Disadvantaged?

[kk123]

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I know there are a lot of threads with students questioning whether or not they should check that they are disadvantaged. Even after reading through these threads, I am still on the fence as to whether or not I should check that I was disadvantaged.

 

[LizzyM]

I know there are a lot of threads with students questioning whether or not they should check that they are disadvantaged. Even after reading through these threads, I am still on the fence as to whether or not I should check that I was disadvantaged.
Here's why I think I might be disadvantaged:
When I was a kid, my family was very poor (like food stamps poor). Both my parents had bachelors degrees but they had very low paying jobs to start off with. As time went on, we became a "middle class" family, but the debt my parents had accumulated so astronomical that we still struggled with money. (We are also a very large family). I started working almost full time when I turned 16. I helped pay bills when my parents were short on money. I paid for my college education without any help from my parents. Compared to a lot of people I know, I was disadvantaged, but I also know there are people who had it worse off than me.
I noticed on the application you can write about why you consider yourself "disadvantaged" so should check it, give my reasons, and let the school decide if I'm disadvantaged, or will schools think I'm just a privileged kid attempting to claim I'm disadvantaged when I'm really not?

Every applicant is given the opportunity to list their parents' highest educational attainment and their profession. Every applicant is given the opportunity to list experiences and if you wish you can list the jobs you held in HS and describe the hours per week (as well as the total hours). I think there is a question about whether you worked before age 18 and if the money went to support your household. There is also a place to apportion how college was paid for (% self, % parents, % loans, etc). I can't remember if there is a question for everyone about receiving gov't benefits (such as food stamp).So, much of your story is there even if you don't check the disadvantaged box.

When you got to college, were you at a disadvantage compared to other students? If you went to a high school in a poor neighborhood that was so small and under-resourced that it did not offer pre-calculus or physics classes leaving you with a big knowledge gap compared with your college peers, then you might have considered your poverty to have put you at a disadvantage compared with other kids. If you never learned to ride a bike or drive a car because you were poor and if your college peers routinely used bikes or cars to get around campus or to off campus activities that were not available to you because you didn't have transportation skills, you might consider that your poverty put you at a disadvantage compared with other college freshmen.

 

[kk123]

Every applicant is given the opportunity to list their parents' highest educational attainment and their profession. Every applicant is given the opportunity to list experiences and if you wish you can list the jobs you held in HS and describe the hours per week (as well as the total hours). I think there is a question about whether you worked before age 18 and if the money went to support your household. There is also a place to apportion how college was paid for (% self, % parents, % loans, etc). I can't remember if there is a question for everyone about receiving gov't benefits (such as food stamp).So, much of your story is there even if you don't check the disadvantaged box.

When you got to college, were you at a disadvantage compared to other students? If you went to a high school in a poor neighborhood that was so small and under-resourced that it did not offer pre-calculus or physics classes leaving you with a big knowledge gap compared with your college peers, then you might have considered your poverty to have put you at a disadvantage compared with other kids. If you never learned to ride a bike or drive a car because you were poor and if your college peers routinely used bikes or cars to get around campus or to off campus activities that were not available to you because you didn't have transportation skills, you might consider that your poverty put you at a disadvantage compared with other college freshmen.

I see. So claiming you are "disadvantaged" refers failure obtain the same level of achievement as your peers due to your circumstances, rather than the circumstances themselves. Is that correct?

 

[LizzyM]

I see. So claiming you are "disadvantaged" refers failure obtain the same level of achievement as your peers due to your circumstances, rather than the circumstances themselves. Is that correct?

My examples said nothing of "acheivement". Perhaps someone not exposed to physics in HS had to put in more hours to get the concepts in college physics but still achieved a good grade. Maybe someone who didn't have the opportunities afforded by easy access to transportation found an opportunity to volunteer at an on-campus facility but didn't have hospital volunteer hours until junior year.

 

[kk123]

My examples said nothing of "acheivement". Perhaps someone not exposed to physics in HS had to put in more hours to get the concepts in college physics but still achieved a good grade. Maybe someone who didn't have the opportunities afforded by easy access to transportation found an opportunity to volunteer at an on-campus facility but didn't have hospital volunteer hours until junior year.

So it's more of a lack of opportunity?

 

[LizzyM]

So it's more of a lack of opportunity?

Yes, having circumstances as a child that left the applicant with fewer opportunities than other college bound kids. One applicant I saw didn't even go to college right out of HS;, he served 3 years in the military to get out of a small town where he'd been raised by his grandparents and a drug addicted mom.

 

[kk123]

Yes, having circumstances as a child that left the applicant with fewer opportunities than other college bound kids. One applicant I saw didn't even go to college right out of HS;, he served 3 years in the military to get out of a small town where he'd been raised by his grandparents and a drug addicted mom.

Thank you! This is helpful!