Disadvantaged or not?

[MrHappyTooth]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am your average white male so no minority or foreign blood in me. I was adopted at an early age and my parents never attended college. My little sister had a rare disease that required my mother to stay at home and most of the money my father made went to her treatment. From age 16 on I worked full time to help support the household including while college. It has helped me to prioritize my life and accomplish a lot in the small amount of time I have, but it has definitely taken its toll on my ability to do well in classes.
Should I claim disadvantaged status? I don't want to act like I am desperately trying to weasel my way into dental school, but I want schools to know where I come from.

 

[Vicviper]

I am your average white male so no minority or foreign blood in me. I was adopted at an early age and my parents never attended college. My little sister had a rare disease that required my mother to stay at home and most of the money my father made went to her treatment. From age 16 on I worked full time to help support the household including while college. It has helped me to prioritize my life and accomplish a lot in the small amount of time I have, but it has definitely taken its toll on my ability to do well in classes.
Should I claim disadvantaged status? I don't want to act like I am desperately trying to weasel my way into dental school, but I want schools to know where I come from.

There's a section on the application that specifically asks you if you had any personal hardships that affected your academic life, and from personal experience, I can say that they do in fact that this section very seriously, and won't just brush it off.

 

[izzymask08]

I am your average white male so no minority or foreign blood in me. I was adopted at an early age and my parents never attended college. My little sister had a rare disease that required my mother to stay at home and most of the money my father made went to her treatment. From age 16 on I worked full time to help support the household including while college. It has helped me to prioritize my life and accomplish a lot in the small amount of time I have, but it has definitely taken its toll on my ability to do well in classes.
Should I claim disadvantaged status? I don't want to act like I am desperately trying to weasel my way into dental school, but I want schools to know where I come from.

these things should go under hardship. you might also include these things in your personal statement. they'll surely make a difference. sorry about your sister though

 

[DQLEUCD]

I am your average white male so no minority or foreign blood in me. I was adopted at an early age and my parents never attended college. My little sister had a rare disease that required my mother to stay at home and most of the money my father made went to her treatment. From age 16 on I worked full time to help support the household including while college. It has helped me to prioritize my life and accomplish a lot in the small amount of time I have, but it has definitely taken its toll on my ability to do well in classes.
Should I claim disadvantaged status? I don't want to act like I am desperately trying to weasel my way into dental school, but I want schools to know where I come from.

Don't say that your disadvantage and that the dental schools should feel sorry for you, just tell your story, the extra jobs you took to support yourself and your family, what you went through and how better you are as a person since going through those ordeals and let the dental school decide if you are disadvantage or not. If you aren't doing well in class, talk about the extracurricular stuff your doing, leadership responsibilities at home, at work or other area's that will help you look better.

 

[rmbsstock]

I do not know if you are familiar with this service on SDN where you can get the best advice. I just found it recently. If you go to the bottom of the page, where it says ' Fourum Jump' pick from the list, the third one from the end which is 'Mentor Forum', then chose 'Disadvantaged Before Medicine'. I know you are going to dental school, but the advisor for this forum "Neuronix" is so wonderful (I love this guy) and seems very helpful. He comes from a disadvanted background and he knows what he is talking about. Good luck and I hope I was able to help

 

[MrHappyTooth]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll check out Neuronix.
P.S. My sister is doing great now. She is on medicine the rest of her life and is having thyroid problems now, but she is getting married in Oct.

 

[DrReese]

I would definitely tell my story in that section. But be weary that once accepted, different schools will have their own interpretation of disadvantaged status. I came from a disadvantaged backround, eligible free lunch in public school and everything, but I graduated from undergrad in 2008 (with the help of federal loans and grants) and had a job for two years with a college graduate's salary. My school would not consider me disadvantanged because of the income that I made in 2009. I guess if I were still a full time student when I applied I would have been considered disadvantaged because I wouldn't have had the income.