What do you considered disadvantaged?

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bmh1992

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I was looking through admissions for a lot of schools, and I saw they allow the economic, personal, and educationally disadvantaged applicants. I believe I fit the requirements such as a sexual assault/abuse survivor, a single parent household who supports everyone in the extended family yet refuses to support modern science/education in any way for school(they would rather me not go to college), and graduating from a high school that I had to educate myself through rather than rely on those teachers who would rather sit on their ass to discuss their tenure. Would you consider applying for all three of these, or just one? If so, how would you in order not to sound like you're making excuses for yourself?

And not just for me, but what would you consider the criteria in general for these applications to fit?

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I might mention the high school one in your PS, but unless you were homeless or very close to it, I wouldn't apply as disadvantaged. Plenty of people apply that have been victims of abuse, had devastating things befall them, or had to deal with poor high schools. Being poor is far from disadvantaged.
 
I might mention the high school one in your PS, but unless you were homeless or very close to it, I wouldn't apply as disadvantaged. Plenty of people apply that have been victims of abuse, had devastating things befall them, or had to deal with poor high schools. Being poor is far from disadvantaged.

I think it would be a little much to apply to all three, especially when my own circumstances were hardly that awful compared to what some people have overcome. But thank you for the input! Any other ideas for what you guys consider disadvantaged, whether it be educational or any of the other aspects?
 
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I might mention the high school one in your PS, but unless you were homeless or very close to it, I wouldn't apply as disadvantaged. Plenty of people apply that have been victims of abuse, had devastating things befall them, or had to deal with poor high schools. Being poor is far from disadvantaged.

Are you serious?
 
Are you serious?

Poor != homeless or starving
People of a lesser socioeconomic standing are disadvantaged compared to those above them, always. However, it's a grey area as to what disadvantaged is. I was poor growing up (and still am as a matter of fact), but was never homeless or missed a meal due to not being able to afford food. However, I did have to get a job the day I turned 15 to contribute to my household, because we were struggling financially. I worked the maximum amount of hours that I could, given child labor laws. Were my grades in high school as good as they could have been, if I hadn't of worked? Maybe, it's up for debate. I still wouldn't consider it a big enough impact to consider myself disadvantaged.

Similarly, I've been working 30-40 hours/week in college out of necessity. Am I disadvantaged compared to those that have more free time to study because they don't have to work, and can afford tutors? Sure. Am I disadvantaged though? No, I just have to work a little harder than others.
 
I was looking through admissions for a lot of schools, and I saw they allow the economic, personal, and educationally disadvantaged applicants. I believe I fit the requirements such as a sexual assault/abuse survivor, a single parent household who supports everyone in the extended family yet refuses to support modern science/education in any way for school(they would rather me not go to college), and graduating from a high school that I had to educate myself through rather than rely on those teachers who would rather sit on their ass to discuss their tenure. Would you consider applying for all three of these, or just one? If so, how would you in order not to sound like you're making excuses for yourself?

And not just for me, but what would you consider the criteria in general for these applications to fit?

Definitely do not mention the bolded, in any way.
 
I think you would be considered disadvantaged. At least educationally because your poor high school could have put you at a disadvantage in college compared to students whose high school better prepared them for college.
If your parent did not make a lot of money then you could be financially disadvantaged as well, ultimately i think you could write that you are disadvantaged
 
I was looking through admissions for a lot of schools, and I saw they allow the economic, personal, and educationally disadvantaged applicants. I believe I fit the requirements such as a sexual assault/abuse survivor, a single parent household who supports everyone in the extended family yet refuses to support modern science/education in any way for school(they would rather me not go to college), and graduating from a high school that I had to educate myself through rather than rely on those teachers who would rather sit on their ass to discuss their tenure. Would you consider applying for all three of these, or just one? If so, how would you in order not to sound like you're making excuses for yourself?

And not just for me, but what would you consider the criteria in general for these applications to fit?

