disadvantaged? Migrant parents, first-generation college student, and gay

[theabbeyroad]

Question about marking disadvantaged status on AMCAS.

After reading posts regarding this issue, I've learned that the most common reason people mark this on their application is due to their financial situation growing up. For me, it's a little different. I didn't suffer financial burdens as a child. But both of my parents (and all of my extended family one generation before me) migrated here from a third world country, and none hold a college degree. There are no doctors in my family, and I am part of the first generation to graduate from college. I'm also gay and have experienced acts of discrimination/prejudice throughout college which, at times, interrupted my studies.

Is my situation considered "disadvantaged?" I'm not sure if growing up without college educated parents made much of a difference for me, since I actually drew inspiration from them instead of discouragement. Most significant is my sexuality issue since it did play a big role in my academic performance throughout college.

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate the help.

Cheers

edit: LizzyM bat signal. Am I doing this right? Lol

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[bajastapler]

I think disadvantaged status most directly relates to your financial status throughout your childhood.

You might be able to work in the first generation/no degree aspect, but I don't know if an adcom would view it as a positive or a negative. There are tons of students who have 1st generation parents that don't have a college degree, but they don't mark the disadvantaged status.

As far as the issue of sexuality: iono that's a toughy. From what I've come to understand from my gay friends: college was a time for them to really mature. From what I've come across, there isn't really a stigma with being gay in college. But then again I am from the West Coast with a very strong LGBT community (not berkeley ^_^)

Anyways, long story short
Best case scenario: you might catch the ad-coms eye
worst case scenario: you catch the ad-coms eye and he/she disagrees with why you marked disadvantaged and completely disregards the rest of your app. 0_o


GL! 🙂

EDIT: I think you could write a really strong personal statement if you can tie all these over-arching themes together, but from the info I read I think marking the disadvantaged box isn't in your favor.

 

[scribble]

Hmm, I personally think no. I think your situation is more of an obstacle that you've overcome, rather than you being disadvantaged/underserved. (I don't mean to imply that your sexuality is an obstacle, but rather that you had to overcome academic issues.)

But even if you do decide to mark yourself as disadvantaged on the AMCAS, most secondaries will have a section where you can elaborate more on it. So, I think schools will decide independently what your status is and how that figures into your application as a whole.

Good luck OP! 👍

 

[senorsquishie]

Sorry but no. Disadvantaged means spending a majority in your childhood poor (Such as your family recieving SNAP, WIC, SSI) or that your geographical area was not well served by healthcare provides.


However, when you do apply, I would love to see your personal statement. With you life experiences and a well writen PS you can still catch a lot of attention 🙂

 

[Namie]

Are you trying to be a pity party?

So basically you have uneducated but gave you a good-living parents and you're a flamer.No you're not disadvantaged.

But you might have to readjust your way of thinking... if you think you are disadvantaged.

your experience isn't that noteworthy either lol

 

[senorsquishie]

Are you trying to be a pity party?

So basically you have uneducated but gave you a good-living parents and you're a flamer.No you're not disadvantaged.

But you might have to readjust your way of thinking... if you think you are disadvantaged.

your experience isn't that noteworthy either lol

I don't think calling somebody on these forums a "flamer" is very appropriate.

Quite frankly it is immature.

 

[Namie]

I don't think calling somebody on these forums a "flamer" is very appropriate.

Quite frankly it is immature.

by flamer I meant an openly gay homosexual, and in the gay societies it's consider indifferent depending on the context. I'm a bisexual woman, and truly respect the gay communities, but flamer to me is not a derogatory term.

 

[KPCOFGS]

sorry OP, but don't try to play gay as disadvantaged. it might fit some challenge essays but I don't think that's what they mean here. And I'd even be careful about bringing it up in other essays at all, tbh, but that's more subjective.

 

[senorsquishie]

by flamer I meant an openly gay homosexual, and in the gay societies it's consider indifferent depending on the context. I'm a bisexual woman, and truly respect the gay communities, but flamer to me is not a derogatory term.

That is interesting, maybe a regional difference? In my area it is a very derogative term usually for a sterotypical homosexual male who is very flambuant.

 

[TriagePreMed]

The short is answer is that you do not qualify based on the definition of disadvantaged. If these experiences have shaped you into wanting to go into medical school, it would be good to discuss in a personal statement or another section.

