Would my socioeconomic status effect my acceptance?

[Asphyxiatia]

Hello all; I'm curious as to whether my socioeconmic status/backstory would affect my acceptance chances at all.

My mother died when I was 2 or 3 due to complications from AIDS (though I didn't receive it through birth thankfully). My father also died when I was at a young age (4?5?6?) from reasons i dont know. I had to find out myself he was dead at around age 13, my family never told me he was dead due to fear of my committing suicide (they fashioned some story about him going back to jamaica). I've lived with my grandmother and aunt my entire life in a terrible neighborhood (a "ghetto") filled with crime, violence, drugs, prostituion.. you name it it was there. THis lead me to become somewhat of a recluse throughout my childhood, my family never let me go outside for fear of me becoming corrupted. As a result I grew up without my friends or close acquaintances. Hell I had never gone to see a movie with friends until my sophomore year old high school. Anyhow I feel like I'm diverging... I'm also gay and dealt with alot of backlash from my conservative christian family and i'm currently not on the best terms with them. Pretty much providing everything for myself in college at this point.

Usually I like to gloss over my childhood and personal affairs. I didn't even mention most of it in my college=app. Except that my parents were deceased for scholarship purposes. However, I figure I may as well pull out all the stops for a med school app. Would including these very personal things improve my chances enough to warrant including them? I'm especially hesitant to include anything about my sexuality. I'm not such if such a thing would count against me in some adcom's eyes.

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[Catalystik]

You might consider claiming "Disadvantaged Status" on your application due to your circumstances from ages 0-18. Whether you 'come out' in your application is a personal choice, up to you.

why do people want to offer disadvantaged folks more opportunities (maybe an easier path) to become doctors? What does that do for them?

1) It does add diversity the classroom and what you learn about the care of patients depends on part on your fellow classmates.

2) There is a hope that people who grew up with disadvantages will be comfortable serving those in underserved communities and will be accepted in those communities because they understand the culture.

3) There is a desire to make the opportunity to reach one's potential available to everyone, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Kids who grew up in poverty often have a lack of shadowing opportunities (no doctors in the family, nor in their friends & classmates families, maybe no family physicians if care has been through free clinics & ERs) and no money for test-prep classes. Providing opportuities to college students from impoverished neighborhoods/families helps increase the pool of talented applicants to medical school that in turn helps to achieve goals 1 and 2.

LizzyM has posted on the Disadvantaged designation many times. You might do an advanced Search for her posts, with the search term disadvantaged.

 

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However, I figure I may as well pull out all the stops for a med school app. Would including these very personal things improve my chances enough to warrant including them? I'm especially hesitant to include anything about my sexuality. I'm not such if such a thing would count against me in some adcom's eyes.

I would certainly include in your personal statement information about your childhood as it gives an admissions committee a testament to your strength as an individual - to go through that as a kid and still finish school, go on to college, receive exemplary grades, do well on the MCAT, etc is a great achievement so definitely include it. I personally would shy away from divulging your sexuality unless its had a tremendous impact in your life and you could weave it into your "overcoming the odds" theme. Also, remember that you are applying to a professional school where you will be placed in a professional environment and be expected to work professionally. Talks about sex/personal issues/sexual preferences is generally considered a big no-no in the professional world and I wouldn't do it.

 

[Asphyxiatia]

I personally would shy away from divulging your sexuality unless its had a tremendous impact in your life and you could weave it into your "overcoming the odds" theme. Also, remember that you are applying to a professional school where you will be placed in a professional environment and be expected to work professionally. Talks about sex/personal issues/sexual preferences is generally considered a big no-no in the professional world and I wouldn't do it.

Well I was bullied quite a bit in school over it. A lot of this bullying ended in physical confrontation which eventually got back to my family eventually creating more confrontation with them.

I'm very hesitant to include it in my application due to the reasons you outlined. I probably won't at all since there hasn't been any extreme adversity from it.

You might consider claiming "Disadvantaged Status" on your application due to your circumstances from ages 0-18. Whether you 'come out' in your application is a personal choice, up to you.

LizzyM has posted on the Disadvantaged designation many times. You might do an advanced Search for her posts, with the search term disadvantaged.

thank you her posts were quite helpful!

 

[KPCOFGS]

Also, remember that you are applying to a professional school where you will be placed in a professional environment and be expected to work professionally. Talks about sex/personal issues/sexual preferences is generally considered a big no-no in the professional world and I wouldn't do it.

I disagree with this part. I think if it is important to you and shaped you as a student/person, you should feel free to include it. It may lead to some prejudice in a few old, religious white men's eyes on a few adcoms, but that is definitely not the norm, and the personal aspect can often strengthen the application, I think. When I applied I took the philosophy that if someone was going to discriminate against me because I was gay, they didn't deserve to have me anyway . If you want to talk more specifically, feel free to PM me.