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May 24, 2021

How to Write the Statement of Disadvantage

If you have experienced any form of social, economic or educational disadvantage—at any time in your life—you can apply to medical school as a disadvantaged applicant. To receive this designation means that you will need to complete an additional essay on the AMCAS application . The character limit for this short essay is 1,325. Examples of each of the three forms of disadvantage are listed below:

• Social: Being treated differently due to ethnicity, language, religion or sexual orientation.
• Economic: Receiving any form of government aid or growing up in a single parent household on one income that is below the poverty threshold.
• Educational: Overcoming a learning disability or attending low performing public schools.

What to include in a statement of disadvantage

It can be difficult to know what to include in the statement of disadvantage. I recommend approaching it by using the following strategies:

• Create a timeline that includes any forms of social, economic or educational barriers that you experienced, from the beginning of your life through college.
• State the facts, no need to express any emotions or to emphasize any details.
• End on a high note.

Be sure to include the details of the most significant obstacles that you have overcome to reach higher education. One benefit of applying to medical school as a disadvantaged applicant is that most medical schools will not reject your application until it has been reviewed by at least one admissions officer — no automatic rejections based on GPA or test scores.

It’s important to remember that your application will be treated with the utmost respect and that you are heroic for overcoming obstacles that would have prevented most people from applying to medical school. Congratulate yourself for making it to this point in your education!

Common disadvantage statement mistakes

When writing and editing your draft, there are some common errors people make that you can easily avoid. In the next section of this blog, I will cover what NOT to do in a statement of disadvantage.

Beware of making the following mistakes:

• DO NOT focus on unsubstantiated opinions, but rather on facts . Sharing your opinions here will not help to support or explain your status as a disadvantaged applicant. This paragraph allows you to state the facts of your experience. Did your family rely on food stamps? Did you live in Section 8 housing? Simply stating the facts will be the most helpful way to approach this area of the application. You may need to talk with family if you were too little to remember. Many families try to shield their children from this information. These details will simply provide the selection committee with the information that they need to understand just how hard you had to work to meet your educational goals. Listen: Facing Adversity as a Med School Applicant >>
• DO NOT focus on only one part of your life . You can include any details about your childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood that are relevant. Focusing only on college or not sharing information that may explain why you were not prepared to enter college, like attending low performing public schools that did not have enough materials for students, could hurt your application. You may need to start with your parents, especially if they immigrated to the U.S. before you were born or when you were a child. Any events that had a direct impact on the resources available to you should be included from before birth to graduation from college.
• DO NOT tell the story of parents or siblings . If the paragraph focuses only on the background and struggles of your parents or siblings, you may need to revise it to include more information about yourself. Many applicants prefer to write about other people. Did you work throughout high school to be able to afford applying to college? Stating what you did to advocate for yourself and how you found ways to be successful despite the obstacles will reveal your resilience. It’s heroic that you have made it this far in your application.
• DO NOT demonstrate bitterness . This short paragraph is not the space to begin to work through any family issues that you have not yet resolved. I don’t recommend complaining, accusing, or writing anything negative about other family members or people here. Those are valid emotions that you are experiencing, but journal about them elsewhere, go for a walk, or find other healthy ways to address them rather than sabotaging yourself by expressing them in your statement of disadvantage. Celebrate what has gone right or what you have been able to do despite the difficulties that have presented themselves.
• DO NOT elicit pity . The tone you establish in your essay will say a lot about your character. If the tone is one of gratitude, the selection committee may be impressed that you have found ways to thrive despite severe disadvantages. If you attempt to manipulate or elicit pity by exaggerating or telling the reader how to feel about the events of your life, the response will not be positive. Make conscious decisions about how you approach the tone of this essay.

Having read hundreds of these essays in over a decade of experience in admissions , these have been the most unsuccessful approaches that I’ve witnessed. Avoiding the common pitfalls listed above will help you provide the selection committee with the information that they need to give your application a fair evaluation.

It can be helpful to have another person review this essay to make sure that you have included all relevant information and avoided the pitfalls mentioned above.

