Sorry, another "disadvantaged status" question

[DJBroca]

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I grew up in an economically stable environment. However, in 2016, stuff hit the fan and my parents have been struggling so hard (financially) since. I contribute some of my income to their debt and bills. They are near the poverty line now and I help them as much as I can.
Even though I grew up lower-middle class, in my current state, I would say that am I definitely less fortunate than others financially. Should I describe my situation in the disadvantaged section?
So thankful for AMCAS fap for helping with 16 schools and mcat price reduction - a true blessing.

Thank you.

 

[OchemOficionado]

I think disadvantaged status is focused on ages 0-18. If your household income dipped and you’ve had to help out during those years, than yes.

 

[person777]

I think it also applies to college years. A lot of apps ask if you worked during college and if it was to contribute to your family income. Plus they are evaluating you on college grades so it should be taken into account.

 

[Goro]

I grew up in an economically stable environment. However, in 2016, stuff hit the fan and my parents have been struggling so hard (financially) since. I contribute some of my income to their debt and bills. They are near the poverty line now and I help them as much as I can.
Even though I grew up lower-middle class, in my current state, I would say that am I definitely less fortunate than others financially. Should I describe my situation in the disadvantaged section?
So thankful for AMCAS fap for helping with 16 schools and mcat price reduction - a true blessing.

Thank you.

Nope, not disadvantaged

 

[LizzyM]

I think it also applies to college years. A lot of apps ask if you worked during college and if it was to contribute to your family income. Plus they are evaluating you on college grades so it should be taken into account.

They do but it is not the same as having a disadvantaged childhood. Read The Glass Castle, Evicted, or There Are No Children Here and imagine one of the youngsters described in one of those books getting to the point of applying to medical school.

 

[person777]

They do but it is not the same as having a disadvantaged childhood. Read The Glass Castle, Evicted, or There Are No Children Here and imagine one of the youngsters described in one of those books getting to the point of applying to medical school.

Yeah that’s true. I guess with OP it sounds like they went from not necessarily having advantage as say an upper middle class family to a more disadvantaged status.

 

[LebronManning]

If you're not Black or Mexican it's pretty much assumed that you had a privileged life that was full of roses. No matter how much you struggled.

On the other hand, if you're Hispanic or Black, even if your father was a doc and mother was a lawyer and you were the star QB in high school....you were very disadvantaged and med school should make every accommodation to accept you.

Such is life for us Asians and Whites.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

Bro...There really is no need for that.

 

[LebronManning]

I really didn't mean any offense to anyone by saying that. I was just highlighting a factual hole in our higher education admission process in this country that, in my opinion, exhibits reverse racism heavily.

 

[pewpew95]

If you're not Black or Mexican it's pretty much assumed that you had a privileged life that was full of roses. No matter how much you struggled.

On the other hand, if you're Mexican or Black, even if your father was a doc and mother was a lawyer and you were the star QB in high school....you were very disadvantaged and med school should make every accommodation to accept you.

Such is life for us Asians and Whites.

You’re confusing disadvantaged status with ORM/URM status. This is why they also ask for family income on the income on the primary app, and why you can explain extenuating circumstances that may have affected your upbringing or college grades.

 

[LebronManning]

You’re confusing disadvantaged status with ORM/URM status. This is why they also ask for family income on the income on the primary app, and why you can explain extenuating circumstances that may have affected your upbringing or college grades.

Sure they ask that but they don't care. URM status is the flip side of the same coin. It's basically saying that because you are of some race you are inherently disadvantaged - just propagates the entire cycle. We want equality, but not really though. The proof is in the numbers when you look at what average stats each race has at matriculation.

Just look at OP. He had a much more disadvantaged life than probably many Blacks or Mexicans that apply in his cycle. But the Blacks and Hispanics will undoubtedly have an easier cycle with lower expectations. I don't mean this offensively at all, it has a factual basis. I just want to highlight it.

 

[gyngyn]

Let's honor the OP and stay on topic, please.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

I think it's definitely a difficult situation, and you might be able to talk about it and how it's changed you in either your personal statement or if you make your job one of your most meaningful experiences and expand on the need to help your parents.

I do agree with GynGyn and Goro though, I don't think that it makes you disadvantaged, especially since it didn't happen when you were young. I believe the spirit of the questions on having a disadvantaged childhood is to see if you were deprived of educational opportunities that made it more difficult for you to succeed later in life.

Since you were already over 18 when your parents hit hard times, the argument can be made that your parents no longer have a financial obligation to you and you should be self sufficient, thus it doesn't hurt you too much. (This isn't what I believe, I'm just highlighting that the argument exists).