 

[cdm3413]

I think disadvantaged status most directly relates to your financial status throughout your childhood.

You might be able to work in the first generation/no degree aspect, but I don't know if an adcom would view it as a positive or a negative. There are tons of students who have 1st generation parents that don't have a college degree, but they don't mark the disadvantaged status.

As far as the issue of sexuality: iono that's a toughy. From what I've come to understand from my gay friends: college was a time for them to really mature. From what I've come across, there isn't really a stigma with being gay in college. But then again I am from the West Coast with a very strong LGBT community (not berkeley ^_^)

Anyways, long story short
Best case scenario: you might catch the ad-coms eye
worst case scenario: you catch the ad-coms eye and he/she disagrees with why you marked disadvantaged and completely disregards the rest of your app. 0_o


GL! 🙂

EDIT: I think you could write a really strong personal statement if you can tie all these over-arching themes together, but from the info I read I think marking the disadvantaged box isn't in your favor.

+1
As a gay male, I don't feel many gay college students on the west coast have a stigma or are thrown into any structure of inferiorization.
If you are to endeavor a disadvantage/1st generation testimony, west coast homosexuality isn't a strong one.

Politically incorrect, maybe, but I'd think west coast adcoms would agree. Kinda taboo.

 

[theabbeyroad]

I think disadvantaged status most directly relates to your financial status throughout your childhood.

You might be able to work in the first generation/no degree aspect, but I don't know if an adcom would view it as a positive or a negative. There are tons of students who have 1st generation parents that don't have a college degree, but they don't mark the disadvantaged status.

As far as the issue of sexuality: iono that's a toughy. From what I've come to understand from my gay friends: college was a time for them to really mature. From what I've come across, there isn't really a stigma with being gay in college. But then again I am from the West Coast with a very strong LGBT community (not berkeley ^_^)

Anyways, long story short
Best case scenario: you might catch the ad-coms eye
worst case scenario: you catch the ad-coms eye and he/she disagrees with why you marked disadvantaged and completely disregards the rest of your app. 0_o


GL! 🙂

EDIT: I think you could write a really strong personal statement if you can tie all these over-arching themes together, but from the info I read I think marking the disadvantaged box isn't in your favor.

Hmm, I personally think no. I think your situation is more of an obstacle that you've overcome, rather than you being disadvantaged/underserved. (I don't mean to imply that your sexuality is an obstacle, but rather that you had to overcome academic issues.)

But even if you do decide to mark yourself as disadvantaged on the AMCAS, most secondaries will have a section where you can elaborate more on it. So, I think schools will decide independently what your status is and how that figures into your application as a whole.

Good luck OP! 👍

Thanks for the input, both of you! I'm trying to draft a PS touching upon all these topics, but it's proven harder than I thought. And you're right - there isn't much of a stigma within the college community, it's actually quite accepting. But there are still individuals outside of the community that, without going into too much detail, affected my life in a very negative way. I was going to talk about these instances within the disadvantaged portion of the application since there isn't a place to explain my academic performance otherwise, but I suppose I can save it for secondaries (assuming I get them ).

 

[theabbeyroad]

Sorry but no. Disadvantaged means spending a majority in your childhood poor (Such as your family recieving SNAP, WIC, SSI) or that your geographical area was not well served by healthcare provides.


However, when you do apply, I would love to see your personal statement. With you life experiences and a well writen PS you can still catch a lot of attention 🙂

Send me a PM in about a month or two. I want to apply this cycle, but this darn PS is driving me crazy!

Are you trying to be a pity party?

So basically you have uneducated but gave you a good-living parents and you're a flamer.No you're not disadvantaged.

But you might have to readjust your way of thinking... if you think you are disadvantaged.

your experience isn't that noteworthy either lol

I wasn't posting my situation to start a "pity party." I merely asked a genuine question since I felt my situation was unique and I couldn't find an answer in other threads.

And yes, I was fortunate enough not to have grown up in poverty. But that doesn't mean I grew up in riches, either.

 

[iniquus]

But there are still individuals outside of the community that, without going into too much detail, affected my life in a very negative way.

Being gay is not a disadvantage. Asian-Americans deal with racism, especially in less urban areas, but that's not something particularly riveting on an AMCAS application. It does affect their lives in a negative way too. I'm first-generation born here and first-generation college student, I am not disadvantaged. Don't confuse a less than ideal childhood with misfortune.

