- Joined
- May 7, 2017
- Messages
- 207
- Reaction score
- 107
deleted for anonymity
Last edited:
AMCAS disadvantaged status means economically disadvantaged, medically underserved area, or immediate family (defined by AMCAS).
A US News article about disadvantaged says "If you have a situation involving your immediate family that affected your educational opportunities or social circumstances, you can self-designate as disadvantaged." Probably intentionally broad.I haven't understood this, immediate family what?
Maybe it means you had to take care of a sick family member. Like being the sole caregiver for a mother with Alzheimer's. That would certainly take up a lot of time, and you probably couldn't study as much as other people.I haven't understood this, immediate family what?
Maybe it means you had to take care of a sick family member. Like being the sole caregiver for a mother with Alzheimer's. That would certainly take up a lot of time, and you probably couldn't study as much as other people.
AMCAS disadvantaged status means economically disadvantaged, medically underserved area, or immediate family (defined by AMCAS).
Disadvantaged Status
Ultimately though, your perceived status is up to you. You decide if you check the box "disadvantaged" on your application, or not. Maybe your circumstance doesn't neatly fall into one of the three categories. Either way, if you select yes, then you are prompted to write an essay for the purpose of describing your situation (AMCAS).
After that, each school looks at your status in a different way, as each school has its own policy on how to take your essay answer into account (google).
Maybe they would count something in your favor that isn't listed in AMCAS (speculation).
That's absolutely awesome that you took care of your family member. Maybe if it was important to you, you can share that as part of your story in future essays, regardless of your perceived status.
Everyone needs good grades and MCAT scores though, so focus yourself there (common sense).
(Sources: google, amcas, speculation, common sense)
What does "economically disadvantaged" mean and how can med schools verify this?