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- Aug 20, 2010
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Hi all,
Do I apply disadvantaged? I was hoping someone could help me out with this question. I've read through a few posts on this subject, but most deal with only the financial aspect of being disadvantaged. I want to apply in 2011 to mostly osteopathic schools. It would be interesting to hear from people--how being disadvantaged affected their med school application experience. Did it come up during interviews, for example?
I had a lot of "interesting" experiences mostly when I was a kid. Parent with serious undiagnosed mental health issues-hospitalizations, out of work, etc. (This parent is doing okay now due to a fantastic Dr) My other parent was disabled in a car accident (brain injury). We were also economically disadvantaged, almost losing our house a few times, struggling to put food on the table. When I was older, things improved a little bit. We still had money issues throughout college, and I had to work in high school and more in college. Now, I'm personally doing okay (minus the ugrad debt), and I have a wonderful spouse.
Would you recommend I apply "disadvantaged" or should I just mention these experiences as inspiration for wanting to work with underserved populations and wanting to go into primary care/psych fields?
Is there a stigma attached to mental health issues? Would I not want to mention my parent's struggle?
Thanks,
Fay
Ummm didn't you just read what the admin wrote? You "were" disadvantaged but they are asking if people are currently disadvantaged hence the "you now." So you shouldn't apply as disadvantaged because you are currently stable.JHU6569- Thank you for the message and the good advice.
My question is: Can I apply as disadvantaged if I was relatively disadvantaged most of my life? I am a few years out of school, so I am no longer dependent on my family. I imagine there's a difference between a 21-year old dependent in college and a 25 year old working adult that helps support her family. In the end, I just want to make sure I represent my situation correctly.
Thank you everyone for the responses.