 

[LizzyM]

For as long as I can remember (more than a decade) the AMCAS application has asked your parents names, their occupations and the name of the last school they graduated from. So it will be obvious that they didn't go beyond HS or vocational training. It used to be that you had to "check the disadvantaged box" before you had an opportunity to answer questions about your financial situation growning up. Now everyone is asked to answer those questions. The fact that the disadvantaged box expanded to questions about finances and access to health care tells you that this "disadvantage" is referring to economic status and shouldn't be confused with something else.

Have you been the victim of violence or harrassment? Have you sought help to deal with what you've been through? How did you overcome the academic difficulties that stemmed from whatever issues/distractions you were dealing with in college? Some schools have a quesion about coping skills or "tell us something that isn't in the AMCAS" and if you feel comfortable spilling your guts in that essay, then go for it.

I would strongly urge you to address these issues in only one essay, even if they seem to fit the prompts for more than one essay (some schools have multiple secondary essays). I've heard adcom members say after reading a 25+ page application packet, "Well we know he's gay but he really doesn't tell us much more about himself." (And the same would go for defining yourself solely by your ethnicity, religion, or dietary habits or any other single thing about yourself.)

 

[Why Me]

When I saw the title of this board, I thought to myself, "Why are people talking about me?"

Anyway, I just wanted to add that if you really want med schools to know you're gay, perhaps the most tactful way to do it would be by showing your commitment to the LGBT community, if you have any such experiences (volunteering at a support center, etc.).

Good luck to you.

 

[Doctor246853]

by flamer I meant an openly gay homosexual, and in the gay societies it's consider indifferent depending on the context. I'm a bisexual woman, and truly respect the gay communities, but flamer to me is not a derogatory term.

👍👍😀😀........

I kid, I kid. But seriously, I dont think being gay will help you in any type of way, that is not disadvantaged. The first generation and parent issue should be listed but thats about it IMO.

Again, Namie, 👍😍

 

[LizzyM]

by flamer I meant an openly gay homosexual, and in the gay societies it's consider indifferent depending on the context. I'm a bisexual woman, and truly respect the gay communities, but flamer to me is not a derogatory term.

Namie, you are new here and relatively inexperienced with regard to higher education compared with some others on the pre-allo forum so I'm going to give you some advice. What is not a derogatory term in some subcultures is very insulting and demeaning in the broader American society (never mind that we have members from abroad here as well). You might do well to avoid slang terms that might be misunderstood and hurtful to other members of this community.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Ok I'm def NOT gay but I'ma point out a suggestion.
You don't need to tell anyone you are gay. It may help or hinder, but you won't know that for sure. Being gay isn't a problem, therefore you don't need to address it to the Adcoms.

 

[Flamen04]

I don't know why some people feel the need for med schools to see them as "disadvantaged." I would rather be accepted because of my achievements, and not my sob story.

 

[NickNaylor]

Send me a PM in about a month or two. I want to apply this cycle, but this darn PS is driving me crazy!

Be careful about including these details in your PS. The PS isn't a place to share random facts about your life, compelling though you think they may be. The PS is a place to discuss your motivations for becoming a physician, not your anecdote about coming out or how your parents came from a third-world country. These should only be discussed if they are an integral part in your decision to become a physician. There are other places on the applications (usually the secondary) to describe these sorts of things if you want to share them but aren't appropriate for the PS.

 

[NickNaylor]

by flamer I meant an openly gay homosexual, and in the gay societies it's consider indifferent depending on the context. I'm a bisexual woman, and truly respect the gay communities, but flamer to me is not a derogatory term.

I agree with Lizzy. I definitely wouldn't be throwing around the term "flamer" anywhere in your application.

 

[Doctor246853]

Ok I'm def NOT gay but I'ma point out a suggestion.
You don't need to tell anyone you are gay. It may help or hinder, but you won't know that for sure. Being gay isn't a problem, therefore you don't need to address it to the Adcoms.

Sureee.😉 Embrace it man, embrace it.






jk

 

[KLycos]

I have a gay friend that included it in his PS. He also got a 37 an was a URM. So knowing where he got in would be less cause of homosexuality and more cause of MCAT and URM.

 

[235788]

Lol no your not disadvantaged. Adcoms are going to see through that bs.

 

[Deathstar]

It's seriously pushing it to use your sexuality as a disadvantage. Using your status as a first-gen student as a disadvantage is a joke.