 

[DJBroca]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I did not mean to spark any controversy. I understand there are applicants that come from significantly harder backgrounds than myself. However, it does suck being in this position now and I could not imagine living through an entire childhood like this.
I was just curious if I should explain my situation in the primary. The only option to discuss my parents' income is during the time I was 0-18 which was 3x what they have been earning these past couple of years. And yes, I am a white male. I guess I am just concerned because I feel like many of the odds are already against me.
Thank you.

 

[ciestar]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I did not mean to spark any controversy. I understand there are applicants that come from significantly harder backgrounds than myself. However, it does suck being in this position now and I could not imagine living through an entire childhood like this.
I was just curious if I should explain my situation in the primary. The only option to discuss my parents' income is during the time I was 0-18 which was 3x what they have been earning these past couple of years. And yes, I am a white male. I guess I am just concerned because I feel like many of the odds are already against me.
Thank you.

Secondaries is where this stuff goes. Challenges, adversity, etc. It gives you a great deal of perspective a majority of your classmates won’t have.

 

[DJBroca]

I think it's definitely a difficult situation, and you might be able to talk about it and how it's changed you in either your personal statement or if you make your job one of your most meaningful experiences and expand on the need to help your parents.

I do agree with GynGyn and Goro though, I don't think that it makes you disadvantaged, especially since it didn't happen when you were young. I believe the spirit of the questions on having a disadvantaged childhood is to see if you were deprived of educational opportunities that made it more difficult for you to succeed later in life.

Since you were already over 18 when your parents hit hard times, the argument can be made that your parents no longer have a financial obligation to you and you should be self sufficient, thus it doesn't hurt you too much. (This isn't what I believe, I'm just highlighting that the argument exists).

I completely agree that my parents do not have a financial obligation to me. It is my obligation to them to make sure they stay afloat is what I think separates my situation from others. I do not make that much money, like many people in their early 20s, but unlike many (not all) of my peers, I do not have that safety net to fall back on. A lot of my friends applying to med school this summer have similar $10-12/hour jobs, but do not have to worry about making rent or buying groceries. That money can be a simple text and wire transfer away - harsh, but true in their case. I don't mean to sound bitter, but when I read the question, "do you consider yourself disadvantaged?", you bet I do. Certainly not to the extent of the outliers mentioned by LizzyM, but I would say that I am not on an even playing field going in. Okay, enough ranting - thanks for the listen!

 

[LizzyM]

I grew up in an economically stable environment. However, in 2016, stuff hit the fan and my parents have been struggling so hard (financially) since. I contribute some of my income to their debt and bills. They are near the poverty line now and I help them as much as I can.
Even though I grew up lower-middle class, in my current state, I would say that am I definitely less fortunate than others financially. Should I describe my situation in the disadvantaged section?
So thankful for AMCAS fap for helping with 16 schools and mcat price reduction - a true blessing.

Thank you.

Did your parents attend college? If not, AAMC will classify you as lower socio-economic status (SES).
Did your parents attend college but have jobs that did not require a college education? If so, AAMC will classify you as lower SES.

If you qualify for FAP, and you are classified by AAMC as low SES, it might not be a bad idea to self-identify as disadvantaged.

 

[DJBroca]

Did your parents attend college? If not, AAMC will classify you as lower socio-economic status (SES).
Did your parents attend college but have jobs that did not require a college education? If so, AAMC will classify you as lower SES.

If you qualify for FAP, and you are classified by AAMC as low SES, it might not be a bad idea to self-identify as disadvantaged.

My dad did not complete high school and has always bounced from job to job - none of which that required a degree. My mom completed college and was our family's primary earner growing up and recently had things go down the drain with her health and employment.

 

[676188]

Did your parents attend college? If not, AAMC will classify you as lower socio-economic status (SES).
Did your parents attend college but have jobs that did not require a college education? If so, AAMC will classify you as lower SES.

If you qualify for FAP, and you are classified by AAMC as low SES, it might not be a bad idea to self-identify as disadvantaged.

What if your parent attended college while you were in high school? My mother graduated with her nursing degree the same week I graduated high school (I was already 18).

 

[LizzyM]

What if your parent attended college while you were in high school? My mother graduated with her nursing degree the same week I graduated high school (I was already 18).

That is the situation that makes the data less robust... some applicants and matriculants are misclassified for analysis purposes as being higher SES than they really were. On a case by case basis, it doesnt' much matter. I haven't seen schools use the SES measure (called EO) as a data point for admission. But, still it is there as EO-1, EO-2, etc. (Google EO-1 AAMC if you want to know more).

My dad did not complete high school and has always bounced from job to job - none of which that required a degree. My mom completed college and was our family's primary earner growing up and recently had things go down the drain with her health and employment.

This might be best addressed in a secondary that asks about how you bounce back from difficult situations, etc.