Should I mention incarcerated parent?

[LiFre]

So my dad was incarcerated for a year during my senior year of high school. It was a financial/emotional burden and an "overcoming adversity" type story. We struggled paying for tuition a few semesters and I wasn't able to enroll but I never had to "pay my way through college". I worked a little, but once I got a pell grant it wasn't a big deal. I'm having a hard time incorporating it into my personal statement. Does it qualify as "disadvantaged status"? Should I just forget it?

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[ndafife]

If it doesn't fit your personal statement, then don't force it. Your personal statement isn't meant to show how disadvantaged you are, its to show why you want to be a doctor and how you came to that decision. Lots of schools have secondaries that either address disadvantages or are open ended ("is there anything else you want to tell us?"). There will be opportunities to address it if you want to.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

Definitely does not qualify as disadvantaged status.

 

[LizzyM]

Save it for the secondary essays that ask about overcoming adversity or coping skills.

 

[LiFre]

thanks, guys