I went to a pre-med conference done by the adcoms of the local schools here and they advised students to put something down under disadvantaged if they thought there was anything that could qualify them, and that it wouldn't penalize them. Their rationale was that people feel like their disadvantage might not be "bad enough" so they don't report it, and the schools want to know. So, I would say, why not? If they don't consider you disadvantaged, no harm, no foul. I think they realize that there are degrees of advantage and degrees of disadvantage. Everyone who's made it far enough to get to applying to med school has probably managed to catch a few breaks in their day. Saying that you faced some unusual challenges that may have impacted your performance doesn't devalue anyone else's story. It's your life and your experiences. I think you have to keep in mind that a good deal of the pre-med applicant pool has had perfect helicopter parents who have aided and abetted their every move since pre-k, and who are willing and able to bankroll things that a lot of people can't afford on their own.

I wouldn't make it any kind of bitter and angry rant - but if your assault, education, or family situation impacted your ability to learn and thrive and prevented you from having or taking advantage of the opportunities that most premeds can reasonably partake in, then you're disadvantaged. Whether the schools agree is another thing, but hey - it's more characters that you can use to give them some background information.
 
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The economic status can be used for diversity, disadvantage, or just personal info, depending on how you think it affected your life. If you feel you were disadvantaged by it and can explain that, say it. I agree with Lovesfall that it likely wouldn't hurt you.

As for the other...personally, I wouldn't, but that's primarily because I would worry about stigma stemming from the assault classification. Yes, it can be a huge disadvantage - I didn't do of my final projects one semester, or study for any exams - but in my experience people feel awkward hearing about it, and whether they'd admit it or not, I think people tend to avoid what makes them uncomfortable. I don't want any chance of making the adcoms uncomfortable, so I would err on the side of leaving that off. Besides, so many people have gone through something similar that I personally would feel odd putting it as a 'disadvantage' when it may just be that the other applicants feel unable to discuss it.

Again (and I want to stress this), that's not to say that you SHOULDN'T put that down; these are just my personal reasons for avoiding that particular subject on an application.
 
Seems to me being Black in this country is still pretty bad --> leads to disadvantages --> disadvantageous applicant.

Oh yeah, and below poverty line is pretty bad too. :(
 
Poor != homeless or starving
People of a lesser socioeconomic standing are disadvantaged compared to those above them, always. However, it's a grey area as to what disadvantaged is. I was poor growing up (and still am as a matter of fact), but was never homeless or missed a meal due to not being able to afford food. However, I did have to get a job the day I turned 15 to contribute to my household, because we were struggling financially. I worked the maximum amount of hours that I could, given child labor laws. Were my grades in high school as good as they could have been, if I hadn't of worked? Maybe, it's up for debate. I still wouldn't consider it a big enough impact to consider myself disadvantaged.

Similarly, I've been working 30-40 hours/week in college out of necessity. Am I disadvantaged compared to those that have more free time to study because they don't have to work, and can afford tutors? Sure. Am I disadvantaged though? No, I just have to work a little harder than others.

If I was you, I would consider myself disadvantaged. Give yourself an edge, dont be too modest because the average applicants have it way better than you did: supportive parents making above avg income, didn't have to work so they have time to pursue all kinds of ECs and make sure they have solid gpa.
 
If I was you, I would consider myself disadvantaged. Give yourself an edge, dont be too modest because the average applicants have it way better than you did: supportive parents making above avg income, didn't have to work so they have time to pursue all kinds of ECs and make sure they have solid gpa.

I agree. I'd apply as disadvantaged in your situation. Most typical premeds/matriculants come from a privileged background. For example, most are raised by one or two professional parents and their parents are making 100k + and sending them on abroad trips and etc. Just make sure you emphasize what you learned from your hardships/struggles and you should also mention how your experiences can contribute to the diversity of the class. I think seeing someone who actually had to overcome hardships is rare and most adcoms would view your ability to succeed despite struggles as admirable.

Ultimately, I think filling out the essay will help paint a more detailed picture of who you are as a person. It will allow you to show your uniqueness and stand out from the hoards of applicants with good numbers. It will probably give you the edge especially if your numbers are similar to every other applicant.
 
If I was you, I would consider myself disadvantaged. Give yourself an edge, dont be too modest because the average applicants have it way better than you did: supportive parents making above avg income, didn't have to work so they have time to pursue all kinds of ECs and make sure they have solid gpa.

