Do you think it would be wise to mention if you are the first person in your family to go to college? Do you think this would be looked at as a great achievement or as a sign of "weak genes"? Just curious🙂 😉
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- Thread starter Iluvdocs
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It's a good thing to mention! Many times it shows that you chose your own path and found out how to map it out on your own without your parents guiding you through every step. You navigated the process of choosing, applying, completing, etc... college/grad school on your own. It's a good thing.
relentless11
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Not a bad thing to mention, but how good it is...I don't know. Its not a bad achievement, but its not all that uncommon for someone to be the first to attend college (and finish) too. One of my best friends comes from a wealthy british family. Ironically she was the first in her family to finish college.
Being the first to attend college is definitely NOT a sign of "weak genes". Thats just complete BS. However, is that a great achievement in terms of adcoms? I can't say. Definitely a great achievement for you though. Ultimately you want to sell yourself in the best way possible while taking into account the other people who are applying against you. Good luck!
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It's part of your journey. Medical schools really do value you as a person, and I would mention it. It's not something that constitutes checking the disadvantaged box, though (not implying you would - just mentioning it for the sake of completeness). I noticed this year that one or two applicants were checking that box if they are international students or if they are the first to attend college in their family. Those reasons alone don't justify completing that section on the AMCAS form.
Good luck, and hang in there!
Thanks everyone for the asnwers. Its good to know. I am the first in my family to take this path immediate and distant. It has been a struggle as up until I found this site. I had noone to talk to that could relate to the pressures🙂
Scottish Cap.. What is the "disadvataged section" and who would be an example of a qualifying canidate.. also what are the benefits to checking that box, if any? Thanks again. Sometimes I feel like my questions are stupid like I should already know this stuff.
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If I recall this also went with the whole you were socio- and economically challenged..blah blah. So didn't have the resources that other applicants might have. I agree with Scottish Chap that being the first to go to college is not adequate to check that box. Now if you had to work during high school/college to support your family while living in a low-income neighborhood which prevented you from having the benefits of an average applicant, then that might fly.
Maybe Scottish Chap has more info about this, but in the end, if I recall, checking the disadvantaged box doesn't really help an applicant that much in the whole grand scheme of things...compared to say being a under-represented minority or of course having good GPA/MCAT scores🙂.
