see below).

my family income is just around $10,000. im supporting myself through a few scholarships and primarily financial aid.

If you hit the "print application" button it shows several "categories" for being disadvantaged. I'll try to paste it below. Notice that none of those things automatically would mean that you're disadvantaged. It's all about what YOU think about them. My family has pretty low income, I paid for my own schooling, I was employed from the age of 15....still, I don't feel like any of those things means I was "disadvantaged." I went to a decent public school, I've never gone hungry, I've always had a place to live, etc. I also have a very good GPA, solid MCAT score, etc.... so even if someone would consider me disadvantaged it has had no impact on my life and doesn't really explain anything about me or the things I've done. (except perhaps my inability to obtain significant "clinical experiance" while going to school full time and working part time- but I talk about this in my personal statement).

DISADVANTAGED/CHILDHOOD INFORMATION
Underserved (Self-Reported):
Family Income Level:
Number In Household:
Family Assistance Program:
Paid Employment Before 18:
Contribution To Family:
Paid For Post-Secondary Education: