Not sure if I should consider myself disadvantaged for the AMCAS app?

[smartinez0640]

I'm not sure if this counts as being disadvantaged, but I was raised by my grandparents who retired when I was around 15. I had health insurance up until 18 when we couldn't afford it anymore and I was no longer a dependent. After my grandfather retired (when I was 15), our household income was about 21-25k up until when I was 17, which was when I began working in retail to help. I added roughly 9-10k to the income to help make ends meet. I've worked through the last year of high school and my entire undergraduate career, going up to 40 hours a week in some semesters just to help at home. Last year my dad got diagnosed with leukemia so I've managed to get a better paying job to continue helping at home with medical and other types of bills, but with studying for MCAT these past few months as well as trying to get some research in and managing the premed club at our university, I wasn't able to work as many hours so now I'm in the process of getting a second job, now that the MCAT and my research presentation is done.

I'm not sure if this is worth bringing up and considering myself "disadvantaged" because I'm very grateful that I had a home and dedicated grandparents to raise me. I actually would rather not even talk so much about this because it feels like complaining, but I'm not sure if its necessary to bring it up.

Thank you guys in advance

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[scaredadvocate]

I would think so because of this part alone:

our household income was about 21-25k up until when I was 17, which was when I began working in retail to help. I added roughly 9-10k to the income to help make ends meet.

 

[LizzyM]

After my grandfather retired (when I was 15), our household income was about 21-25k up until when I was 17, which was when I began working in retail to help.

Disadvantaged is about your life from 0-18 years of age. Did you have government benefits such as free school lunch, food stamps, government housing voucher (Section 8 or public housing), Medicaid? You say that you worked starting at age 17 "to help ends meet". Does that mean that you worked for your spending money or to help pay the household essentials like gas & electric? Was your family much higher income before Grandfather retired? While income was low, were assets high enough (e.g. house all paid for) that the family could do okay on 21K?

Nothing after age 18 is taken into account. This is also not the way that applicants who will need financial aid are identified. The jobs you've held since age 18 don't belong in this section but may be described in the Experience section.

 

[moisne]

Disadvantaged is about your life from 0-18 years of age. Did you have government benefits such as free school lunch, food stamps, government housing voucher (Section 8 or public housing), Medicaid? You say that you worked starting at age 17 "to help ends meet". Does that mean that you worked for your spending money or to help pay the household essentials like gas & electric? Was your family much higher income before Grandfather retired? While income was low, were assets high enough (e.g. house all paid for) that the family could do okay on 21K?

Nothing after age 18 is taken into account. This is also not the way that applicants who will need financial aid are identified. The jobs you've held since age 18 don't belong in this section but may be described in the Experience section.

I wish I knew this before...

 

[smartinez0640]

Disadvantaged is about your life from 0-18 years of age. Did you have government benefits such as free school lunch, food stamps, government housing voucher (Section 8 or public housing), Medicaid? You say that you worked starting at age 17 "to help ends meet". Does that mean that you worked for your spending money or to help pay the household essentials like gas & electric? Was your family much higher income before Grandfather retired? While income was low, were assets high enough (e.g. house all paid for) that the family could do okay on 21K?

Nothing after age 18 is taken into account. This is also not the way that applicants who will need financial aid are identified. The jobs you've held since age 18 don't belong in this section but may be described in the Experience section.

Thank you!! This helps a ton!