If I have 5 kids...

[crazyhappy]

Hi,

I'm working on my sop for Ph.d. programs.  I have a decent undergrad gpa (3.3.) at a top institution, but I have alot of withrawals and incompletes due to health issues.  I then took 10 years off, got my health under control, and had five kids.  I just completed an M.A. with a 3.97, several awards, and 5 kids .  I want to let the admissions committee  know that I am past my health problems and explain the time gap, but will the fact that I have 5 kids scare them off or will the fact that I did so well while caring for 5 children be a positive that I should highlight.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[tarrman]

I don't see why you need to mention you have 5 kids or that you were having health issues. If anything, just say you took time off to raise a family. Your M.A. GPA is very impressive, and since it's been a while since you were at your undergrad institution, nobody is going to care about what happened back then. Focus on your most recent achievements.

 

As a side note, when I went to a visit day, one of the other prospective students had 5 kids and was planning on working full-time while doing his Ph.D.

[midnight]

I agree with tarrman.

[crazyhappy]

Thanks for your thoughts.  I think I was really worried because the withdrawals/incompletes undergrad happened at my dream school for my Ph.d.program.  I worked like crazy in my MA program to make up for this, though.  Wow, I can't believe I'm the only crazy one with 5 kids doing this!  Thanks again!

[selecttext]

You should absolutely make contact with the department and a POI. I suggest that you make an appointment with the graduate adviser to apprise him or her of your situation. I think that it is crazy or maybe commendable to embark on a PhD with 5 minor children but I think that the department has the right to know. It is not unheard of to go to graduate school under these circumstances and some schools are more accommodating than others. 

Edited March 19, 2013 by selecttext

[TakeruK]

You should absolutely make contact with the department and a POI. I suggest that you make an appointment with the graduate adviser to apprise him or her of your situation. I think that it is crazy or maybe commendable to embark on a PhD with 5 minor children but I think that the department has the right to know. It is not unheard of to go to graduate school under these circumstances and some schools are more accommodating than others. 

 

I disagree that the department has a "right to know" that the OP has 5 kids. I'm not saying the OP shouldn't tell the department, but he/she should be able to choose whether or not to reveal this fact at the application stage and the school  should not feel that they needed to know this information!

 

To answer the OP's question, I'm not sure if mentioning the 5 kids will "scare them off" and/or unfairly assume that you won't do quality work. I personally would avoid mentioning it since it seems, to me, that it's more likely that schools will think this is a negative rather than a positive. Selectext also makes a very good point that some schools will be "more accommodating" so maybe you want to mention it so that you can filter out the schools that will look down upon you for having a family and focus only on the schools that will help you. 

 

In my SOP, I would only address things that are relevant to my professional/work life. So, maybe I would mention that I had to withdraw from school originally due to health issues but now it's under control (as evidenced by the achievements during the MA degree). You might not even need to discuss your family at all, unless you really feel that it would be a positive rather than be discriminated against. After all, if employers are not allowed to ask about your marital or family status, then there's no reason to tell grad schools about it unless it is only going to help you!

[crazyhappy]

Thanks! It's good to get everyone's thoughts on this!

[student12345]

crazyhappy, you don't want to be seen as the applicant who is "good enough for having five children." I'd say tarrman is absolutely right here. 

[bamafan]

Nothing should go into an SOP that isn't related to your research interests, interest in and fit with the particular program, and your qualifications/experience (you could discuss the health/withdrawals as part of discussing your qualifications, perhaps by describing how you overcame them and kicked total ass in your MA). SOP is not the same thing as a personal statement.

Edited April 12, 2013 by bamafan

[crazyhappy]

Nothing should go into an SOP that isn't related to your research interests, interest in and fit with the particular program, and your qualifications/experience (you could discuss the health/withdrawals as part of discussing your qualifications, perhaps by describing how you overcame them and kicked total ass in your MA). SOP is not the same thing as a personal statement.

Perfect, yes, I think you are right, thanks!