Do you need help writing your statement of disadvantage or any other element of your medical school application? Explore our Med School Admissions Services and work one-on-one with an Accepted advisor who will help you create a strong, successful, admission-worthy application.

Related Resources:

• Ace the AMCAS Essay , free guide
• 4 Tips for Applying as an Underrepresented Applicant in Medicine
• Approaching the Diversity Essay Question

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Hey everyone! I'm working on my college applications, and part of it requires a personal background essay. I'm a little stuck, so if you guys could share some examples or tips, that'd be great! Please help me out, thanks!

Hello! It's understandable that writing a personal background essay can be challenging. Here are some tips to get you started and an example of how you might approach this essay:

1. Reflect on what makes your background unique. Consider your family's history, culture, traditions, values, and how these have shaped your experiences.

2. Delve into the details. Discuss specific experiences, anecdotes, or events that have had a significant impact on your life and highlight the lessons you've gained from your background.

3. Be authentic. Write from the heart and let your personality shine through. This essay is your opportunity to help the admissions officers get to know you beyond your stats and accomplishments.

4. Avoid clichés. Personal background essays are quite common, so if you're writing about a widely-covered topic (moving, learning a new language, etc.), try to find a unique angle or aspect that will set your essay apart.

Growing up in a multigenerational household, I've had the rare privilege of experiencing diverse perspectives on life from my grandparents, parents, and siblings. My grandparents, who emigrated from Vietnam, taught me the importance of staying true to our cultural heritage and maintaining strong connections with family. Daily rituals like preparing and enjoying traditional Vietnamese meals, participating in Lunar New Year celebrations, and listening to stories about my grandparents' journey to the United States helped me appreciate the strength and resilience of my ancestors.

However, this cultural pride was not always something I cherished. As a child, I was bullied for my Banh Khot and Banh Mi lunches, and I'd often ask my parents to pack more generic-looking sandwiches to avoid feeling like an outsider at school. It wasn't until my grandmother shared her own story of assimilation and how she strived to maintain her cultural identity in a new country that I realized the value of embracing my heritage. Inspired by her courage, I decided to educate my peers about Vietnamese traditions and founded a cultural exchange club at school. Together, we explored our heritages, organizing potlucks, cultural presentations, and language exchange sessions.

Through this experience, I've learned that embracing who I am and the unique background I come from has made me a stronger person. My personal background has taught me to be open to learning about other cultures, which I look forward to bringing to my future college community.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Personal Life — Personal Background: My Life Story as a Definition of Me

Personal Background: My Life Story as a Definition of Me

• Categories: Personal Experience Personal Life

About this sample

Words: 1728 |

Updated: 18 July, 2024

Words: 1728 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

The essay discusses the author's life experiences and how they have shaped their identity and outlook on life. The author's background is likened to a roller coaster, marked by uncertainty and unexpected turns. They emphasize that their experiences have defined them as a person.

The narrative begins with the author's family facing financial difficulties and violence in their home country. Eventually, their uncle sponsors their immigration to the United States, providing hope for a better life. However, upon arriving in the U.S., the author encounters challenges related to their identity and experiences racism and discrimination.

The essay highlights the author's struggle to fit in and be accepted in a new culture, including efforts to suppress their accent and conform to societal expectations. Despite these challenges, the author ultimately learns the importance of embracing their own background and culture.

Furthermore, the essay delves into the author's motivation to succeed in school, driven by their desire to support their family and provide a better life for their loved ones. They express concern for their family's safety back in their home country, which serves as a powerful motivation to excel academically.

This free personal narrative essay explores a life journey akin to a roller coaster ride, reflecting on financial struggles, encounters with racism, and the pursuit of the American dream. It emphasizes the importance of embracing one’s roots and personal growth amid challenges.

