Schools favoring disadvantaged students?

[UCIpremed4]

What is the general consensus on how medical schools evaluate disadvantaged students? Are there schools that highly favor these students? Thanks.

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[GiveMeThatMD]

I almost want to say they're universally favored... but you also need some solid candidates. It doesn't let you off the hook for low GPA/MCAT/ECs, but it sure does add a good backstory/situation come interviewing time. They do like a good underdog story, but if someone else just happens to be more competitive, then it's a no-brainer.

 

[sovereign0]

While it grants some flexibility in stats, it isn't a replacement for competency. I believe that, two candidates being otherwise equal, an economically disadvantaged candidate would have the advantage due to the adversity they overcame to get where they are - it shows character and is more impressive. That said, it's unlikely that two such candidates exist, so the comparison doesn't have much practicality.

When it comes to your personal chances, you have to do the best with what you're given and hope it's enough. SES "advantaged" applicants will theoretically have more opportunities available to them, so it is important to take advantage of them. On the other hand, no matter how hard the life of the 2.6 GPA / 18 MCAT applicant has been, it doesn't look like they would be able to survive medical school and pass the boards, so it's unlikely that they'll get accepted.

 

[Holmwood]

What is the general consensus on how medical schools evaluate disadvantaged students? Are there schools that highly favor these students? Thanks.

Some schools make it part of their mission I think, but I forgot which. Go to MSAR and look at the lowest stat schools then look at their missions.

Any sign of "grit" is welcomed everywhere.

 

[ciestar]

Quinnipiac definitely does. But like @Holmwood said, its largely school dependent. But overall, disadvantaged students have a slight edge compared to their peers with similar applications.

 

[Spector1]

What is the general consensus on how medical schools evaluate disadvantaged students? Are there schools that highly favor these students? Thanks.

define disadvantaged in your case

 

[mehc012]

Adcoms on here seem to indicate that the disadvantaged box can be a bit of a double-edged sword...apparently some more conservative admissions folks can see it as whining or trying to take advantage. LizzyM even related an anecdote where she advised a student, who truly was disadvantaged, to check the box only to hear her colleagues question that student's abilities due to it. Apparently it can also sometimes be seen as a benefit to clearly have been socioeconomically disadvantaged (family income during childhood, gov't assistance, etc) and yet not check the box. Go figure. To me, that means the adcoms need a bit more diversity, but my opinion doesn't change anything.

After talking to SDN, I decided not to check the box, because it seemed too risky. If they feel like your story isn't disadvantaged enough, it's a ding against you. If you're too disadvantaged, it can also hurt. No, thank you, I don't want to play that game. If a school asks about my greatest challenges, or my diversity, I'll discuss it in that context...if they bother to specifically ask, I assume they're actually interested. If they don't, oh well.

 

[LizzyM]

Adcoms on here seem to indicate that the disadvantaged box can be a bit of a double-edged sword...apparently some more conservative admissions folks can see it as whining or trying to take advantage. LizzyM even related an anecdote where she advised a student, who truly was disadvantaged, to check the box only to hear her colleagues question that student's abilities due to it.

They didn't question the applicant's abilities but they doubted that the applicant was truly disadvantaged given that this immigrant family owned two small businesses.

 

[mehc012]

They didn't question the applicant's abilities but they doubted that the applicant was truly disadvantaged given that this immigrant family owned two small businesses.

Fair enough...sorry to drop your name without including the relevant quote, btw, I was just beat at the time of posting and got lazy.

Regardless, my overall impression after threads with not only you but also other adcoms on here was: checking Disadvantaged is like walking through a minefield. Maybe it'll get you where you want to go, but you might also blow up unexpectedly along the way. No thank you.

 

[breezy16]

It's all about how you speak of it. Are you complaining how you didn't have the beemer like everyone else in your graduating class? Or are you discussing how you overcame abusive circumstances, how they affected the way you thought and perceived, how healthcare services perhaps failed you throughout these events, and how it all merged to create a passion towards aiding the underserved?

I don't see how that's a double edged sword. When it's superficial, yes. Not when you actually overcame, learned, and developed something from it.

 

[HybridEarth]

If you leave it blank, it automatically assigns you disadvantaged based on some factors that I do not know of (which happened in my case). Just wanted to point that out

 

[LizzyM]

If you leave it blank, it automatically assigns you disadvantaged based on some factors that I do not know of (which happened in my case). Just wanted to point that out

The factors for an EO (I think that stands for education/occupation) is based on your parents highest level of education and their current employment. https://www.aamc.org/students/services/332852/aftersubshared3.8.html click on the hotlink "schema" to see the pdf describing the categorization.

 

[UCIpremed4]

Great information from this discussion. I grew up with major socioeconomic disadvantages that I won't discuss on here and it has led to wanting to work with the underserved. My interest in working with the underserved is also greatly reflected in my application. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

Adcoms on here seem to indicate that the disadvantaged box can be a bit of a double-edged sword...apparently some more conservative admissions folks can see it as whining or trying to take advantage. LizzyM even related an anecdote where she advised a student, who truly was disadvantaged, to check the box only to hear her colleagues question that student's abilities due to it. Apparently it can also sometimes be seen as a benefit to clearly have been socioeconomically disadvantaged (family income during childhood, gov't assistance, etc) and yet not check the box. Go figure. To me, that means the adcoms need a bit more diversity, but my opinion doesn't change anything.

After talking to SDN, I decided not to check the box, because it seemed too risky. If they feel like your story isn't disadvantaged enough, it's a ding against you. If you're too disadvantaged, it can also hurt. No, thank you, I don't want to play that game. If a school asks about my greatest challenges, or my diversity, I'll discuss it in that context...if they bother to specifically ask, I assume they're actually interested. If they don't, oh well.

After speaking to LizzyM myself I choose not to check the box, and just spoke about a few of my hardships in the PS or when prompted in secondary.

If you leave it blank, it automatically assigns you disadvantaged based on some factors that I do not know of (which happened in my case). Just wanted to point that out

^^This as well.

 

[mehc012]

After speaking to LizzyM myself I choose not to check the box, and just spoke about a few of my hardships in the PS or when prompted in secondary.



^^This as well.

Yup, same!