Disadvantage Status

[Pre-DentalND]

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So I am going to be applying this summer to dental school, and am wondering if I should/can apply as "disadvantaged." While growing up and attending high school, I lived in a rural area in the upper midwest that is technically medically underserved, with no practicing dentist in my county. The nearest dentist is 35 miles away in the adjacent county. We also have to drive 60 miles to the nearest dental specialist. I believe I live in a primary care health professional shortage area as designated by the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources & Services Administration. I am just wondering if I should/can apply disadvantaged even though I am a white male applicant and my parents made over $70,000 a year while I was growing up? Thanks for the help!

 

[Advance]

Sounds pretty disadvantaged to me. You're the type of applicant D-schools should be looking for.

As a side note, white guys can be disadvantaged too.

 

[Pre-DentalND]

Sounds pretty disadvantaged to me. You're the type of applicant D-schools should be looking for.

As a side note, white guys can be disadvantaged too.

Thanks for the comment. Wasn't sure if I really count to apply as disadvantaged since I'm a typical white applicant from the upper midwest. What dental schools might I be attractive to or have a good chance since I'm rural underserved other than my regional ones in the midwest like Minnesota, Creighton, Iowa, etc.?

 

[Advance]

Thanks for the comment. Wasn't sure if I really count to apply as disadvantaged since I'm a typical white applicant from the upper midwest. What dental schools might I be attractive to or have a good chance since I'm rural underserved other than my regional ones in the midwest like Minnesota, Creighton, Iowa, etc.?

Apply to any schools you're interested in. Being disadvantaged helps but DAT scores GPA, LOR's and EC's play a big part in what schools you should apply to.

 

[MolarBear11]

You can verify if you are from a shortage area here: http://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/tools/analyzers/geo/ShortageArea.aspx
There are a lot of factors that make someone disadvantaged. Your ethnicity has very little to do with being disadvantaged. I think a lot of schools that focus on public health would probably really like applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds because it means they might go back to those kinds of communities to practice. It could also be for scholarship eligibility?

But I agree with above, it definitely won't be a deciding factor for d schools. You have to be competitive stats wise

 

[eugnandez]

Your ethnicity has very little to do with being disadvantaged.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

.

 

[Pre-DentalND]

Your family income won't catch you any breaks for disadvantaged status, but the fact that you lived in a rural undeserved area will make you a better applicant for the NHSC repayment program, which is certainly something worth taking a look into.

Should I still apply as "disadvantaged" on my application?

 

[doc toothache]

Should I still apply as "disadvantaged" on my application?

You might be on a roll if you could claim malnourishment since the closest grocery store was in the next state.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

,

 

[A Pre-dent]

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[MolarBear11]

You might be on a roll if you could claim malnourishment since the closest grocery store was in the next state.

I don't understand why all your answers have to be in the form of sarcastic one-liners

 

[MasterOfNone15]

I don't understand why all your answers have to be in the form of sarcastic one-liners

Seriously. I don't know why he's praised so much just for making spreadsheets and guides based on the ADEA guide and his own personal opinion. My friend had her PS read by doc and every comment was sarcastic and rude. How useful is that to her or anyone else he tries to "help"? It's funny how every user on SDN that is notorious for being rude to others besides doc toothache gets banned or put on probationary status at some point...

Also, sorry for changing the topic of your thread, OP. I actually have a similar upbringing except that my parents make less than 70k and I'm Asian, which isn't really considered a minority in professional school either. I did not claim disadvantage status out of sheer laziness. My background was mentioned quite a bit throughout my app and in my PS so I didn't not feel like taking the time to write out another essay for it (I ended up withdrawing my AADSAS app anyway so I was happy I didn't take the time out to write one). You seem to be ahead of the game and have thought about this pretty early so I think you should you claim the status. It may help you out in a lot of ways! Especially for getting scholarships.