Works Cited

• Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2017). Human development: A life-span view. Cengage Learning.
• Lee, M. T., & Yoo, H. C. (2004). Model minority stereotype: Influence on perceptions of Asian American undergraduate students. Journal of College Student Development, 45(2), 140-149.
• Mastro, D. E., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Ortiz, M. (2007). Latino representation on primetime television. Communication Research, 34(2), 165-188.
• Nagayama Hall, G. C., & Barongan, C. (2002). Prejudice and race relations. In Handbook of multicultural psychology (pp. 483-499). Oxford University Press.
• Rivas-Drake, D., Seaton, E. K., Markstrom, C., Quintana, S., Syed, M., Lee, R. M., … & Yip, T. (2014). Ethnic and racial identity in adolescence: Implications for psychosocial, academic, and health outcomes. Child Development, 85(1), 40-57.
• Rumbaut, R. G., & Portes, A. (2001). Ethnicities: Children of immigrants in America. University of California Press.
• Sullivan, J. P., & Mueller, R. A. (2006). Bias-related violence against individuals with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 17(1), 31-45.
• Tatum, B. D. (2003). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?: And other conversations about race. Basic Books.
• Wong, C. A., Eccles, J. S., & Sameroff, A. (2003). The influence of ethnic discrimination and ethnic identification on African American adolescents’ school and socioemotional adjustment. Journal of Personality, 71(6), 1197-1232.

Background Information Essay Example

Background information in an essay should provide context for your story. Include details about your upbringing, cultural background, significant life events, and any challenges you’ve faced that shaped your perspectives or character. This sets the stage for readers to understand the depth of your experiences and motivations.

Born and raised in Jamaica, I grew up in a vibrant yet challenging environment marked by the contrasts of communal harmony and socioeconomic hardships. My early life was a blend of cultural richness and personal trials, which together crafted a resilient and open-minded individual. Jamaica, often celebrated for its motto “Out of Many, One People,” instilled in me a strong sense of unity and equality, values that would later clash with the realities I faced upon moving to the United States. At the age of ten, following a sponsorship by my uncle, my family and I migrated to the U.S. in search of better opportunities and a safer environment. However, the transition was far from seamless. I encountered cultural and racial barriers that challenged my identity and self-worth. Despite these struggles, the move was driven by a profound purpose: to create a better life not only for myself but also for my family who remained back home. The dichotomy of my experiences—from the unity of Jamaica to the divisiveness I faced in America—shaped my worldview and personal goals. My mother, a constant beacon of strength and sacrifice, remained in Jamaica with my siblings, further fueling my drive to excel academically and socially in my new home. Her resilience and the memory of our shared struggles motivated me to pursue a life that would honor her sacrifices and pave the way for my siblings to join me in the U.S. This narrative of migration, adaptation, and perseverance defines my background and continues to influence my aspirations and interactions in profound ways. My journey is a testament to the strength derived from family, the pain of separation, and the relentless pursuit of a better future, themes that resonate deeply in my current life and ambitions.

This background information provides context to the essay’s narrative, detailing the cultural, familial, and personal elements that shape the author’s experiences and motivations.

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xplain how: Social background Professional background Cultural background Affect relationships and the way people communicate. Social– Some children grow up in socially disadvantaged areas, poor housing conditions, low income households and single parent families, this in turn may affect a child's learning development and restrict communication, and how you approach a family whose child may be affected due to their social background circumstances should be aware of the manner in which you approach them. Listening in a non–judgemental way and understanding, not criticising can lead to effective communication. Professional– It is important to always show professionalism whilst in the workplace/setting, this includes communicating with other.. more content... QUESTION 4 Explain the skills needed to communicate with: Children – The skills needed to communicate with children are both verbal and non–verbal, getting down to a child's level and maintaining eye contact and asking appropriate questions, making the child feel secure and developing trust. A smile, a nod or a thumbs up will also show you are interested in what they are saying. Listening and not interrupting them when they are speaking is vital so they can express their points of view and develop confidence in themselves, making sure that if someone is talking to you to give them your full attention, even if that means finding a quiet suitable place with no distractions. Being supportive to the child's needs can build respect and trust between the child and adult also giving feedback in a clear, constructive way, so the child can feel they can develop with confidence. Being able to adapt styles of communication to the needs of those who do not or cannot communicate verbally, sign language, Makaton or PECS (picture exchange communication system) are all different ways and skills used to communicate positively. Young people As with young children, the skills needed to communicate with young people are both verbal and nonverbal, always show interest and listen without interruptions, giving your full attention, maintain eye contact and show you are interested. Young people may lack confidence when speaking to adults, so make sure you are approachable and give them the

