alien???

[underAchiever]

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Hello, everyone! Wow, a friend recommended SDN and I decided to check it out, now I am hooked. I find a lot of great information, and I hope to be able to contribute some.
I have a question that I need to hear from other perspectives. I just transfered to USF as a sophomore and am planning on seeing a premed advisor. I am "slightly" non-traditional. I came to the US as an exchange student from the muddy backwaters of the Balkans, graduated from Greenwich High (1997), and when the time came to return home I skipped to Florida instead(family reasons). I went "underground" for a few years and did what jobs I could to keep things going, until I finally came out and started going to college roughly two years ago. Now, I am thinking about a future in medicine, my grades are ok (3.7 GPA), one year of volunteering, two years working as a nursing aide, aikido club, take flying lessons(when time and money permit), at 25 I will have been married for five years (now, in advanced stages of divorce, really) but, my past haunts me. I cannot account for those four years of my life from high school to college, since I was an illegal alien. To me that seems like a very normal part of my life, but sometimes i get the feeling other people may not feel that way. So I wanted to see what you think, since I am biased on this issue. Should I mention that period to pre-med advisors or any admission committes? Would it come up by itself? Or am I better off just staying away from that area and?
I want to confront my past. I could use your advice on this matter, if you think it worthy. I will take criticism, too. Humbly.

 

[glj79]

I would definitely discuss it with your pre-med advisor, and he/she should be able to help you with how to frame it in your applications. Maybe the best way to explain it would be just to describe what jobs you held during that time without mentioning that you were an illegal alien? Since it was four years, I would think it would at least come up in interviews (and some secondary applications actually ask you to account for all time you've taken off from school). Also, I would think about applying to schools that might be more understanding of your situation, such as schools in big cities (especially Miami and New York, which have their share of illegal aliens). You can definitely use your experiences to your advantage in your essay, etc. - adcoms love people who will add to the "diversity" of their class. Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[jlee9531]

are you legal now?

if thats the case it makes explaining your situation a bit better...i would think...

 

[docmemi]

you have a great background and great experiences!

well, did you not return because were you very poor or discriminated or something sad like that back home? if you have a sad story, you can use it and explain how you dealt with all these challenges and that makes you who you are today. how has your past made you want to be a dr? this is something different that you have from other applicants...its a good thing.

i say you do talk about your past since it makes you who you are.

 

[underAchiever]

Thank you for the responses! Yes, I now am a permanent resident and a Florida resident for tuition purposes. Ideally, I would love to stay in Florida for med school, but the allure of the big city grows stronger with me. I think I would rather enjoy the challenge and the change.
With regard to the family reasons, my family lost their home and savings in the failure of the pyramid schemes wchich wiped out roughly 75%of the county's finances and caused the wild civil unrest of 1997, the circumstances compelled them to immigrate to Greece, and my younger brother was granted political asylum in Canada. Than in a nutshell is the"family reasons" I referred to. However I do not wish to play such an emotional card with admission committes. i feel like I am bringing a mother who lost a child to testify in front of a jury.

 

[docmemi]

i would write about a paragraph in your personal statement about this. again, how does that influence your decision to be a dr?

 

[ify]

I personally think that's a great experience that you can use to your benefit if you work it in well. The reasons aren't shallow either. However, I would still discuss it with a premed advisor. You don't have to make it all emotional. Just give a brief intro like you just did, explaining the reasons, then focus on how the experience affects who you are and how it will affect the kind of doctor you will be.

 

[g3pro]

Originally posted by jlee9531
are you legal now?

that sounds soooo dirty.

like if a 45 year old man asks a very attractive young lady (who might be or might not be above 18 years of age).