 

[235788]

It's seriously pushing it to use your sexuality as a disadvantage. Using your status as a first-gen student as a disadvantage is a joke.

agree👍. When i think of disadvantaged I think of someone working fulltime while in school and giving their paychecks to their parents so that they can make house payments and feed their family.

 

[LizzyM]

On the other hand, many schools are looking for "diversity" in the student body not just in terms of URM but in other life experience, as well. Many (most?) medical students have at least one parent who graduated from college and many have two parents with professional degreees (MD, JD and I'll throw in MBA). I'll go out on a limb and say that most students are straight. Many students are from families that have been here in the US for several generations.

So, if a secondary prompt is such that the applicant can in some way show how he will bring a different point of view to the classroom and the clinical setting, then he should go for it.

 

[senorsquishie]

Ok I'm def NOT gay but I'ma point out a suggestion.
You don't need to tell anyone you are gay. It may help or hinder, but you won't know that for sure. Being gay isn't a problem, therefore you don't need to address it to the Adcoms.

While a suggestion to think about, I know that not a single one of my open friends would go to a grad/professional school where they would not be accepted openly. One of the things I love about my undergrad is that no one is afraid to show their true colors. Wear an animal costume, great! Open about you sexuality, Awesome! I think it is kind of rare to see students so supportive of each other. That is the type of medical school enviernment I would like to be in myself.

I also should apoligize to Namie. Calling your actions immature was premature. I am sorry.

 

[FuturePharm21]

best of luck, although you shouldn't say your disadvantaged based on your sexuality.

 

[senorsquishie]

just because your gay, doesn't make you disadvantaged...this post is ridic.

To be fair OP has 3 posts!

Everybody has to start somewhere!

 

[Blarry]

lol im sorry but the "AND GAY" part was to much. if being gay was considered disadvantaged i think you would see a HUGE increase in "gay" applicants.

 

[LizzyM]

if being gay was considered disadvantaged i think you would see a HUGE increase in "gay" applicants.

Oh, but the manner in which they might be asked to prove it. 😱


/jk

 

[Mithril]

Oh, but the manner in which they might be asked to prove it. 😱


/jk

Scandalous.

If only being born to immigrant parents and having a funny name and being brown-skinned with some facial hair gave me "disadvantaged" status. No, instead I get sent to a dark and cold room and interrogated for half an hour every time I try to enter the US.

 

[CopaceticOne]

Oh, but the manner in which they might be asked to prove it. 😱

🤣

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Sureee.😉 Embrace it man, embrace it.






jk

 

[eptp]

OP, I understand where you are coming from and I think it your question was valid and genuine. I don't think it's fair that your question is being dismissed as "ridic" or that you are trying to gather pity.

I'm GLBTQ too and applying this cycle. Let me know if you want to talk about our apps or whatnot because this whole process is definitely stressful! 🙂

 

[senorsquishie]

Oh, but the manner in which they might be asked to prove it. 😱


/jk

And this wins the distinction of best post of the day!

 

[macsta]

I'm also gay and have experienced acts of discrimination/prejudice throughout college which, at times, interrupted my studies.

How so?

Am I the only one that feels like being "normal" is a disadvantage nowadays? Colleges and jobs give advantages to so many random groups. For all those groups that scream "we want equality", please include "except on applications" in your chants.

 

[eptp]

Am I the only one that feels like being "normal" is a disadvantage nowadays? Colleges and jobs give advantages to so many random groups. For all those groups that scream "we want equality", please include "except on applications" in your chants.

I'm guessing you are talking about basic civil rights that countless GLBTQ individuals are barred from? Are same-sex couples given equal rights to adopt children in all of America? Are same-sex couples given equal rights to marriage or even recognized same-sex unions? No, it is not equal and it is a completely separate matter from completing medical school application.

Stop thinking he is trying to gain an edge over you. I'm sure you have better things to do, or maybe not.

For such a detailed process, the OP has the right to ask a legitimate question concerning the best way to go about filling an honest application.

 

[macsta]

No, it is not equal and it is a completely separate matter from completing medical school application.

That's what I am saying...How is being gay a disadvantage when it comes to applying to medical school>?

I understand gay people don't have that same rights as straight people in the ways you indicated. But, has this disadvantage of not being able to marry or adopt a child hindered your pursuit of education? Was the educational playing field skewed because of your sexuality?