I agree. I'd apply as disadvantaged in your situation. Most typical premeds/matriculants come from a privileged background. For example, most are raised by one or two professional parents and their parents are making 100k + and sending them on abroad trips and etc. Just make sure you emphasize what you learned from your hardships/struggles and you should also mention how your experiences can contribute to the diversity of the class. I think seeing someone who actually had to overcome hardships is rare and most adcoms would view your ability to succeed despite struggles as admirable.

Ultimately, I think filling out the essay will help paint a more detailed picture of who you are as a person. It will allow you to show your uniqueness and stand out from the hoards of applicants with good numbers. It will probably give you the edge especially if your numbers are similar to every other applicant.

I was looking through admissions for a lot of schools, and I saw they allow the economic, personal, and educationally disadvantaged applicants. I believe I fit the requirements such as a sexual assault/abuse survivor, a single parent household who supports everyone in the extended family yet refuses to support modern science/education in any way for school(they would rather me not go to college), and graduating from a high school that I had to educate myself through rather than rely on those teachers who would rather sit on their ass to discuss their tenure. Would you consider applying for all three of these, or just one? If so, how would you in order not to sound like you're making excuses for yourself?

And not just for me, but what would you consider the criteria in general for these applications to fit?

OP, there is no set-in-stone criteria for ticking off the disadvantaged checkbox on the application. But, I agree with the others. Most other pre-meds have had a more privileged background than you. Admission officers are not giving you an edge per se, but they want to get a clearer picture of your application and your background. If you self-identify as disadvantaged (and it looks like you probably are) then they will be able to understand your application better especially since you are very likely to talk about it in your PS.

To give you an idea, I was refusing to identify myself as disadvantaged until I talked to a professor who is my informal mentor. She showed me the error of my judgement. Yes, I never had to miss a single meal but that is the most stereotypical thing one can think of when talking about 'poor' people. I have worked constantly since I was 15 to help pay off bills, my apartment rent, tuition etc. just so I don't have to worry about food. That is a significant disadvantage since, for most pre-meds, these functions are primarily taken by their parents or families.

In short: check disadvantaged, related it in your PS, but don't have your whole application about it. It should serve primarily as a background and not the overarching repetitive theme of your application.
 
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OP, there is no set-in-stone criteria for ticking off the disadvantaged checkbox on the application. But, I agree with the others. Most other pre-meds have had a more privileged background than you. Admission officers are not giving you an edge per se, but they want to get a clearer picture of your application and your background. If you self-identify as disadvantaged (and it looks like you probably are) then they will be able to understand your application better especially since you are very likely to talk about it in your PS.

To give you an idea, I was refusing to identify myself as disadvantaged until I talked to a professor who is my informal mentor. She showed me the error of my judgement. Yes, I never had to miss a single meal but that is the most stereotypical thing one can think of when talking about 'poor' people. I have worked constantly since I was 15 to help pay off bills, my apartment rent, tuition etc. just so I don't have to worry about food. That is a significant disadvantage since, for most pre-meds, these functions are primarily taken by their parents or families.

In short: check disadvantaged, related it in your PS, but don't have your whole application about it. It should serve primarily as a background and not the overarching repetitive theme of your application.

+1, my first job was in the 9th grade. Worked all through high school and college in order to pay for rent,medical billls, and both me and my bros tuition.
 
Lived doubled up with another family or lived in a shelter, or "homeless"

Parent(s) unemployed or employed at wages that meant living below the poverty line for your family size.

this leads to...

qualifying for food stamps (LINK card), Medicaid, free school lunch.

Attending "failing schools"

No access or limited access to public library and similar services

No or limited access to doctors due to a lack of primary care doctors in your area (often rural or inner city) or only doctors who refuse to take your insurance
 
Harry Potter, Charlie Bucket, and Oliver Twist were all disadvantaged, if that helps. Charlie became a dentist, fwiw. Chocolate + British dental hygiene = inspired career choice
 
I completely agree with the above posters who said you should identify yourself as economically disadvantaged. I also face the same situation there.

I was wondering about more opinions on mentioning the sexual assault - if it triggered depression and anxiety and made you hide in your dorm for a good portion of the semester (missing classes and getting terrible grades to effectively lower your GPA A LOT) - how do you mention this?
 
I completely agree with the above posters who said you should identify yourself as economically disadvantaged. I also face the same situation there.

