@pazhhalysta . . . I think they would generally word it as “if your parents haven’t had any college, then you’re 1st gen.” So with your parents having attended (and presumably becoming degreed), regardless of it being on foreign soil with respect to the US, wouldn’t qualify you.
Besides being 1st-gen encompasses somewhat of a nebulous formula for admissive purposes at UCLA. The admin at the University likes to promote its 1st-gen numbers, but there isn’t one thing that would get them in. Firstly, there will be many who will have excellent and comparable stats to the rest of the students.
Secondly, however, those it admits in a more holistically based way (read: those with lower stats) will most likely have attended really bad high schools because of the assumption of lesser education breeding worse educational opps. Race isn’t supposed to be a factor in admittance at UCLA and UC (and those of Persian background presumably as yourself aren’t considered URM), but the University’ll get its target numbers of race within this 1st-gen cohort by holistically targeting those of lower economic background who’ve consequently had to overcome extreme hardship.
As to how this applies to you negatively:
- You obviously attend a very good, well-funded high school, so even if you were 1st gen, this wouldn’t apply to your seeming negatives wrt to your unweighted grades – and UCLA does look at uwgpa.
Positives:
- However, you have overcome much adversity by being dropped off in the states for high school, and you’ve had to mature and take care of your sister, which obviously had a play in your grades;
- You’re a very unique student with unique interests, which you said you would play up to.
Anyway, best of luck; I feel that you’d have a lot to offer UCLA, but it’ll be an uphill battle.