AMCAS - Disadvantaged Applicant?

[Wildcats3]

Sorry for adding to the abundance of "Am I Disadvantaged?" threads on SDN, but I feel like my situation is slightly different than the ones that have already been posted here before.

I was born and raised in a small rural town and went to a small public school (graduated w/a class of ~90 students). According to HRSA (http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/shortage/), this area is a "Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area" and "Mental Health Professional Shortage Area" (although not a "Medically Underserved Area/Population").

I have a strong desire to be practice rural medicine, and I am targeting schools with this focus. However, I don't know if I should necessarily file as "disadvantaged" based on the fact that I was born in a rural town with a shortage of primary care physicians. I feel like this section of AMCAS gives me a little bit of room to address my background and my desire to practice in a rural setting, as I did not address that in my PS.

However, I don't know if thats necessarily purpose of this section (perhaps they can get this info from my biographic info section?). Additionally, I came from a well-off family, especially in comparison to where I grew up, so I don't want admissions committees to get the impression that I'm just fishing for sympathy or something like that.

Any thoughts as to whether or not I should file as a "disadvantaged applicant"?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Sorry for adding to the abundance of "Am I Disadvantaged?" threads on SDN, but I feel like my situation is slightly different than the ones that have already been posted here before.

I was born and raised in a small rural town and went to a small public school (graduated w/a class of ~90 students). According to HRSA (http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/shortage/), this area is a "Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area" and "Mental Health Professional Shortage Area" (although not a "Medically Underserved Area/Population").

I have a strong desire to be practice rural medicine, and I am targeting schools with this focus. However, I don't know if I should necessarily file as "disadvantaged" based on the fact that I was born in a rural town with a shortage of primary care physicians. I feel like this section of AMCAS gives me a little bit of room to address my background and my desire to practice in a rural setting, as I did not address that in my PS.

However, I don't know if thats necessarily purpose of this section (perhaps they can get this info from my biographic info section?). Additionally, I came from a well-off family, especially in comparison to where I grew up, so I don't want admissions committees to get the impression that I'm just fishing for sympathy or something like that.

Any thoughts as to whether or not I should file as a "disadvantaged applicant"?

Your pushing it a little far I believe, I mean Manhatten is viewed as underserved (I think) so just join the rest of us middle class people and be normal.

 

[Mute98]

if you have a desire to practice in a rural setting wouldn't that be something you should definitely address in your PS?

 

[DeadCactus]

You have an entire personal statement to talk about why you want to practice rural medicine.

The disadvantaged section is for talking about disadvantages you had against other typical applicants. It's to talk about economic and social setbacks in life that you had to overcome to make it to where you are that most other applicants did not.

Growing up in a rural area gives you a lot of room to talk about your first hand experience with other people's disadvantaged status in life and how it affects your desire to enter medicine, but by your description it didn't make you personally disadvantaged.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd recommend steering clear of the disadvantaged section and addressing your desire to practice medicine in a rural area in your secondary applications and during the interviews.

 

[NickNaylor]

Coming from a small town is far from being disadvantaged. It seems like every area in the US is underserved, and LizzyM has mentioned before that that fact is essentially meaningless.

 

[Wildcats3]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I may just try to beef up my personal statement a little bit and expand on my background with working in rural settings.

 

[Merissa87]

Not sure if I'm considered disadvantaged also...

Grew up in a single parent household, never knew my biological father. My mom was the sole bread winner for my 2 sisters and I. My family is from another country to many relatives came to live with us but couldn't work bc they didn't have citizenship, my mom took care of ALL of us.

My grandparents came to live with us from our home country later in life, had very little money so my mom cared for them also. My mom was the only one from her family to go to college, so she makes a good salary but its not so good when you have up to 8 dependents at any one time...

Would I be considered disadvantaged?

 

[NickNaylor]

Not sure if that would be considered disadvantaged, but DEFINITELY something you can mention in your diversity essays.

 

[LizzyM]

Merissa87, did you go without or skimp on essentials (food, clothings, utilities) as a kid? Were you sick a lot as a kid due to overcrowding in your home? Were you behind others as a college freshman because of substandard K-12 education in your community?

If you had at least 2 of those going on, I'd say that you might have a case but if it didn't have an adverse effect on you then you might want to leave it for the supplementals that ask about diversity... certainly sharing a home with immigrants gave you an up-close experience of another culture and perhaps another language as well.

 

[Merissa87]

Merissa87, did you go without or skimp on essentials (food, clothings, utilities) as a kid? Were you sick a lot as a kid due to overcrowding in your home? Were you behind others as a college freshman because of substandard K-12 education in your community?

If you had at least 2 of those going on, I'd say that you might have a case but if it didn't have an adverse effect on you then you might want to leave it for the supplementals that ask about diversity... certainly sharing a home with immigrants gave you an up-close experience of another culture and perhaps another language as well.

No, we never were WITHOUT food or clothing always had the necessities taken care of.All through school I did get free/reduced lunches though. I got a full time job at 16 though and started college at 16 (graduated early). I worked 20-30 hours all through college so my mom could focus on financially providing for my family and not me, this impacted me directly by affecting my grades severely. I had to leave my university Sophomore year bc my grandpa was dying of myeolma and I needed to come help care for him. But other than that, I have always sufficient resources.

 

[LizzyM]

No, we never were WITHOUT food or clothing always had the necessities taken care of.All through school I did get free/reduced lunches though. I got a full time job at 16 though and started college at 16 (graduated early). I worked 20-30 hours all through college so my mom could focus on financially providing for my family and not me, this impacted me directly by affecting my grades severely. I had to leave my university Sophomore year bc my grandpa was dying of myeolma and I needed to come help care for him. But other than that, I have always sufficient resources.

go ahead and apply as disadvantaged in that you worked to support yourself before age 18 and you received gov't assistance (free lunch) to pick up the gap between your family's needs and its income. There is a free text section where you can explain leaving school to help with your grandpa's care.