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Hello everyone, I was wondering if I could get some feedback on if I should apply as economically disadvantaged or not.
My mom was an illegal immigrant and came to California where I was born a U.S. citizen. Because she was an illegal immigrant, for most of my childhood up until a year ago, she was never able to find a legitimate job to provide enough stable income and wasn't qualified for government assistance(or maybe she did but she didn't know enough English to take advantage of it).
Looking back, she made around 15,0000 per year as a at-home babysitter for our family of 3 (my mom,brother, and me). Up until high school, our family moved about 20 times staying with different family or friends until my brother and I both got jobs at a restaurant that also paid under the table money because my brother was illegal too. We moved into an apartment but eventually got evicted because we couldn't afford the rent. In college, I had an EFC of 0 for all 4 years.
Growing up, I always thought I was financially disadvantaged compared to my peers, but I'll admit I did grow up in a nice neighborhood. Because of this I felt like the educational opportunities were always there. I do not want abuse the system because compared to others who grew up in foster homes or incredibly impoverished neighborhoods, I definitely had an easier track than they did. Is this what admissions consider as disadvantaged?
Also, I have been out of college for 2 years and have been working at a biotech company making roughly 50k a year (which doesn't qualify me for any application waivers).Does this have any negative impact on my status? Do they pull up a long family history to verify that you are/were economically disadvantaged?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any comments on my situation.
I had actually encountered a financial adviser in college that at first stated I wasn't eligible for financial aid because my family chose to immigrate to California illegally even though I was a born a Californian citizen. This situation partially makes me want to rework/rewrite my PS and leave out the whole illegal immigration because of the negative connotations associated with it. But this is a sensitive issue that I probably shouldn't get into here
I had actually encountered a financial adviser in college that at first stated I wasn't eligible for financial aid because my family chose to immigrate to California illegally even though I was a born a Californian citizen. This situation partially makes me want to rework/rewrite my PS and leave out the whole illegal immigration because of the negative connotations associated with it. But this is a sensitive issue that I probably shouldn't get into here
If you are a US-born citizen, you are absolutely eligible for aid, it doesn't matter about anyone else in your family. Don't hesitate to put these struggles in your PS if they did indeed shape your desire to practice medicine.
You are not required to say that your family was undocumented or illegal. Immigrant without modifier is sufficient.
Thank you for your comment. So you agree with my suggestion that I leave the illegal part out? There are obvious differences between documented and undocumented immigrants.
Generally, if you were economically disadvantaged, a.k.a. your family annual income is less than 300% of the poverty line ($15,000 fits the bill), be honest and apply as such. This isn't "whining" or creating a "sob story." It is being honest. Medical school admissions committees want you to answer the question truthfully for a reason; please do so! It can only help you.
For California schools as the very least, you will have to document your family income year-by-year if you apply as disadvantaged.
Hello everyone, I was wondering if I could get some feedback on if I should apply as economically disadvantaged or not.
My mom was an illegal immigrant and came to California where I was born a U.S. citizen. Because she was an illegal immigrant, for most of my childhood up until a year ago, she was never able to find a legitimate job to provide enough stable income and wasn't qualified for government assistance(or maybe she did but she didn't know enough English to take advantage of it).
Looking back, she made around 15,000 per year as a at-home babysitter for our family of 3 (my mom,brother, and me). Up until high school, our family moved about 20 times staying with different family or friends until my brother and I both got jobs at a restaurant that also paid under the table money because my brother was illegal too. We moved into an apartment but eventually got evicted because we couldn't afford the rent. In college, I had an EFC of 0 for all 4 years.
Growing up, I always thought I was financially disadvantaged compared to my peers, but I'll admit I did grow up in a nice neighborhood. Because of this I felt like the educational opportunities were always there. I do not want abuse the system because compared to others who grew up in foster homes or incredibly impoverished neighborhoods, I definitely had an easier track than they did. Is this what admissions consider as disadvantaged?
Also, I have been out of college for 2 years and have been working at a biotech company making roughly 50k a year (which doesn't qualify me for any application waivers).Does this have any negative impact on my status? Do they pull up a long family history to verify that you are/were economically disadvantaged?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any comments on my situation.
No doubt in my mind; you should self-identify as "disadvantaged". If you are a native speaker of Spanish (bilingual), and of Latino heritage those are also listed on your application and taken into account. You bring a lot to the table in terms of skills and experiences that many applicants don't.
Thank you for the advice catzzz88. This process is reminiscent of how I had to try to convince FAFSA/college financial advisers that my family was living with such limited financial resources. Best of luck on your applications as well.
No I am not of Latino heritage. My mom had come illegally from Taiwan in hopes of obtaining a better lifestyle for our family. That being said, the issue of illegal immigration is a very complicated issue that I worry may have a negative impact on my application. Whether society admits it or not, illegal immigrants are often very looked down upon and regarded as a burden on society. Almost as if to say my family is poor because we chose to be poor.
I had actually encountered a financial adviser in college that at first stated I wasn't eligible for financial aid because my family chose to immigrate to California illegally even though I was a born a Californian citizen. This situation partially makes me want to rework/rewrite my PS and leave out the whole illegal immigration because of the negative connotations associated with it. But this is a sensitive issue that I probably shouldn't get into here
According to the 2011 HHS Poverty Guideline http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml , for a family of 3 the poverty level would be at $18,530 (probably lower in the 90s). To be honest if I combined my brother's income with my income during high school along with my mother's income, I would have probably exceeded this level by a couple thousand. Therefore if admissions based the economically disadvantaged on the poverty level, it would probably be in my best interest to avoid applying as disadvantaged. What do you think?
According to the 2011 HHS Poverty Guideline http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml , for a family of 3 the poverty level would be at $18,530 (probably lower in the 90s). To be honest if I combined my brother's income with my income during high school along with my mother's income, I would have probably exceeded this level by a couple thousand. Therefore if admissions based the economically disadvantaged on the poverty level, it would probably be in my best interest to avoid applying as disadvantaged. What do you think?