how to decide if you're "disadvantaged"???

[runawayclock]

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How do I decide whether or not to apply as "disadvantaged"? I'm almost ready to submit everything but i still don't know what to put for that box. I grew up middle class but in my senior year, my dad decided to quit his teaching job and start a business which more or less tanked.

So I've had very little financial support from my family for college because our finances are still just recovering (my parents help me out with stuff like MCAT/application costs, ie bulk sums which need to be paid immediately). I've supported myself mostly through loans, scholarships, grants, and part time jobs. Can i put myself as disadvantaged if i qualified for the low income family grant? Does it put me in a worse situation for acceptance if i apply as a "disadvantaged" student? I know there are people a lot worse off than I am, so i feel a little weird about being considered disadvantaged, but I also know people whose parents paid for everything, including $2000 MCAT courses and $500 personal statement advisers. :-/

 

[NotSur]

How do I decide whether or not to apply as "disadvantaged"? I'm almost ready to submit everything but i still don't know what to put for that box. I grew up middle class but in my senior year, my dad decided to quit his teaching job and start a business which more or less tanked.

So I've had very little financial support from my family for college because our finances are still just recovering (my parents help me out with stuff like MCAT/application costs, ie bulk sums which need to be paid immediately). I've supported myself mostly through loans, scholarships, grants, and part time jobs. Can i put myself as disadvantaged if i qualified for the low income family grant? Does it put me in a worse situation for acceptance if i apply as a "disadvantaged" student? I know there are people a lot worse off than I am, so i feel a little weird about being considered disadvantaged, but I also know people whose parents paid for everything, including $2000 MCAT courses and $500 personal statement advisers. :-/

Not having a "$500 personal statement adviser" does not make you disadvantaged. Based on what you posted, I wouldn't try to apply as disadvantaged if I were you. It seems like your childhood was stable, middle class, and healthy.

 

[shindotp]

If your income is near poverty line (I think around $22k for a family of 4), then definitely you are disadvantaged!

If not, then I don't think you're that much worse off than many applicants who don't apply as disadvantaged.

Low income family grant only means you qualified for financial aid at your college. If you go to Harvard, that could mean your parents make $180k.

 

[Mattabet]

Just from peeking at the AMCAS site and Google, it looks like there isn't a clear definition of 'disadvantaged' for the purposes of AMCAS (by design). If you think you are, you'll write them an additional essay, and adcoms can use that to determine if you've faced any undue hardship. So if you really think you've been put at a significant economic disadvantage, go for it.

That said, I'm not sure that the economic disadvantage thing will fly all that well if you didn't use MCAT/AMCAS fee waivers and whatnot. In a boarderline case, it might be better not to appear as though you're stretching to put yourself in the disadvantaged group to be considered against people that have faced a lifetime of poverty and hardship.

As with most application decisions, it's ultimately your call.

 

[halekulani]

the answer is no if you have to ask.

 

[cardinalsrock]

the answer is no if you have to ask.

^ Exactly.


And for the AMCAS application, the disadvantaged designation is based on upbringing until age 18. Just 1 year of that time frame is really pushing it

 

[Exalya]

As someone who was most definitely disadvantaged... I think that you're borderline. The fact that your parents helped you out with application costs is way more of an advantage than I (and many other disadvantaged applicants) have had.

I don't think it puts you worse off for an acceptance unless someone thinks that you're exaggerating (which in your case, some people might). My disadvantaged status has worked to my advantage in some ways, but only because of the unique experiences I've had as a result of being poor.

 

[09javcar]

What about me? My parents make 32K a year, Family of 4 right now. We had 7 in our household until my siblings moved out. Would I be able to apply as Disadvantaged?

 

[KMFDM]

OP, you sound kind of borderline to me. But if you honestly feel as thought you were disadvantaged, I would put it. If you do, make sure you can write/talk about it and how it affected you.

I think there is this notion that exists among (non-poor) applicants that you have to have been starving in the ghetto to apply as disadvantaged, when IMO that isn't the case.

I put myself down as disadvantaged. My situation sounds somewhat similar to yours. Family was alright until teen years, then went bankrupt. Worked to help family in high school and college. Welfare and stuff as well.

It hasn't hurt me at all, and I'm inclined to think it has helped me out a bit so far. But that's only because it jives with my "story," of my reasons for wanting to enter medicine. Growing up "disadvantaged" is an important part of who I am today, so I had no qualms about writing/talking about it.

Also for the record, I did NOT qualify for the FAP program. I've worked since graduating and so combining my income with parents, we make more than 3X poverty line.

You do NOT have to receive FAP to apply as disadvantaged. But if you do receive FAP, you should probably apply as disadvantaged.

