Medical Is loss of parent during childhood considered disadvantaged?

[MusicDOc124]

Hi, this is my first post on sdn. I am currently a double major at a low tier UC (full ride), and I lost my parent when I was 11. Is that considered disadvantaged? and should I include it in my essays or no? I don't want to be pitied or have the admissions committee look at me differently. Any advice helps, thank you!

Disadvantaged has a relatively broad definition.

Having lost a parent isn't itself disadvantaged. Did losing the parent lead to financial strain? Did you have to move somewhere more affordable due to lost income from a parent where maybe schools weren't the best and/or you were not located near healthcare facilities? Were there other types of issues that arose secondary because of it besides the normal grief that occurs that was long-lasting, not just temporary?

If so, then maybe. If not, then unlikely.

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[Mr.Smile12]

I agree... you don't really go into any detail about the impact of the loss of the parent on your ability to have a stable childhood with access to health care, food, and educational resources. If it caused some serious interpersonal challenges to the point where others' lives may have been adversely affected (again affecting health care, food, and education), perhaps. I would always suggest going to your institution's prehealth advising resources or student counseling office to develop a strategy to discuss these items in your application and interviews.