I personally was a first gen applicant back in 1984. All four of my grandparents came through Ellis Island from Italy. Neither of my parents had degrees (mom didn’t even have HS degree, dad had some college but never finished.)
Most of my cousins didn’t go to college, but my parents moved to a town in Westchester County in NYC suburbs where people went to college. My high school was college prep and all of my friends were applying to college, many of them really good ones.
My best friend and I both applied to literally the same schools…I was first gen, she wasn’t. We had nearly identical stats. I was 3rd, she was 4th. I think her score might have been slightly higher than mine (the second time…I did better the first time and then her wealthy college educated parents sent her to Princeton review…my parents didn’t even know what SAT’s were, seriously). I hand wrote my applications. She had them all typed.
Neither of us ended up at Ivies or very top schools, but I got waitlists cat many of them and she was outright rejected from ALL of them…so my question is, was First Gen given a bump then too? I ended up getting into Cornell (for that sophomore admission thing they still do today), but I didn’t go. I often wondered why many of them (Georgetown, Penn and Cornell) gave me a chance but just outright rejected her. Always wondered if it was because I was first gen.