Am I SES Disadvantaged?

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xbowers003

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I've read over AMCAS' definition of this, but cant quite interpret if it applies to me:

My dad graduated high school, and this was his highest level of education.

My mom graduated high school and took a couple odd community college classes and then dropped out.

In my immediate family, I am the only one who has ever gone to college.

Disadvantaged SES? If it helps, my parents are divorced and my mom makes about 5,000 a year (been on welfare, etc).

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Do got actually feel disadvantaged, or is it just an angle for admissions? Your highest earning parent and the highest level of education one had received will show up on your app. So it would be your father (whatever he makes) and some college due to your mother. These indicators dont mean a whole hell of a lot without your essay though, be it secondary or primary. If you feel you were disadvantaged and could easily talk about it genuinely in an interview, you could make it a partial focus of your app. If not, don't rely on it and hope your SES data gives you a small boost come app season.
 
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Yes, I think it's reasonable for you to identify yourself as a disadvantaged applicant. Also, you should definitely apply for the FAP (https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/fap/). It will save you a lot of application fees and allow you to apply to more schools. I might be wrong, but applicants who qualify for the FAP are generally seen as disadvantaged applicants in the eyes of adcoms. Good luck!
 
I didn't have a choice on the AMCAS to deem myself SES. I put in my parents' education levels (high school) and the form deemed me SES. It kind of stung to be honest, but whatever, it can only help or be neutral, it's not likely to hurt your app. It did come up in several interviews even though it wasn't mentioned elsewhere in my app.
 
I didn't have a choice on the AMCAS to deem myself SES. I put in my parents' education levels (high school) and the form deemed me SES. It kind of stung to be honest, but whatever, it can only help or be neutral, it's not likely to hurt your app. It did come up in several interviews even though it wasn't mentioned elsewhere in my app.
Exactly this. You don't get to state SES disadvantaged or not per se. It's determined by those answers you give about your parents' education and income. No one asked me about mine, but mine came up as a low SES level (disadvantaged).
 
Yes, I think so. AMCAS will make the last call about "how" disadvantaged you are as an applicant(low SES).
 
I would say yes. It may, however, be more meaningful if you were able to successfully incorporate it into your personal statement particularly if it relates to your interest in serving certain populations (e.g. underserved, poor rural regions, etc.). Like many things when it comes to the PS and other essays, a little "spin" can go a long way.
 
I would say yes. It may, however, be more meaningful if you were able to successfully incorporate it into your personal statement particularly if it relates to your interest in serving certain populations (e.g. underserved, poor rural regions, etc.). Like many things when it comes to the PS and other essays, a little "spin" can go a long way.

This is exactly what I did in my personal statement. I did grow up disadvantaged, and the way I grew up allowed me to mature earlier; and while it was hard, I am very thankful I grew up struggling the way we did because it taugt me a lot. I dont aim to use it as a primary factor to get into medical school, as I aim to be maticulated on my own merit rather than my circumstances. I was just unsure of how they deemed you "SES", but I now understand! Thanks for he help everyone!
 
Im in a similar situation, first in my family to go to college. I have a decent household income though at around 70,000. So I cant imagine applying disadvantaged when that is almost twice the median household income IIRC(but we live in a fairly high COL area). Honestly I dont plan on talking about economic factors at all on my application. Dont get me wrong I would take any advantage I could get(and so should all of you) but I cant see it going over well. So I guess it would depend more on how much money your parents make than their education level.
 
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