I was wondering about more opinions on mentioning the sexual assault - if it triggered depression and anxiety and made you hide in your dorm for a good portion of the semester (missing classes and getting terrible grades to effectively lower your GPA A LOT) - how do you mention this?

I think that the risk that you run with something like this is that an adcom may be skittish if the members think that you may be emotionally fragile and thus unable to perform well in medical school and/or that you will once again fall apart emotionally when stressed during med school.

One way to get this information to the adcom in a positive way is through a letter of recommendation from an advisor or professor who knew you before and during the time period and can speak to your recovery and emotional health. As much as some people love to hate pre-med committee letters, some pre-med advisors write very eloquent letters that tell these sorts of stories in such a way that one is sympathetic toward the plight of the applicant and reassured that the applicant has made a recovery and come out stronger for it.
 
LizzyM, Thats great advice - Although, Im definitely not going to use my pre-med advisor because she's really black/white about admissions and told me only to apply DO (in the most discouraging way ever).

I actually have less awkward issues to discuss (I had an unimaginably terrible sophomore year) that I think won't run the risk of questioning emotional health and can be portrayed in a very positive light.
 
If I was you, I would consider myself disadvantaged. Give yourself an edge, dont be too modest because the average applicants have it way better than you did: supportive parents making above avg income, didn't have to work so they have time to pursue all kinds of ECs and make sure they have solid gpa.

I suppose I will do that then, even though I don't feel disadvantaged compared to those in serious poverty. I actually enjoy my job, and was able to maintain a 3.7 GPA my first year, while putting in some shadowing and volunteering hours here and there when I could. Granted, I was only able to get ~4-5 hours of sleep a night because of it (3rd shift).

My parents make ~42k a year, and my father has been unemployed off and on (mostly off) for the last two years, and this last instance for over a year now. Would this be low enough to qualify for financial aid in med school? I know most are pretty stingy about scholarships, both merit-based and need-based.
 
I suppose I will do that then, even though I don't feel disadvantaged compared to those in serious poverty. I actually enjoy my job, and was able to maintain a 3.7 GPA my first year, while putting in some shadowing and volunteering hours here and there when I could. Granted, I was only able to get ~4-5 hours of sleep a night because of it (3rd shift).

My parents make ~42k a year, and my father has been unemployed off and on (mostly off) for the last two years, and this last instance for over a year now. Would this be low enough to qualify for financial aid in med school? I know most are pretty stingy about scholarships, both merit-based and need-based.

The "disadvantaged" check box refers to situations between birth and age 18. The "disadvantaged" check box does not increase nor decrease your chances of getting financial aid in medical school; that is going to depend on your FAFSA. It is possible for someone to legitimately identify as "disadvantaged" but have risen to the point of having a six figure income.

Most student aid is used to recruit highly desirable applicants. "Highly desirable" can include academic achievement as well as those making a contribution to racial and/or ethnic and/or economic diversity.
 
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I think that the risk that you run with something like this is that an adcom may be skittish if the members think that you may be emotionally fragile and thus unable to perform well in medical school and/or that you will once again fall apart emotionally when stressed during med school.

This. This is the other reason I wouldn't put the assault on there. Somehow, with these situations, people only tend to see the fallout and assume that it represents your general state/ability to cope with stress. While that's not exactly true, it's also true that few people will respect your abilities more for having gone through it and dealt with it. I don't see much advantage to putting it down; between the assumption of damage/fragility and the discomfort people tend to have when thinking about assault, it doesn't seem very likely to help.
 
Harry Potter, Charlie Bucket, and Oliver Twist were all disadvantaged, if that helps. Charlie became a dentist, fwiw. Chocolate + British dental hygiene = inspired career choice

omg I <3 you
 
Lived doubled up with another family or lived in a shelter, or "homeless"

Parent(s) unemployed or employed at wages that meant living below the poverty line for your family size.

this leads to...

qualifying for food stamps (LINK card), Medicaid, free school lunch.

Attending "failing schools"

No access or limited access to public library and similar services

No or limited access to doctors due to a lack of primary care doctors in your area (often rural or inner city) or only doctors who refuse to take your insurance

I qualify for 4 of the 6 listed. Damn I have it bad..
 
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