<p>How much does this help me, being from rural Maine? My town is pretty much 97% white, so I jut out quite a bit, standing among a pool of Caucasians. Not to mention, there is a lot of ignorance and intolerance floating around, as there are several racists who are rather open about it. Unfortunately, homosexuality is severely repressed at my school, as it is generally badly looked upon. There are only like 4-6 students out of 800 who are openly gay.</p>
<p>How much does being first generation help, by the way?</p>
<p>How much does it help to be an immigrant—even though I immigrated here from China when I was 2 years old?</p>
<p>Really not much unless it’s somehow really screwing up graduation rates and it’s a bad neighbor hood and you’re succeeding despite the troubles. I come from a school that’s 99% white, and town that’s 98% white, and I don’t think I had any advantage at all being Asian. </p>
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<p>It helps, but I don’t weigh it as much as some posters on this board.</p>
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<p>I’m an immigrant from China at 5 years old. I’m pretty sure it didn’t help me much, if anything, it probably hurt me. I don’t think they care too much about that far past.</p>
<p>If you have good grades, etc., it sure doesn’t hurt. Top schools look for first generation college students. If were were going to the University of Maine, it would be no big deal to be from a rural area. But if you apply to a top LAC or university, particularly one from outside of the northeast, you will add to their diversity.</p>