Medical Am I Considered Disadvantaged?

[GoSpursGo]

Hello!

I had a question regarding the disadvantaged statement, and whether or not you think that I should write it. When considering my life experiences, I would personally consider myself to be disadvantaged. However, when I posed this question to my pre-health advisors, they stated that I should "tread lightly" and really consider not writing a disadvantaged essay.

I will list some of the prominent factors that have caused me to consider myself disadvantaged. The list is directly below:
- Grew up on Medi-Cal insurance (Medicaid for CA residents)
- Grew up receiving free lunch in school
- Received no education for a half-year during elementary school
- Have 6+ siblings and most of them require special education (I am and have been a primary caretaker for them, due to my parent's condition)
- One of my parents is physically disabled (receives SSI)
- Lacked permanent housing throughout an entire school year before the age of 18 (due to a significant event that displaced my family from our house. I can't describe the event because it can easily be found on the internet. However, my family slept in hotels/motels, and sometimes even our car throughout the year)
- First-generation college student
- Had to attend a community college out of high school to save money
- Currently receive a pell grant

With these factors being considered, I would strongly consider myself to be disadvantaged. However, the primary reason for my advisors stating for me to tread lightly is because I attended K-12 in a high-performing school district(95th+ percentile in the state). Despite the educational advantages that I have encountered with my primary and secondary education, I think it would be important to mention some of the factors above in a disadvantaged essay to provide a fuller picture of my situation growing up.

With that being said, in your opinion, would it be a good decision to proceed with writing a disadvantaged essay? If so, what should I include from my list above in my essay, as 1325 characters is extremely limiting and I am not confident I will be able to fit all of my experiences within that space. Also, should I acknowledge my advantages with regard to my primary and secondary education within my disadvantaged essay?

As an aside, if some of these experiences have contributed towards my pursuit of medicine(i.e. my lack of permanent housing, public health insurance, etc.), should I mention them in my personal statement, as opposed to my disadvantaged essay? Or, should I briefly mention them in my personal statement, and expand upon them in my disadvantaged essay?

I appreciate any and all advice given for my situation! Thank you very much for your time!

I agree with your advisors, you need to tread lightly. But ultimately, just read the prompt. This is what I was able to find in terms of definitions:

"The following definitions/questions may help you answer the questions on this page:
Underserved: Do you believe, based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers?
Immediate Family: The Federal Government broadly defines 'immediate family' as 'spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, or sister or brother-in-law, including step and adoptive relationships.'
State and Federal Assistance Programs: These programs are specifically defined as 'Means-Tested Programs' under which the individual, family, or household income and assets must be below specified thresholds. The sponsoring agencies then provide cash and non-cash assistance to eligible individuals, families, or households. Such programs include welfare benefit programs (federal, state, and local) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC or ADC); unemployment compensation; General Assistance (GA); food stamps; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid; housing assistance; or other federal, state, or local financial assistance programs."

Based on the highlighted section, and what you listed above, I do believe you can consider yourself disadvantaged.

The specifics of what to put in your PS vs. this essay is entirely up to you, and I encourage you to either share those essays with your advisors or with some of the personal statement readers here on SDN

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[Goro]

I agree with your advisors, you need to tread lightly. But ultimately, just read the prompt. This is what I was able to find in terms of definitions:



Based on the highlighted section, and what you listed above, I do believe you can consider yourself disadvantaged.

The specifics of what to put in your PS vs. this essay is entirely up to you, and I encourage you to either share those essays with your advisors or with some of the personal statement readers here on SDN

Agree 1000%

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I would say yes you would be considered disadvantaged

 

[GoSpursGo]

Thank all of you very much for your input! Although, I had one more question. Given the statement in the prompt, where only two of the suggested disadvantages apply to me(SSI + Medicaid/Medi-Cal), should I also mention any specific hardships? Such as lacking permanent housing, or not receiving education for a half-year during elementary school? I understand that it is ultimately up to me to decide what to include, but I was curious what you all think I should include specifically in my disadvantaged essay.

Thank you again for all of the advice! I truly appreciate it!

Yep, like you said it's a personal decision. You probably shouldn't list every single thing that you did in your post, but maybe focus on the 2-3 experiences that were most relevant.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I would include it for sure. Short and sweet and to the point.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Living with a socioeconomic disadvantage would include instances or chronic circumstances that threatened your access to food, education, housing, finances, or health care IMO. Being insecure in these areas presents a good argument for being raised in a disadvantaged environment, even if you may have received a benefit to help you partially overcome the circumstances (school with a significant scholarship due to circumstances). That's at least one way of looking at your situation. I also agree you have something to say when prompted about being disadvantaged.