Claimed disadvantaged status and regret it!!! Help...

[deleted614224]

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This is my first time with AMCAS. When I applied, I said that I was economically disadvantaged. My situations are like this:

First of all, I am Canadian ( I know big red flag already).
My mom, after my father's death, decided to immigrate from third world country with the help of relatives here. I was fifteen then and our lives were tough. Mom made less than 25K per year and had to support three children through school. While we did not contribute to our family income, my siblings and I also worked part-time (@ around 12 hours per week) through high school to support ourselves (Clothing, books, pocket moneys, our needs that our mom couldn't cover). It was not until I entered uni that the situation was better. I am still working part-time through uni (~12 hours per week), just out of habit and to lower my debt load. My mom saved up enough money to buy her own corner shop that we can breath easier. So, now, we are living better, not rich but we don't have to worry so much anymore and really no longer at disadvantaged, economically speaking.

I don't claim the status because I want any special look. I just thought it is the right thing to do since they ask and I had difficult life back then. Now, after reading through many posts where other people seem to suffer so much more than me, I am worried that they will think I am a spoilt brat and want extra attention. I was just so excited that I can tell them my background story and show them my character when I saw the question, followed by "the box". No one in Canada ever seems to care about this kind of detail which I am so proud of.

Oh, we were dirt poor in our **** hole dirt poor country before we immigrated.

 

[deleted480308]

relax

 

[deleted614224]

OH MY GOD. Your avatar did not inspire relax at all. It look like constipation 😉. I am just terrified that everything will go to hell and adcom will think either I am a big fat liar or a big fat spoilt rotten brat. This is what I wrote exactly:

When I was fourteen, my father died of cancer. Hoping for a better life for her children, my mother, now a single parent, decided to immigrate to Canada. As new immigrants, the first few years of our lives were tough. In addition to social isolation and language barriers, financial difficulties were the realities we faced. Education, while it is a must, is expensive. Despite my mother's best attempt, my siblings and I have part-time employments since high school to help support ourselves. Attending school, while being employed with a part-time job, was exhausting. However, I have also learned to manage my time wisely so that I can devote myself to my education and pursuing my personal interests at the same time.

As you can see, I did not make a big deal out of it since I think it is just something of interest.

 

[lmn]

You're fine, someone is always going to have had a harder time than you, or have done something you did better, and any other iteration of things you've experienced or done. You overcame a hard situation that the majority of applicants never had to experience or overcome, it doesn't matter than someone else has overcome a more difficult situation possibly. Congrats on the hard work and effort you have put in to get to the point you're at, be proud of what you have done!

 

[allantois]

I agree that you had justifiable circumstances to claim the disadvantaged status. Be proud of what you have accomplished.

 

[Heday]

You know, disadvantaged status is not supposed to be a pissing contest. We all have our obstacles, so don't compare yourself to others. Do you.

 

[zen006]

You know, disadvantaged status is not supposed to be a pissing contest. We all have our obstacles, so don't compare yourself to others. Do you.

right on!

 

[deleted614224]

You know, disadvantaged status is not supposed to be a pissing contest. We all have our obstacles, so don't compare yourself to others. Do you.

Thanks everyone for your kind words. And, also for Heyday, I understand that this is not a pissing contest. I was just so surprise that so many people is taking this disadvataged status so seriously. LizzyM and many other veterans seems to think it could give people advantage or disadvatage when use inappropriately. I don't know whether I was appropriate. I just don't want schools to think that I want extra attention due to this topic. I would prepare that they concentrate more on my work, volunteer, grades and PS.

In Canada, no school applications will ever ask that questions, or as a matter of fact, even the race question. If they do, they are for statistics and of no consequences.

For sb247, your avatar still terrifies me.

For Imn, I truly appreciate your post. I am not so worried any more.

 

[correctlywrong]

It is a daunting avatar.

I know what you mean, OP. I also had second thoughts about claiming disadvantaged status. I thought, I actually have a pretty good income these days. Sure, I was profoundly disadvantaged growing up, but then I did what I had to do to get ahead. It means applying about 12-14 years later than I would like to have been able to, and my undergrad is scattered around between 4-5 sources of credits, so by those measures, yeah, it was a hard road to get here. But I wasn't sure if the schools would look askance on me calling myself disadvantaged now, since I had overcome so much.

Eventually, I realized that it fit. Of course your family found a way to make things work, or else you wouldn't be here to worry about this. You would still be struggling to survive. So, there is no reason to feel shy about mentioning how you got to this point.

And truly, you didn't share in the same advantages as someone who grew up here, has two living parents who both have a professional salary. The person who would look ridiculous claiming to be disadvantaged would be the child of two doctors, claiming that working for their spending money was a contribution to the family income. I don't know that people like that exist, but given the competitiveness and volume of apps, there has to be one somewhere!

 

[deleted480308]

terrifies? This is my cuddly face

 

[Heday]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. And, also for Heyday, I understand that this is not a pissing contest. I was just so surprise that so many people is taking this disadvataged status so seriously. LizzyM and many other veterans seems to think it could give people advantage or disadvatage when use inappropriately. I don't know whether I was appropriate. I just don't want schools to think that I want extra attention due to this topic. I would prepare that they concentrate more on my work, volunteer, grades and PS.

I was referring to the quote below. If you feel like your situation limited the opportunities you could pursue or put you at a disadvantage compared to your peers, then you're fine to claim it. Don't compare your plight to others.

I don't claim the status because I want any special look. I just thought it is the right thing to do since they ask and I had difficult life back then. Now, after reading through many posts where other people seem to suffer so much more than me, I am worried that they will think I am a spoilt brat and want extra attention.

Oh, we were dirt poor in our **** hole dirt poor country before we immigrated.

 

[lovesfall]

It takes some courage admitting your circumstances. There will always be people who have it better and worse than you. There are people who have absolutely awful stories. bit they can explain their situation too. You're not trying to say you have it worse than everyone else, just trying to put your own circumstances on the table.