listen this is my personal advice..
most disadvantaged status goes to minority applicants
having an income of 50K annually is not regarded as disadvantaged....yes you have 3 siblings, and you paid your own education....so what? I don't mean to demean you, but there are a lot of big families, with parents not earning enough for the whole family...
I paid for my tuition, every cent of it as well...and I know a lot of families with financial difficulties...
however, I know people, who had their parents divorced, were abused as young children, family went through bankruptcy....tragic death experience in the family, traumatizing illness and recovery, or/and came from a poor family...
I am not saying you shouldn't consider yourself as a disadvantaged applicant....but remember, that pile is different from the regular applicants....if your only claim is that your parents dont make a lot of money, and that you have a lot of sibligns all going to college...that doesn't classify you as "disadvantaged"....I know one friend who did that, and he WAS DRILLED in the interview process for every single detail.....
your going to be under an extreme scrutiny...I think this option is reserved for mostly minorities, and that is what I have been told coming from the UC system....is it unfair yes? but the fact of the matter is a minority could go throught the same things you did, and still face discrimination and other factors that white america doesn't....I dotn want this to turn into an AA discussion and debate and I am not saying all minorities chose "the disadvantaged status"...
HOWEVER having said that, be sure that you can back it up good evidence...
I am white, have moved every 2 years to a different country and state, had 5 different high schools, my parents nearly divorced 4 times, paid for all of my tuition, my grandfather last year passed away two days before my MCAT, and I learned sometime before the exam that my father was diagnosed with cancer....also add to that, that I was in denial and tried committing suicide because I learned that I could no longer "chose to be straight"...(although no one is aware I am gay, only my parents (got beaten and tortured by parents for living a "sinful life", until they realized after 10 years that sexuality isnt a choice)...
having said all that, I still didn't declare myself as a "disadvantaged applicant"...why? my dad is a physician...and i know I would have received all sorts of attack, and how I lived the white rich life...which isnt true...some physicians make around 60 to 70K........and I still think that some minorities go THROUGH more pain and difficulty in life....
so take caution..if you feel you are disadvantaged, beaware of the scrutiny you will receive
