Grew up outside the US, low income, economically disadvantaged?

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linziclip

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This is a difficult question to answer. If you feel that your socioeconomic background has substantially hindered your ability to have a quality education and achieve academic success, then I think it would be appropriate to mark the disadvantaged box.

From what you described (especially the part about sharing a single room with 3 other siblings), I think it is appropriate to mark the disadvantaged box. Did you have to work substantially in college in order to contribute to your household finances? If your parents and/or siblings had to rely on you financially when you were in college, then that, in my opinion, definitely qualifies you to check that box.

Perhaps some adcoms can consult you as well.

@LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn
 
Disadvantaged refers to childhood, ages 0-18, not college.
I shared a room with a sibling and my kids share a room so that alone is not a "disadvantage", at least not in my eyes.
You missed a lot of school but you still managed a 4.0 and had enough smarts to get a full scholarship to a top tier school. That doesn't seem like you were held back from achieving your goals or at a position far behind others at the starting line of the college rat race.

Your father's income is hard to put in context without knowing the annual median income for that country and the cost of living. That's what makes assessing income etc outside the US so difficult.

Claiming to be disadvantaged might come back to bite you. I would recommend not doing it.
 
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This is a difficult question to answer. If you feel that your socioeconomic background has substantially hindered your ability to have a quality education and achieve academic success, then I think it would be appropriate to mark the disadvantaged box.

From what you described (especially the part about sharing a single room with 3 other siblings), I think it is appropriate to mark the disadvantaged box. Did you have to work substantially in college in order to contribute to your household finances? If your parents and/or siblings had to rely on you financially when you were in college, then that, in my opinion, definitely qualifies you to check that box.

Perhaps some adcoms can consult you as well.

@LizzyM @Goro @gyngyn

Thanks. The thing is, I had stuff that really did make high school hard, I.e. foreign language, missed a lot because of travelling, had to help siblings a lot, never really had a good place to study ( I would do my hw in really random places because I was sharing a room with 3 kids at home). But I still got a 4.0...would it have been better if I did badly and then made an awesome comeback in college?

I didn't support my family or anything, but they didn't support me either after I moved to the US. I know it's quite common, just not among the rich college kids/premeds I've been around for the past few years.
 
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Disadvantaged refers to childhood, ages 0-18, not college.
I shared a room with a sibling and my kids share a room so that alone is not a "disadvantage", at least not in my eyes.
You missed a lot of school but you still managed a 4.0 and had enough smarts to get a full scholarship to a top tier school. That doesn't seem like you were held back from achieving your goals or at a position far behind others at the starting line of the college rat race.

Your father's income is hard to put in context without knowing the annual median income for that country and the cost of living. That's what makes assessing income etc outside the US so difficult.

Claiming to be disadvantaged might come back to bite you. I would recommend not doing it.

Hm. It wasn't a top tier school, just a private one. And it was Pell grants, academic scholarship, and need based grants, not quite just a full ride.
As to room sharing, the only reason I think it was an issue was because it was all the way up to age 18 with 3 younger siblings, in a room about as big as a single apartment bedroom.
Thanks for your input :)
 
Concur with my learned colleague.

Disadvantaged refers to childhood, ages 0-18, not college.
I shared a room with a sibling and my kids share a room so that alone is not a "disadvantage", at least not in my eyes.
You missed a lot of school but you still managed a 4.0 and had enough smarts to get a full scholarship to a top tier school. That doesn't seem like you were held back from achieving your goals or at a position far behind others at the starting line of the college rat race.

Your father's income is hard to put in context without knowing the annual median income for that country and the cost of living. That's what makes assessing income etc outside the US so difficult.

Claiming to be disadvantaged might come back to bite you. I would recommend not doing it.
 
Here's the deal: "disadvantaged" is a way to identify applicants who managed to get to college despite having a bad childhood. Bad high schools where there was no library, no gym, and no lab facilities. Schools that didn't teach high school level courses some of us take for granted like physics and calculus. Not enough to eat, a lack of warm clothing, parents in prison, the stress of living in substandard housing in an unsafe neighborhood where you might be shot by a stray bullet that comes through your front window. If a kid from that environment, or living in poverty in a rural environment such that you weren't familiar with the basics of city life then you might be at a disadvantage compared with other college freshmen.
 
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Here's the deal: "disadvantaged" is a way to identify applicants who managed to get to college despite having a bad childhood. Bad high schools where there was no library, no gym, and no lab facilities. Schools that didn't teach high school level courses some of us take for granted like physics and calculus. Not enough to eat, a lack of warm clothing, parents in prison, the stress of living in substandard housing in an unsafe neighborhood where you might be shot by a stray bullet that comes through your front window. If a kid from that environment, or living in poverty in a rural environment such that you weren't familiar with the basics of city life then you might be at a disadvantage compared with other college freshmen.

Makes sense. I guess I've heard of some pretty ridiculous "disadvantaged" people then who have checked that box:confused:. But yeah, that clears it up well. How would you suggest incorporating said experiences to make my app more interesting? It really has shaped me a lot as a person. Maybe mention it in PS?
 
I'd suggest not checking the box, but describing yourself as having had a challenging set of family circumstances that you managed to succeed and thrive in. You'll get 'diversity points' anyway --
 
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Americans love the rags to riches story. It's programmed into our DNA.

Here's the deal: "disadvantaged" is a way to identify applicants who managed to get to college despite having a bad childhood. Bad high schools where there was no library, no gym, and no lab facilities. Schools that didn't teach high school level courses some of us take for granted like physics and calculus. Not enough to eat, a lack of warm clothing, parents in prison, the stress of living in substandard housing in an unsafe neighborhood where you might be shot by a stray bullet that comes through your front window. If a kid from that environment, or living in poverty in a rural environment such that you weren't familiar with the basics of city life then you might be at a disadvantage compared with other college freshmen.
 
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