Low-income reference affecting acceptance?

[MedMe]

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[TopSecret]

Leave that stuff out. They already have an idea of your socioeconomic status based on the undergrad school you're attending and your stated hometown. You're not really going to impress people by saying you're on the verge of bankruptcy.

 

[ar2388]

i think if it was a factor include it. i have mentioned in a few secondaries" a sentence or two about my childhood and coming to this country. dont overdo it.

 

[Mattabet]

If they say it's need-blind, you can assume it is. Write about it. Adcoms are there to make the best possible medical school class for their institution - the accounting people worried about the bottom line are insulated from your application. One graduate school admission is not going to make the difference for the endowment, if it were really in trouble, they'd be altering policies at a big, institution wide level.

I wouldn't be paranoid - be honest about the challenges you've faced. The truth helps your application, use it.

 

[GoSpursGo]

I really wouldn't worry about it. They know that students can borrow a huge amount of money through either unsubsidized stafford loans or grad plus loans, so they'll leave the worrying about the money to you. Of course, if they happen to be able to give you a decent package, that's even better 🙂

 

[ziggydoc]

It is unlikely that adcoms are the ones shelling out the money to accept you anyway, and if they don't have the money, they will just dump the problem on you to get more loans, sooo, don't worry about it.

 

[TAWS]

No adcom at any school would reject you for coming from a poor background. If you have a poor credit history due to something like excess credit card debt, that's a different issue altogether.

 

[Amadelphous]

Include it! Having students who overcame financial hardship would still add diversity to a med school class. If you state your situation more as a matter of fact rather than a "poor me" description it could add another dimension to your app...IMO

And I disagree that the adcom can tell your situation from your undergrad institution. Some of the most expensive institutions have some of the most low income students because they can give university grants to them to help them attend.

 

[kansaskid]

And I disagree that the adcom can tell your situation from your undergrad institution. Some of the most expensive institutions have some of the most low income students because they can give university grants to them to help them attend.

Very true. My family is dirt poor, but Wellesley pays for almost everything for me! I would definitely include economic adversity into your application if you think it has shaped you as a person and thus will impact your choices as a physician.

 

[TopSecret]

Include it! Having students who overcame financial hardship would still add diversity to a med school class. If you state your situation more as a matter of fact rather than a "poor me" description it could add another dimension to your app...IMO

And I disagree that the adcom can tell your situation from your undergrad institution. Some of the most expensive institutions have some of the most low income students because they can give university grants to them to help them attend.

Financial hardship is not unusual during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

 

[pitt1166]

Financial hardship is not unusual during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

Among hopefully medical students, I think it is.

But I don't think people here are really talking about their current financial situation. Rather, their circumstances growing up, that helped shaped them into the person they are today.

In my PS and some secondaries, I talk about my family being poor, with parents not going to college. They always emphasized the importance of an education, and making the most of the opportunities I've been afforded. It's a major factor in my life, so I included it.

They have the "economically disadvantaged" option for a reason. You're not getting bonus points for being a poor martyr that didn't apply as poor on the AMCAS.

 

[mfrizzo3]

Among hopefully medical students, I think it is.

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[Amadelphous]

Financial hardship is not unusual during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

That's true...but I was referring to long time hardship. Growing up with significant financial restrictions and still receiving a good education is a much greater struggle than losing income while in college.

 

[SleepingJune]

Financial hardship is not unusual during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.

There's a distinct difference between having financial hardship in the last couple of years due to a recession and growing up in a low-income family over a couple of decades.

OP, if you feel growing up in a low-income family presented challenges and/or difficulties in how you approached education while growing up (and how it has affected your pursuit of medicine), write about it.

Cheers,
June

 

[TopSecret]

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Unless you're homeless or your mother has a third grade education, I doubt it would have much impact.

 

[Longshanks]

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Unless you're homeless or your mother has a third grade education, I doubt it would have much impact.

Wasn't there an article in the Washington Post or US World News recently about undergraduate admissions actually admitting that due to the recession they are looking to minimize the financial aid they have to give out to incoming classes and have been selecting students who can 'afford it' more on their own? Hopefully, that doesn't become a factor, but I've heard rumbling of this being true with private schools lately.