Both of my parents went to school in the Soviet Union. Neither of their degrees are documented within the United States, and their schools do not exist anymore. Our household income is that of a lower class family, and we live our lives as if they have not gone to school. Does this qualify me for first generation immigrant status?
No.
First generation status has little if any effect on admissions.
@fauve Your answer has no explanation or basis. Please elaborate.
@TomSrOfBoston I am more wondering if I would be able to apply for the many scholarships available for first gen
No, you are not first-generation-to-college (at least not honestly). That your parents’ bachelor’s degree universities were in the USSR or are no longer in operation does not mean that they do not have bachelor’s degrees.
OK, @blackcat101 . As ucbalumnus just explained. just because there is no record of your parents’ university degree, does not negate the fact that they attended a college, and earned their degrees. Quit trying to game the system by stretching- or denying-- the truth. Your economic status has no bearing on your parents’ education or intelligence, or their ability to nurture your education.
CC can be searched to see past discussions of whether first generation status is a hook. No one seems to have presented any evidence suggesting it is a meaningful hook and a search of Google scholar doesn’t point to any studies suggesting it affects admission chances positively. (On the other hand, evidence has been presented that legacy status is a hook.) Many studies find that first gen students are at greater risk of college dropout and failure to make timely progress toward a degree. So it would be odd to find that first gen status is a big hook. Instead, checking the first gen box helps the university understand the needs of its students and can help with private and public fundraising to support the added needs of this group. Adcoms might look at the first gen status as a way of placing other parts of the application in context. For example, it is known that first gen college students are less likely to have purchased test prep services.
@MurphyBrown QB is for students whose parents have not attended college – OP is not eligible under Questbridge. Also, the students SES is more important than any perceived 1st gen status. There’s no “first generation” checkbox that applicants mark – ever.
OP: you’re worrying over nothing. The application will ask you for your parents’ education. And as others have said, you’ve benefitted from that – even though your recent immigrant status has you in a lower income bracket. You’ll answer truthfully – ask your Guidance counselor to highlight your family income level – as that WILL help.
Correction to above post: there is a section on applications on parental education and that is where colleges collect the info on the share of applicants and enrollees that are first generation.
@CheddarcheeseMN I concur. Students definitely mark their parents’ education. What I’m saying is that colleges are free to interpret that as they please. There is no specific “I am a first generation applicant” box. That’s what I meant
American colleges shut down, too, but their graduates are still considered educated.
Lots of graduates of American universities are also underemployed and drive taxis or pour lattes at Starbucks.
You are lower income, but not First Gen.
First gen is decidedly an advantage at some schools. But let’s be clear here - first generation definition as it applies to college admissions mean you are the first generation to attend college, not the first generation to be born and raised in the USA. You can check CDS to see whether a certain college considers it in admissions or not. Some colleges have special recruitment programs for first gen students above and beyond their involvement in Questbridge, which is more income driven, such as special weekends.They also provide special services at some colleges to ensure first gen student success. It’s doubtful that any of the this reporting and programming would take place if it wasn’t an admissions consideration, at least at some schools.
Tp answer the OP’s question, no, I would not consider you first gen if your parents have a college education, even if it wasn’t obtained at institutions in the USA.
@MurphyBrown Thanks for the correction. I believe it was 1st gen before – unless I’m really losing it! 