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Briefly share your nursing background and professional interests. My nursing background is in women and children's health care. As a clinician, I have practiced in acute and primary care settings. My professional interests include nursing genomics, nursing leadership, and new program development. Summarize how informatics has impacted or changed nursing practice. Provide an example from your professional experience. According to Dr. Ken Majowski (Laureate, 2011) health care informatics has been in existence for at least the past two to three decades. Ozbolt & Saba (2008) state that "in the second half of the 20th century" the focus of nursing informatics was on the development of "a standardized language" (p. 199). In the 1970's, informatics included "nursing care planning and documentation" (Ozbolt & Saba, 2008, p. 200). In the 1980's, nursing informatics research and education led to the "establishment of data standards ... unleashing the potential of nursing informatics to improve practice" thus giving nursing the opportunity to "translate knowledge to practice via decision support, and to create new knowledge from the data generated in nursing practice" (Ozbolt & Saba, 2008, p 201). In the 1990's the "Nursing Terminology Summit Conferences" met "to develop concept–oriented reference terminology models for nursing" (Ozbolt & Saba, 2008, p. 203). The 2000's proved to be a decade of additional progress with the call for "an electronic health record" for every

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Essay on My Family History

My Family History Family history is very important to an individual. By knowing where you come from, you can have a better perspective of your life. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows you to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house, the car, and the average clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. They will see that their family has worked very hard just so their family can experience the better things in life. A persons roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring you closer to self–discovery. There are two sides to a person's family and one side of my family has.. more content... One of these is that on Thanksgiving everybody comes together to my parents' house in New Jersey for a huge feast. On Christmas only my mother and the children (me and my brother) travel to Illinois to spend a week with my grandparents. On New Years Eve we all get together at my parents' house in New Jersey and toast to the New Year with champagne and apple cider. During Labor Day weekend all of my family travels to South Jersey to my grandfathers' condo. We usually spend all of our time on the beach and barbequing, except on Sunday when we go to church. After all, my grandfather is a minister. One of our biggest family traditions is going back to Puerto Rico. Every year my mother and I travel back to Puerto Rico for a portion of our summer vacation. Now that I am older I travel there more often and stay there much longer. My father never joins because he doesn't like my mothers side of the father too much and he thinks that we when we speak Spanish we are all plotting against him. Of course that's not true though. My bother doesn't speak Spanish so he doesn't like to go either. I guess that tradition is one that belongs solely to my mother and I. The role of the people in family basically stayed the same for most of the generations with a little change in the later generations. Earlier the males were the only ones that worked in the family and the wife stayed at home and took care of the house and

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The Influence of Family Background Essay

Family Role in Career Development Family influence is an important force in preparing youth for their roles as workers. Young people form many of their attitudes about work and careers as a result of interactions with the family. Family background provides the basis from which their career planning and decision making evolve. However, within each family, the level of involvement can vary, offering both positive and negative influences. This Digest examines the research on family influences on career development and describes implications for practice. The Influence of Family Background "Family background factors found to be associated with career development include parents' socioeconomic status (SES), their educational level,.. more content... 4). Family income is another aspect of family background that influences the career development of youth, especially for girls (Mortimer et al. 1992). One reason for this may be that families with limited economic resources tend to direct them first to the males of the family, giving less hope and encouragement for further education to the daughters in the family. Also, some parents–especially working class or lower–income parents–may hold values that place girls in the homemaker role and reflect less emphasis on occupational preparation (ibid.). Given this disposition, it is understandable that the self–efficacy of girls with respect to career opportunities is linked to the economic support they can expect to receive from their parents. The Influence of Family Processes Although much of the research on the role of family in vocational and career development has focused on family background, the investigation of family processes viewed in relation to life roles offers additional insight into the influences of the family. Family processes of interaction, communication, and behavior influence what the child learns about work and work experiences. Attitudes about school and work, educational and career goals and aspirations, and values have a long–term impact on a youth's career choices, decisions, and plans. "Parents as daily models provide cultural standards, attitudes, and expectations and, in many ways, determine

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