In my mind being gay doesn't give you the same disadvantages as a URM or financially disadvantage person. I probably came to that conclusion because I think being gay is a choice. That is just my opinion...

 

[LifeTake2]

I don't know why some people feel the need for med schools to see them as "disadvantaged." I would rather be accepted because of my achievements, and not my sob story.

It has nothing to do with a sob story. But the fact is 'disadvantaged' gives those who didn't have the same opportunities to highlight this fact.

As an example: neither of my parents graduated HS, neither raised me (left that 'job' to the State & to family), neither attended my HS graduation, I worked full-time while earning both a BS & Masters part-time which I paid for 100% myself.

I don't ask for sympathy or sobs, but this does explain why I don't have a 3.98 GPA; and frankly makes what I did achieve more impressive to many than the kid w/ 2 MD parents who never had to choose between earning $$ for groceries and studying.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

That's what I am saying...How is being gay a disadvantage when it comes to applying to medical school>?

I understand gay people don't have that same rights as straight people in the ways you indicated. But, has this disadvantage of not being able to marry or adopt a child hindered your pursuit of education? Was the educational playing field skewed because of your sexuality?

In my mind being gay doesn't give you the same disadvantages as a URM or financially disadvantage person. I probably came to that conclusion because I think being gay is a choice. That is just my opinion...

Same here. And using "gay" to try to improve your chances isn't really a good idea. You neer really know what an adcom thinks about it deep down inside. A lot of people are homophobic but keep on the down low due to the negative stigma it can attract.

 

[macsta]

To the OP- sorry, I got a little side tracked. I would weigh out the pros and cons of putting your sexual orientation on your application (whether as disadvantage group or just as a detail). I would hate to have to "judged" before they had a chance to review your application or meet you. Many of the people that have access to your application are rich, older, white men. I have worked and volunteered in numerous hospitals and I have shadowed a good amount of physicians. Most of them have came across as politically conservative. Just keep that in mind.

 

[doctorshateher]

In reference to the title, migrant≠immigrant.

If your family traveled (and you had to switch schools) each and every season in order to find farmwork every year, then you/your parents are migrant and most likely disadvantaged

If your parents moved to the US on a more or less permanent basis then they are IMmigrants and whether or not you are disadvantaged really depends on income, access to healthcare, etc.

 

[Flamen04]

It has nothing to do with a sob story. But the fact is 'disadvantaged' gives those who didn't have the same opportunities to highlight this fact.

As an example: neither of my parents graduated HS, neither raised me (left that 'job' to the State & to family), neither attended my HS graduation, I worked full-time while earning both a BS & Masters part-time which I paid for 100% myself.

I don't ask for sympathy or sobs, but this does explain why I don't have a 3.98 GPA; and frankly makes what I did achieve more impressive to many than the kid w/ 2 MD parents who never had to choose between earning $$ for groceries and studying.

Did I say no one should apply under a "disadvantaged" status? No. (Key word is some) If you have been through significant situations in life that had a direct impact in your studies, well-being, and/or access to health care, you SHOULD mention it because as you said it will give adcoms furter insight about you as a person. I was only referring to people who try to come up with the most pathetic excuse to be listed as "disadvantaged" like the OP of this thread.

 

[eptp]

...because I think being gay is a choice. That is just my opinion...

Wow. Just wow.

 

[NickNaylor]

That's what I am saying...How is being gay a disadvantage when it comes to applying to medical school>?

I understand gay people don't have that same rights as straight people in the ways you indicated. But, has this disadvantage of not being able to marry or adopt a child hindered your pursuit of education? Was the educational playing field skewed because of your sexuality?

In my mind being gay doesn't give you the same disadvantages as a URM or financially disadvantage person. I probably came to that conclusion because I think being gay is a choice. That is just my opinion...

Same here. And using "gay" to try to improve your chances isn't really a good idea. You neer really know what an adcom thinks about it deep down inside. A lot of people are homophobic but keep on the down low due to the negative stigma it can attract.

Your opinions disagree with the majority of scientific opinion. Just sayin'.

 

[Mithril]

If you think that being gay is a choice, you are either not gay (obviously) or you don't personally know anyone who is gay.

I'll just leave this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8

 

[Tots]

If you think that being gay is a choice, you are either not gay (obviously) or you don't personally know anyone who is gay.

I'll just leave this here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4MR8oI_B8

👍