zam614

Hi, like the title says, I'm wondering if I can be considered a first-gen...

My father was born in Colombia and immigrated when he was 14, so that's no problem.

My mother was born in Puerto Rico and moved to NY when she was in her 20's.

I'm obviously Hispanic, but can I be considered 1st generation?

Thanks

silverturtle

I believe you can be, but this doesn't help materially in college admissions. Being the first generation to attend college does, however.

zam614

First to receive a Bachelor's? Lol... >_>

dshinka

Yeah if your parents didn't have a Bachelor's degree, then that makes you first generation.

BeKindRewind

What about an associate's?

dshinka

I don't think Associate's count.

zam614

Great! Because they both got associates... I think my mom got an A.A. and I know that my dad got an A.A.S.... so that's helpful now Merci

entomom

Hold on, first of all, dshinka said "I don't think", that's a long ways from sure. Second, you always consider the source (no offense to dshinka, but a member with 100 posts might not be an expert on college admissions, it's something to think about). Third, this is a discussion board for heavens sake, you always do due diligence in looking for a primary source to confirm what someone has said.

There are two main definitions of first gen to attend college. Different colleges/scholarships/programs use different definitions, so you have to find out which definition is used by the schools you're applying to.

One definition is that neither of your parents had more than a HS education. For instance:

http://www.lavc.edu/research/News/FirstGenMar04.pdf

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98082.pdf (page 7)

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The other is that neither of your parents have completed a degree. However, 2 yr or 4 yr, likely depends on college/scholarship/program and the definition they are using. Here is a primary source that defines it as ANY degree, AA or BA.

The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal

welldad

Great post Entomom

zam614

Thanks entomom, once again!

Would being a first-generation college student be any real benefit anyway? What about first-gen American (am I anyway)?

entomom

First gen American has no significant to college admissions in any way.

First gen to go to college is a tip factor; the amount of a tip likely depends on the individual college, some will value it more than others.

Here's what it comes down to, there's nowhere on the CA that asks: "Are you the first gen in your family to attend college?" Rather, for each parent they ask whether they attended college, and if so, what degree they earned. At that point, each college determines whether or not you fit their definition of a first gen student. Later, when adcoms are going over applications and you're head to head with another student with similar qualifications, that's when they decide if your first gen status (if you qualify) will tip them towards accepting you.

zam614

Great, thanks ... That clarifies things a lot. In the end, I shouldn't be relying on my parents' background anyway, but on me....

entomom

Yes, in the end it really comes down to everything that you've done plus a little karma/luck/whatever you want to call it. If you get a little tip, fine, but you'll never really know how much it factored in. So just do your best and develop a realistic list of schools that you'd enjoy attending and you'll do fine!

BeKindRewind

Realistically though, there aren't going to be two students going "head to head" with identical credentials and the only tipping factor being whether your parents went to college.

entomom

First, I said similar, not identical; it's useful to use the quote function to avoid such misrepresentations. Second, the definition of a tip factor is a quality, such as first gen or legacy, where one candidate is selected over another with similar credentials, and yes it does happen.