Should I mark disadvantaged??? (White/Upper MC but 1st Gen College)

[WFU2015]

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[ChrisMack390]

I am in a nearly identical situation (mom has professional certificate, dad is a blue collar worker type). I would feel like an ass marking that I am disadvantaged, as despite their low education credentials my parents make 100K and own a house.

I do think this could lead to decent interview conversation at some point, but I"m not making it part of my app.

 

[WFU2015]

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[WFU2015]

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[whitemagic]

The system will automatically mark you as a first gen student based on what you fill in for your parents' education. You don't have to fill in the disadvantaged box for them to know this!

 

[ChrisMack390]

The only part of my app I could see this fitting is for an adversity type secondary essay, and that's still just a maybe.

 

[WFU2015]

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[nwts]

I know you've already made your decision, but I still thought I'd add some food for thought.

I think people shouldn't mark disadvantaged if they don't feel that their life experiences made it much harder for them to succeed in their education, career, etc. Even if a person has a few things in his situation that qualify him as being technically allowed to mark disadvantaged, if he feels that those things didn't make his education, career pursuits, etc. any more difficult than the average person's pursuits, it is going to be very hard to talk about being disadvantaged when asked.

I do not know if the above was the case for you or not, but it has definitely been the case for some people who have asked this question in the past.

 

[WFU2015]

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[VitaminVater]

I know you've already made your decision, but I still thought I'd add some food for thought.

I think people shouldn't mark disadvantaged if they don't feel that their life experiences made it much harder for them to succeed in their education, career, etc. Even if a person has a few things in his situation that qualify him as being technically allowed to mark disadvantaged, if he feels that those things didn't make his education, career pursuits, etc. any more difficult than the average person's pursuits, it is going to be very hard to talk about being disadvantaged when asked.

I do not know if the above was the case for you or not, but it has definitely been the case for some people who have asked this question in the past.

A little add on to that, it's often difficult for oneself to gage just how disadvantaged they were growing up. Sometimes you get used to it or think of it as the norm, only to be shocked in college when you learn of the advantages or help other people had along the way. It takes deep introspection to objectively look at your situation growing up and admit that things really could've been better if you were born in a different setting, and to realize most people did not face the same trials in life as you did.

 

[nwts]

A little add on to that, it's often difficult for oneself to gage just how disadvantaged they were growing up. Sometimes you get used to it or think of it as the norm, only to be shocked in college when you learn of the advantages or help other people had along the way. It takes deep introspection to objectively look at your situation growing up and admit that things really could've been better if you were born in a different setting, and to realize most people did not face the same trials in life as you did.

This is especially true because, "Are you disadvantaged?" is a yes or no question asked about a set of qualities that is a spectrum. If they looked hard enough, everyone would be able to find a person who had it easier than they did and a person who had it harder than they did. The really tricky part of this question is figuring out where on the spectrum the line is drawn.

 

[Doug Underhill]

The question is a lot easier to answer "no" to than to answer" yes". SDN is also full of pre-meds who dislike the idea of "disadvantaged status".

There's a general rule of thumb that you can check "yes" if your family was ever on government assistance during childhood: TANF, food stamps, WIC, similar programs.