Can I claim disadvantage status?

[surfguy84]

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I tried doing a search but couldn't find anything to fit my scenario on here...

From about the age of 8 until 21 I had a moderate stutter. It caused serious anxiety, which resulted in me skipping certain classes to avoid any possibility of public speaking. Even when I was in class I'd be so nervous of being called on that I could never really focus or understand the material the way I needed to. I don't like making excuses, and skipping class was 100% a conscious decision, but I completely feel my stutter (and ensuing anxiety) controlled my life and resulted in my not living up to my full potential.

I finally found a fix to my stutter when I was a junior in college and my grades dramatically improved. I'm now 99% stutter free, even when doing presentations and the such, and for all intents and purposes overcame this hardship.

Would I be out of line to consider this a disadvantage/overcome hardship on my application?

 

[ChemEngMD]

I tried doing a search but couldn't find anything to fit my scenario on here...

From about the age of 8 until 21 I had a moderate stutter. It caused serious anxiety, which resulted in me skipping certain classes to avoid any possibility of public speaking. Even when I was in class I'd be so nervous of being called on that I could never really focus or understand the material the way I needed to. I don't like making excuses, and skipping class was 100% a conscious decision, but I completely feel my stutter (and ensuing anxiety) controlled my life and resulted in my not living up to my full potential.

I finally found a fix to my stutter when I was a junior in college and my grades dramatically improved. I'm now 99% stutter free, even when doing presentations and the such, and for all intents and purposes overcame this hardship.

Would I be out of line to consider this a disadvantage/overcome hardship on my application?

Yeah I think you could probably write a disadvantaged statement for this. Just don't repeat the same information in your PS.

 

[surfguy84]

Yeah I think you could probably write a disadvantaged statement for this. Just don't repeat the same information in your PS.

Thanks for the tip.

How heavily do schools weigh these disadvantage statements? Clearly, someone from the inner city living in poverty in a one-parent household was at a much greater disadvantage than I was....is there some sort of "ranking" of these disadvantages?

 

[surfguy84]

"Any man who must ask if he is disadvantaged is not truly disadvantaged."

-Tywin Lannister

That's irrelevant. I'm not asking if I was disadvantaged...I know I was. I'm asking if my disadvantage would be considered by med schools.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

I was always under the impression that checking disadvantaged on the AMCAS app was for things like growing up in poverty, living in a medically underserved area, not able to get a decent education etc. Not sure if a moderate stutter would qualify. It would make a solid secondary essay about an obstacle that you had to overcome, though.

 

[Mr Avante]

I was always under the impression that checking disadvantaged on the AMCAS app was for things like growing up in poverty, living in a medically underserved area, not able to get a decent education etc.

Right you are, Harry

 

[surfguy84]

I was always under the impression that checking disadvantaged on the AMCAS app was for things like growing up in poverty, living in a medically underserved area, not able to get a decent education etc. Not sure if a moderate stutter would qualify. It would make a solid secondary essay about an obstacle that you had to overcome, though.

That was kinda my feeling, just wanted some other opinions on it.

 

[Lexipi]

i was always under the impression that checking disadvantaged on the amcas app was for things like growing up in poverty, living in a medically underserved area, not able to get a decent education etc. Not sure if a moderate stutter would qualify. It would make a solid secondary essay about an obstacle that you had to overcome, though.

+1

 

[The Buff OP]

Right you are, Harry

I was always under the impression that checking disadvantaged on the AMCAS app was for things like growing up in poverty, living in a medically underserved area, not able to get a decent education etc. Not sure if a moderate stutter would qualify. It would make a solid secondary essay about an obstacle that you had to overcome, though.

So in my case do I fall under this?
My background is I barely graduated from HS I grew up in Los Angeles crappy school systems even in Texas. I have missed a couple of semesters due to not having money to pay for my classes (FAFSA barely gives me a penny)
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I think this would fall as personal statement?
When I use to live in California I would hang out with gang members, use to get into fights, and always up to no good. But I changed my life around.

 

[TheWeeIceMan]

So in my case do I fall under this?
My background is I barely graduated from HS I grew up in Los Angeles crappy school systems even in Texas. I have missed a couple of semesters due to not having money to pay for my classes (FAFSA barely gives me a penny)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this would fall as personal statement?
When I use to live in California I would hang out with gang members, use to get into fights, and always up to no good. But I changed my life around.

I would think so, but I'm not really sure. Maybe one of our friendly adcom posters can comment.

 

[cookiemonsters]

Thanks for the tip.

How heavily do schools weigh these disadvantage statements? Clearly, someone from the inner city living in poverty in a one-parent household was at a much greater disadvantage than I was....is there some sort of "ranking" of these disadvantages?

At BU, applying disadvantaged with legit circumstances is a big application boost - they take the 'holistic review' thing very seriously. Outside of them, I don't really know. The only crease in that formula is that most people who truly are disadvantaged can't afford BU's monstrous cost of attendance.

 

[jk1006]

So in my case do I fall under this?
My background is I barely graduated from HS I grew up in Los Angeles crappy school systems even in Texas. I have missed a couple of semesters due to not having money to pay for my classes (FAFSA barely gives me a penny)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this would fall as personal statement?
When I use to live in California I would hang out with gang members, use to get into fights, and always up to no good. But I changed my life around.

during those semesters off did you work to make money so you could pay for classes? if so i feel like thatd be a really good disadvantaged argument.

as for the HS, that can work, but it needs more details. like were you in crappy school systems because your family didnt make much money so you lived in bad parts of town or something? its one thing to be decently/well off but have an unfortunate school system and still dick around with the bad crowd, and another to come from a poor background and do those same things.

i ask cause if fafsa isnt giving you any money... then theres gotta be income reported somewhere that would make them do that

 

[Mr Avante]

So in my case do I fall under this?
My background is I barely graduated from HS I grew up in Los Angeles crappy school systems even in Texas. I have missed a couple of semesters due to not having money to pay for my classes (FAFSA barely gives me a penny)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this would fall as personal statement?
When I use to live in California I would hang out with gang members, use to get into fights, and always up to no good. But I changed my life around.

what is your EFC (expected family contribution).

 

[The Buff OP]

during those semesters off did you work to make money so you could pay for classes? if so i feel like thatd be a really good disadvantaged argument.

as for the HS, that can work, but it needs more details. like were you in crappy school systems because your family didnt make much money so you lived in bad parts of town or something? its one thing to be decently/well off but have an unfortunate school system and still dick around with the bad crowd, and another to come from a poor background and do those same things.

i ask cause if fafsa isnt giving you any money... then theres gotta be income reported somewhere that would make them do that

I did work some of those semesters, I even felt behind on classes because I was going paycheck to paycheck (got paid every 2 weeks mininum wage) trying to buy my books. My GPA even drop, so they have also have suspended my financial aid, but I always had a good reason. In my school if you are not taking 4 classes or more FAFSA doesn't give you much. I did live in crappy area, come on it's California where everything it is expensive. You can't live in a nice area, when your parents are immigrants and never got an education, so there is only so much my father could of work on.

 

[The Buff OP]

what is your efc (expected family contribution).

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