 

[teenmachinery1]

If you show up to your interview wearing gucci - you're not disadvantaged.

 

[filhodeinferno]

I agree with the posters above...if your parents are even helping at all with your application costs then you're not disadvantaged. I always thought most people don't receive any parental financial aid anyway...

 

[sustentacular]

What about me? My parents make 32K a year, Family of 4 right now. We had 7 in our household until my siblings moved out. Would I be able to apply as Disadvantaged?

Do you qualify for government assistance programs? If so then I'd say you're disadvantaged.

 

[Jolt21]

did no one read the AMCAS definition?

Disadvantaged Status
Disadvantaged status is self-determined and each medical school has their own
policies for how they use this information.

This information is voluntary and will not affect the processing of your application.

To help determine if you are disadvantaged, click the How do I know if I should be
considered disadvantaged? link, which displays the following information:

Underserved: Do you believe, based on your own experiences or the
experiences of family and friends that the area in which you grew up was
inadequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there
enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service
providers?

Immediate Family: The Federal Government broadly defines "immediate
family" as "spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or
daughter-in-law, or sister or brother-in-law, including step and adoptive
relationships."

State and Federal Assistance Programs: These programs are specifically
defined as "Means-Tested Programs" under which the individual, family, or
household income and assets must be below specified thresholds. The
sponsoring agencies then provide cash and non-cash assistance to eligible
individuals, families, or households. Such programs include welfare benefit
programs (federal, state, and local); Aid to Families with Dependent Children
(AFDC or ADC); unemployment compensation; General Assistance (GA); food stamps; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid; housing assistance;
or other federal, state, or local financial assistance programs.

Click the Yes button to be considered a disadvantaged applicant. A Disadvantaged
Status form will appear. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

from what you have stated, it sounds like you would not be disadvantaged.

 

[CoolWhipp]

the answer is no if you have to ask.

+1. It's kind of like those, "am I urm enough to mark the urm box?"

 

[runawayclock]

thanks for the advice! the average family income during my college years was definitely below 20K, but i'd rather not come off whiny when i'm borderline.

 

[LizzyM]

thanks for the advice! the average family income during my college years was definitely below 20K, but i'd rather not come off whiny when i'm borderline.

Unless you were in college before the age of 18, the "disadvantaged" category isn't based on college. It should reflect your situation from 0-18 years.

 

[jjmad1201]

How do I decide whether or not to apply as "disadvantaged"? I'm almost ready to submit everything but i still don't know what to put for that box. I grew up middle class but in my senior year, my dad decided to quit his teaching job and start a business which more or less tanked.

So I've had very little financial support from my family for college because our finances are still just recovering (my parents help me out with stuff like MCAT/application costs, ie bulk sums which need to be paid immediately). I've supported myself mostly through loans, scholarships, grants, and part time jobs. Can i put myself as disadvantaged if i qualified for the low income family grant? Does it put me in a worse situation for acceptance if i apply as a "disadvantaged" student? I know there are people a lot worse off than I am, so i feel a little weird about being considered disadvantaged, but I also know people whose parents paid for everything, including $2000 MCAT courses and $500 personal statement advisers. :-/

you have to get tested by your doctor

 

[cardinalsrock]

How is the OP even remotely borderline? His status is only in question for one year, and the very last year possible under consideration at that unless he is a Doogie Howser

 

[mexicochangedme]

i am in a somewhat similar situation. i grew up in a middle class family. at the age of 15, my parents' financial situation changed drastically and they were pretty much unable to support me at all almost overnight. i started working full-time at 15 and have been pretty much completely financially independent of my parents since then (put myself through college, paid for all my app fees/test prep, etc etc). it never really occured to me to consider myself "disadvantaged," even though i guess i've had struggles that some other people haven't. i have talked about it, though, in essays about difficulties i've overcome, etc. i don't want to be pitied for the things i've gone through, but they have shaped me into who i am today so things are bound to come up when i tell my story.

 

[Nikki2002]

Well it seems borderline to me.


Your childhood sounds like it was ok--at least financially. But I think you said you qualify for amcas fee-assistance program this year? If so, I think that would qualify you as disadvantaged. They give you a space in your amcas to explain why you are disadvantaged. Just be honest--say you held a job throughout undergrad and you qualify for the fee-assistance program. And I think they allow you to specify whether you feel disadvantaged financially, socially, or both. For example, if you grew up in an underserved area, went to a poorly funded school, etc.

yes--i know it may feel weird saying you are disadvantaged, but now that i am in med school i can't believe the leg up that the vast majority of these people had on me.