Am I disadvantaged?

[Snowboarder]

Do you think my background qualifies me as disadvantaged?

1) Technically my family qualifies as low income, but I never felt like we lived uncomfortably.

2) Starting at the age of 15, I worked full time during summers and signed every paycheck over to my parents to help them pay for private school because they wanted me to have a better education than the public school system provided.

3) My parents paid for college tuition, but I worked throughout college to pay for books, student fees, and living expenses.

4) I bartended 25 hours per week to support myself through grad school which I paid for on my own.

I do not think that I have in any way led a disadvantaged lifestyle, yet these instances, according to AMCAS qualify me to claim disadvantage if I wish to do so. I think including a disadvantage would be whining and making excuses. My parents and my pre-med advisor think that it would demonstrate my ability to overcome obstacles and add diversity to a medical school class.

What do you think? Thanks for your thoughts.

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[kevster2001]

no, if your parents can pay for college and private school you're not disadvantaged

 

[skypilot]

Well sounds like you have pretty awesome parents. You are very fortunate for that!

 

[MarzMD]

If you have to ask, then Im gonna say no.

 

[Thundrstorm]

My inclination would be to say no. That doesn't mean that you can't play up your work ethic in your application and still use your experiences to your advantage.

 

[Nasrudin]

If your still a dependent and your parents have low income is possible you could qualify for some assistance....but i think you're referring to a particular status as indicated on your med school app no? I would research the criteria specifically and caution you against the "seeking" of a disadvantage which would be apparent to someone looking at your app in detail.

 

[Nakhrewali]

Ummm you are definitely less disadvantaged than I am and I wasn't "eligible" to classify myself as that on AMCAS.

 

[Snowboarder]

no, if your parents can pay for college and private school you're not disadvantaged

The high school gave me a scholarship that paid for 90% of tuition, I helped my parents with the rest.

My parents took out loans to send me to college which they are still paying off.

 

[Snowboarder]

Well sounds like you have pretty awesome parents. You are very fortunate for that!

Definitely.

 

[kevster2001]

The high school gave me a scholarship that paid for 90% of tuition, I helped my parents with the rest.

My parents took out loans to send me to college which they are still paying off.

So are my parents...
The fact that they can take out loans for your education and pay for them without starving to death shows they're not disadvantaged.

 

[Lindyhopper]

I do not think that I have in any way led a disadvantaged lifestyle, yet these instances, according to AMCAS qualify me to claim disadvantage . . .

How does the AMCAS define "disadvantaged"? Personally, I think it would look weak.

 

[lainey234]

I don't intend to apply as disadvantaged but I was curious what the criteria are? We were very poor growing up by my parents worked hard and worked their way up. Not enough to pay for college, but enough to buy a house and live comfortably. Do you have to be disadvantaged at the time of application or are they curious mostly about your background/younger experiences?

 

[Snowboarder]

How does the AMCAS define "disadvantaged"? Personally, I think it would look weak.

There are many categories under which you can be eligiable to claim a disadvantage. I qualify under low family income and working full-time before the age of 18 to meet family financial needs.

I agree with the 90% of you who think I should not claim disadvantage, but I feel uneasy going against the strong feelings of my pre-med advisor who says I should. You all have been very helpful in allowing me to realize that perhaps pre-med advisors aren't always right.

Even if there is a chance that she is right it seems like I would do less damage to my application by omitting the section even if I should fill it out, than by filling it out and being percieved as a whiner or someone who is making excuses.

 

[SuzieQ3417]

You could always mention it in your personal statement - no doubt working to help support the household contributed to who you are today.

 

[ChymeChancellor]

There are many categories under which you can be eligiable to claim a disadvantage. I qualify under low family income and working full-time before the age of 18 to meet family financial needs.

I agree with the 90% of you who think I should not claim disadvantage, but I feel uneasy going against the strong feelings of my pre-med advisor who says I should. You all have been very helpful in allowing me to realize that perhaps pre-med advisors aren't always right.

Even if there is a chance that she is right it seems like I would do less damage to my application by omitting the section even if I should fill it out, than by filling it out and being percieved as a whiner or someone who is making excuses.

I might see your case if you had to work below 18 and the money went to support your family. But in your case, it went to support yourself through private school. Many of us had to work to pay all of our expenses... tuition, rent, food, books.... and have not designated themselves disadvantaged.

 

[akaz]

Don't put it. There are kids in some neighborhoods that work for everything. Kids that don't get breakfast and are on assistance. They live in rough neighborhoods. They are talking real poverty.

