Disadvantaged

[NewYorkDoc]

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What are the "benefits" of being disadvantaged? Do schools allow for more mistakes in a college record? Are they more likely to look over poor grades?

I'm having to leave my current, private school and attend a public school while working 1 full time job and 1 part time while attending school. I have to pay for it from now on. My parents don't make enough money to help me anymore. Am I considered "disadvantaged"?

 

[Catdoctor]

What are the "benefits" of being disadvantaged? Do schools allow for more mistakes in a college record? Are they more likely to look over poor grades?

I'm having to leave my current, private school and attend a public school while working 1 full time job and 1 part time while attending school. I have to pay for it from now on. My parents don't make enough money to help me anymore. Am I considered "disadvantaged"?

My parents also don't make enough money to help me at all with college, but I am going to an expensive private school, paid for by grants (thank God for financial aid) and loans I took out myself.
I don't consider myself disadvantaged because I don't work full time during the school year (I work part time then and full time over summers), so my financial situation is not interfering with my studies.
It seems like your situation can interfere with your studies, since you work so much while attending. I think that if any kind of obstacle is interfering with your studies, then you can be considered disadvantaged.
I don't think that schools will completely overlook grades because of this status, but it may explain a hole in your application (eg: a poor semester, lack of EC's, etc) So if I were you, and I thought that my work was genuinely interfering with my life as a student, I would check that box.

 

[armybound]

See, this is a tough situation. When I applied the first time I wrote a short essay about being disadvantaged for the same reasons you list there (except I didn't have to change schools). I deeply regret it now.

It is a difficulty, and should be expressed as a difficulty or unique experience somewhere in your application, but I wouldn't quite say it's a disadvantage, unless you feel your job severely hinders your ability to perform in school.

 

[NewYorkDoc]

Why do you regret it? BTW I LOVE YOURE AVATAR!

 

[armybound]

Why do you regret it? BTW I LOVE YOURE AVATAR!

I feel like it cheapened my application. Basically I wrote the essay as a "woe is me" whine because I knew my numbers were low compared to others, and I felt it was because my family didn't have much money, so I was forced to work and take out loans to pay for school.

The honest truth is I've never gone without.. if I need something, my parents will find a way to get it. I don't always get my wants, but I always have my needs. There are a lot of people applying that can't say the same. Working affected my study habits, but my study habits were poor to begin with, and I probably wouldn't have done much better even if I wasn't working. I was just trying to make an excuse and shift blame.

But that's my situation.. I'm just recommending that you really think about whether or not you consider it a disadvantage. Adcomms don't like BS, and they've got pretty good detectors 🙂

 

[NewYorkDoc]

I work 9-5 as a CNA M-F and attend class M-F nights from 6-10. I work on Sat and Sun from 9-5 as well at a different job. I have to pay for all my expenses. I'm like you though, I dont go without my NEEDS. I do make enough to cover them. If I didnt work this amount that I am I wouldnt be able to live after college, the debt burder would be too much to handle. Im not sure if I should mention this or not.

 

[armybound]

Like I said, it is a very unique situation, which should be mentioned.. I'm just not sure if you should list it as a disadvantage.

Is there another box you can put it in that talks about unique circumstances or difficulties/challenges?

If not, you might want to use the disadvantaged box, but I'd kinda save it as a last resort, personally.

 

[NewYorkDoc]

Maybe I'll just mention it in the PS and leave the box unchecked. Either way, if the adcoms like it, they'll see it.

 

[Abilene85]

Take this with a grain of salt, as I am lucky enough never to have experienced being disadvantaged in my life, so I don't really understand. If you care to hear from me, this is how I would view your status.

It is definitely a unique situation, one that deserves mentioning on your applications. I'm on the fence about whether or not you would qualify as disadvantaged, though. It sounds like you don't have the money to pay for living/tuition, so instead of taking out ridiculous loans, you decided to work as much as possible. I have friends who chose loans over working, and they did not feel they had disadvantaged status. So, I think working so much during college does put you at a disadvantage when it comes to the amount of time you can focus on your studies, but since you were not forced to work and could have taken out loans, it's not really "being disadvantaged." Does that make sense? I make sense in my head. 🙂

Perhaps you should tell them about it in the "anything else we should know" section. Those who feel you are disadvantaged will give you that credit and those who don't feel you qualify won't be turned off, thinking you are BSing your way into a sympathy vote or something.

 

[gotmeds?]

Take this with a grain of salt, as I am lucky enough never to have experienced being disadvantaged in my life, so I don't really understand. If you care to hear from me, this is how I would view your status.

It is definitely a unique situation, one that deserves mentioning on your applications. I'm on the fence about whether or not you would qualify as disadvantaged, though. It sounds like you don't have the money to pay for living/tuition, so instead of taking out ridiculous loans, you decided to work as much as possible. I have friends who chose loans over working, and they did not feel they had disadvantaged status. So, I think working so much during college does put you at a disadvantage when it comes to the amount of time you can focus on your studies, but since you were not forced to work and could have taken out loans, it's not really "being disadvantaged." Does that make sense? I make sense in my head. 🙂

Perhaps you should tell them about it in the "anything else we should know" section. Those who feel you are disadvantaged will give you that credit and those who don't feel you qualify won't be turned off, thinking you are BSing your way into a sympathy vote or something.

👍This seems like good advice to me. It also sounds like this is a recent situation for the OP. I'm not sure that claiming "disadvantaged" status because you had to work through your last couple of years of college is really the best thing to do, especially if your parents supported you up until that point.

The other thing I would suggest is to consider taking out student loans. Assuming you're successful in your attempts to get into medical school, you'll be doing this anyway. The adcomms will look at your grades first and how many hours you worked later (if at all). The most important thing is to keep those grades up rather than hoping that they'll be understanding of a lackluster performance because of how much you were working.