Would applying as economically disadvantaged hurt me?

[moogle44]

Hi, I'm filling out the AMCAS and am debating whether to apply as economically disadvantaged. What are the benefits of it? and are there any downsides?

My family make less than $30,000 combined for most of my life and I had almost no help going though college. I think I should be able to qualify.

I appreciate the feedback.

Thank you,

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[mspeedwagon]

A combined family income of less than 30k alone doesn't make you economically disdvantaged. Did you also received government assistance? Were you required to work to contribute to the family? Did your family split resulting in you living in poverty? If not, you are NOT economically disadvantaged. Wrongly claiming it will hurt you. If you feel that you do, then claim it. It is something that will help based on degree.

This is what medical schools want to know if you claim you are disadvantaged:

1) Have you or members of your immediate family ever used federal or state assistance programs?

2) What was the income level of your family during the majority of your life from birth to age eighteen?

3) Did you have paid employment prior to age eighteen?

4) Were you required to contribute to the overall family income (as opposed to working primarily for your own discretionary spending money)?

5) How many people lived in your primary household during the majority of your life from birth to age eighteen?

6) How have you paid or did you pay for your post-secondary education? For each of the applicable options below, indicate the average percentage contribution towards your post-secondary education. The percentages entered should equal 100%.

7) Explain below why you believe you should be considered a disadvantaged applicant by your designated medical schools. The space available for your explanation is 1325 characters, or approximately ¼ page.


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The following definitions/questions may help you answer the questions regarding "disadvantaged":

Underserved: Do you believe, based on your own experiences or the experiences of family and friends, that the area in which you grew up was adequately served by the available health care professionals? Were there enough physicians, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other health care service providers?

Immediate Family: The Federal Government broadly defines "immediate family" as "spouse, parent, child, sibling, mother or father-in-law, son or daughter-in-law, or sister or brother-in-law, including step and adoptive relationships."

State and Federal Assistance Programs: These programs are specifically defined as "Means-Tested Programs" under which the individual, family, or household income and assets must be below specified thresholds. The sponsoring agencies then provide cash and non-cash assistance to eligible individuals, families, or households. Such programs include welfare benefit programs (federal, state, and local) Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC or ADC); unemployment compensation; General Assistance (GA); food stamps; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid; housing assistance; or other federal, state, or local financial assistance programs.

Hi, I'm filling out the AMCAS and am debating whether to apply as economically disadvantaged. What are the benefits of it? and are there any downsides?

My family make less than $30,000 combined for most of my life and I had almost no help going though college. I think I should be able to qualify.

I appreciate the feedback.

Thank you,

 

[Penner]

What economic hardships or obstacles did you have to face as a result of living on ~$30k a year? $30k a year could be nearly double the poverty line depending on family size.

I think just the fact that you're asking what the benefits of applying as economically disadvantage are implies that you haven't faced the same hardships that economically disadvantaged people have - if you really were economically disadvantage, you would want the admissions committee to understand that you were able to rise up against the odds.

 

[moogle44]

We were a family of 4 on 30k income

I was on the free lunch program for all of my school career except my senior year in highschool.

I worked 20 hours a week at my parents store to help bring in additional money to the family from age 15-19

Couldn't afford college and had to go to a CC for 3 years before I saved enough to go to a UC.

About 90% of my education was paid by finacial aid, scholarships, and loans.

My parents were unemployed when we immigrated here and we had to scavange in the trash for furniture and appliances because we couldn't afford to buy them.

 

[ThaliaNox]

To answer the OP's question rather than making ridiculous over-exaggerations of how "disadvantaged" one should be before claiming it...

The disadvantaged page is a opportunity to explain things that might have made it harder for you to suceed than others. Consider that the average applicant has at least one physician parent, the average income of the parents of applicants is over 120k per year, then one does not need to have been on welfare to be "economically disadvantaged. For example, many, almost most, applicants have taken biology and chemistry AP classes before college, then retake them as easy As. If your high school didn't offer them, you're disadvantaged. You may also have been less prepared for college mathematics. After school enrichment programs or summer prep camps and such may have been out of the question. Perhaps you went to a less prestigious college or community college because that was all you could afford.

Explaining this won't hurt you. At all. It might help. It won't make up for glaring imperfections in your application, but it might answer questions. Schools also want people from diverse backgrounds, so you might be more appealling on that level.

 

[mspeedwagon]

👍. I wanted to make sure the OP didn't wrongly do so. I know people it has come back to bite. Based on the extra info I agree the OP is in this category.

Explaining this won't hurt you. At all. It might help. It won't make up for glaring imperfections in your application, but it might answer questions. Schools also want people from diverse backgrounds, so you might be more appealling on that level.

 

[Penner]

We were a family of 4 on 30k income

I was on the free lunch program for all of my school career except my senior year in highschool.

I worked 20 hours a week at my parents store to help bring in additional money to the family from age 15-19

Couldn't afford college and had to go to a CC for 3 years before I saved enough to go to a UC.

About 90% of my education was paid by finacial aid, scholarships, and loans.

My parents were unemployed when we immigrated here and we had to scavange in the trash for furniture and appliances because we couldn't afford to buy them.

Dude, then of course you should apply as disadvantaged! 😱