Being “First Gen” is in vogue and is a hook. It is another way colleges are attempting to diversify the community of their college. Being “First Gen” will, IMHO, get you a little more leeway in terms of GPA/Rigor/ECs. How much is “a little”… I guess it depends on the college and the institutional need and how you stack up against other “First Gen” kids applying. This, again IMHO, is the same as for URM. A First Gen / URM who has stellar academics is like a unicorn to AOs. They will all want that person. This is why you hear of X person who gets into every Ivy and Elite school they apply to. They are absolutely qualified and colleges want to report that they are not just admitting a homogeneous applicant pool. So, and since you did not post your quals, if you have the stellar academics and package yourself up well in the essays I think you will get many offers. If you have “less than” academics and rigor but package yourself up well in the essays then you have a “hook” but how weighty that hook is will be determined by the other “First Gens” in the applicant pool. HTH and Good Luck!