I might see your case if you had to work below 18 and the money went to support your family. But in your case, it went to support yourself through private school. Many of us had to work to pay all of our expenses... tuition, rent, food, books.... and have not designated themselves disadvantaged.

 

[ChymeChancellor]

If you really feel that you were disadvantaged I would apply as such. But thinking about it... how were you disadvantaged? Your education was not disadvantaged and I would find it hard to believe that you would be set back in any other way. Maybe you didn't have as much time for volunteer experiences because you had to work. You could certainly put this in the Work/Activities section but I don't think it merits designating yourself disadvantaged.

 

[LizzyM]

How does the AMCAS define "disadvantaged"? Personally, I think it would look weak.

They ask average household income during your childhood (0-18 yrs) and the number of persons in the household. Also: did your family qualify for means tested gov't benefits (that would be free school lunch, public housing or housing voucher, medicaid, etc), did you work before the age of 18, did that income support your family's basic needs (rather than being your own spending money). there is a breakdown (%) as to how college expenses were met (parents $, your own $, loans, need based grants, academic scholarships -- there might be other categories that I'm forgetting). there is also a space for a narrative describing your family when you were growing up. Basically, disadvantaged IMHO is a code word for "grew up in poverty".

The typical applicant who uses this section had a parent who was deceased or disabled, had abandoned the family or was otherwise unable to work for some period of time during the applicant's childhood. Many times these applicants had a period of living in a homeless shelter or doubling up with another family in sharing an apartment due to financial hardship. The typical student has qualified for free school lunch and perhaps other gov't benefits. Most have had all or almost all of their college expenses covered by grants and scholarships (maybe with some loans) because the parent(s)' estimated share of the costs was zero .

 

[nozzie]

When you say that your family qualifies as low-income, did your family live below the poverty line? Qualify for government assistance?

 

[tdrslyolnaaldl]

My Life is stained by sin and selfishness. I am obsessesed with myself and getting into medical school. It is all I think about. Please forgive me. Please.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

The typical student has qualified for free school lunch and perhaps other gov't benefits.

What if my mother was a single mother, and we only qualified for reduced school lunches for a few years, but managed to barely scrape by the rest of the time?

 

[tdrslyolnaaldl]

My Life is stained by sin and selfishness. I am obsessesed with myself and getting into medical school. It is all I think about. Please forgive me. Please.

 

[asunshine]

My Life is stained by sin and selfishness. I am obsessesed with myself and getting into medical school. It is all I think about. Please forgive me. Please.

hey, don't be a self-righteous jerk! if you don't have something constructive to say, keep it to yourself.



i wouldn't check disadvantaged unless one of your disadvantages actually held you back from applying to medical school or having a stellar application.

 

[Snowboarder]

hey, don't be a self-righteous jerk! if you don't have something constructive to say, keep it to yourself.



i wouldn't check disadvantaged unless one of your disadvantages actually held you back from applying to medical school or having a stellar application.

I didn't want to say it, but I'm glad you did

Thanks for the advice. My application is less than stellar, but only because of my own shortcomings. Like I said before, I don't feel like I have been disadvantaged in any way, just trying to get a feel for why my pre-med advisor feels so strongly, but no one here seems to be on her side.

 

[akaz]

There are alot of jerks out there. The Sin guy is posting it on all of them.

I didn't want to say it, but I'm glad you did

Thanks for the advice. My application is less than stellar, but only because of my own shortcomings. Like I said before, I don't feel like I have been disadvantaged in any way, just trying to get a feel for why my pre-med advisor feels so strongly, but no one here seems to be on her side.

 

[75969]

I agree with everyone above...dont claim disadvantaged. I think it would look much better if you stressed the work ethic on your app and if adcoms think your app should have qualified for disadvantaged status, and bring it up in the interview (I have heard of this happening to more than a few people), you can say that you felt...blah blah blah (which will look better than claiming what you arent sure if you qualify for)

 

[75969]

I agree with everyone above...dont claim disadvantaged. I think it would look much better if you stressed the work ethic on your app and if adcoms think your app should have qualified for disadvantaged status, and bring it up in the interview (I have heard of this happening to more than a few people), you can say that you felt...blah blah blah (which will look better than claiming what you arent sure if you qualify for)

Also, if your parents are low income, didnt you qualify for grants to help you w/ some of your living expenses? Without my grant money, I would starve