<p>Can any1 define it exactly? What if a parent attends college and drops out? Or if a parent only received an associates degree? Or if the parent attended an university outside the country that isn't recognized in the US? What's really "1st generation?"</p>
<p>1st one in nuclear family to go to college. Neither parents, nor grandparents attended college at all.</p>
<p>what exactly is the assumption about parents going to colleges ? That 1) parents who have been college-educated will more likely have higher incomes and will encourage their children to pursure higher education; this i understand. But does "attended college" as asked on the FAFSA + college apps include "community college" or vocational schools too (ie. associates degree) ?</p>
<p>Since the "First Gen" factor is not heavily weighted against most other factors colleges wont think into it that much let alone investigate. If your parents washed out you can say your a first gen without repercussions</p>
<p>
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If your parents washed out you can say your a first gen without repercussions
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<p>Not true. If your parents attended college even if they did not get a degree you are not a first gen student. Blatant misrepresentation of the facts, which is what you are suggesting would be grounds for having your admission or your degree rescinded.</p>
<p>First generation in an of it self is not a tip factor in college admissions. It is usually a tip when accompanied with abject poverty, underperforming schools etc.</p>
<p>In government TRiO programs (Upward Bound, Student Support Services, etc) you are first gen if neither parent graduated from a four year school. so definitions vary.</p>
<p>as garland said, there are different definitions; what's college and what's a college education ? A 2-yr degree, a 4-yr degree, or both ? What about community college VS a 4-year university ? Are there any clear definitions as to what they mean by "college" as listed on FAFSA ?</p>
<p>I heard different. I am considered first generation although both my parents have PhDs. That is because they have never attended college in AMERICA so I am first generation in THIS country.</p>
<p>gshikunov,</p>
<p>In your situation what you heard was definitely wrong as if your parents have a foreign degree (especially since you state they have PhDs) you will *** not *** be considered a first generation student. Keep in mind being a first gen student is only a small tip factor that usually associated with other factors, povery or low income, students attending underperforming schools , students working to help support their families, etc, because these students have probably had very little guidance or support with their education</p>
<p>hmmm, gshikunov raises an interesting point. What about parents who have foreign degrees (not PhDs or anything) ? A first gen student is first person in the family to go to college in THIS country, or just to go to college in general ?</p>
<p>IN general. If your parents went to college in another country, they have still attended college so you would not be a first generation student</p>
<p>what if your parents didnt go to college but one of your siblings did......are you still considered first generation?</p>
<p>and in terms of how much it weighs in college admissions.....generally speaking its obviously not as big of a tip factor as being a URM but it does help certain things.......for example if you didnt do well on your SATs, especially on the verbal and writing sections, they are more likely to put less emphasis on it, knowing that you didnt have the luxury of having a fully educated parent at home helping all the time....</p>
<p>Well, I can't see a way to check if youre parents went to school if not if their degrees are in a different countries. My parents got a PhD in Russia, but it is obviously not named a PhD, it is just the equavilency of it. I have never hjad a reletive attend college in America. I don't see a way for me not to get by on first generation. I know different schools put different enphasis on this though.</p>
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<p>Different schools will define it in different ways. "First generation" college student usually will refer to a student whose parents have not attended college, period. As well, some schools will define "first generation" as "first members of the immediate family" to attend college. In this case, if you had an older sibling to attend college, you would NOT be first generation under this definition.</p>
<p>There is even some inconsistency within the U.S. Department of Education in the specific definition. In their Institute of Education Sciences / National Center for Education Statistics, they have conducted studies of "first generation" college students using varying definitions.</p>
<p>What is important about this status, though, is not whether you are indeed "first generation" but how it fits into the context of how your admissions application is evaluated. It is only one factor that is considered, and stood alone, it does not mean much. The matter of being "first generation" is a factor that is weighed with all other admissions factors that are important to a given college/university. For example, "first generation" status will mean little to a college adcom if the student's family has obvious financial assets. It is more typically considered as one flag for those who are disadvantaged in their socio-economic means.</p>
<p>Colleges understand that there may be fewer opportunities for many "first generation" students, and thus sometimes translating into a more challenging environment in which to gain education and matriculate to the next level. For these students, many of whom may be wage-earners for their families and whose parents may not even have a high school diploma, colleges will look at the student's ability to persevere despite the socio-economic hardships, obstacles and family mindsets. By "mindsets", I refer to some parents of "first generation" students who see no value in college and would prefer that their children enter the work force immediately after high school. Even if need-based financial aid is substantially offered, these parents may only reluctantly accede to their children attending college. What they see, through their filtering "lens", is that there will be a loss of immediate income necessary for the family as a whole to sustain themselves. Balancing these immediate priorities against the prospects of creating better future opportunites is a difficult choice and often results in tremendous angst for the student and the family. Sacrifices will be made if the student enters into college. However, if the student does not break what has likely been a multi-generation cycle, the family continues a circle of socio-economic defeat, perhaps even a continuing impoverished subsistence.</p>
<p>Almost all selective colleges have programs that aid first generation students, i.e., mentoring, tutoring, assigned faculty/counseling support, and special activities. These are meant to balance the "playing field" for students who arrive without having had the benefits many of their classmates may take for granted. My own sense is that this type of "first generation" student may not be spending much time on CC, because s/he has so many more personal and immediate exigencies to attend to, but this would be the type of "first generation" student that adcoms are seeking to prevent falling through the crack.</p>
<p>well gshikunov is right. How do they check if the parents got a degree abroad ? I don't believe there are any such records of this in the US.</p>
<p>NorCalDad is right, though. It's all about how your first-gen status fits into your overall application: did you have to work to support your family, do you come from a low-income family, etc. While I admit that I haven't done extensive research on what colleges/the fed,state govts/FAFSA/CSS consider to be first-gen students, (because obviously, there are different interepretations), there should be some sort of straight forward definitions on the FAFSA/school websites.</p>
<p>gooduniforme, thanks for the acknowledgement... and I do think that adcoms look hard at the context for any admissions factor. </p>
<p>Incidentally, don't confuse "first generation" status with FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, which are the two primary forms used by colleges to evaluate financial need. Neither the FAFSA nor the CSS PROFILE ask for education levels for the student's parents. Additionally, for many of the highly selective colleges/universities, admission is "need blind". Therefore, admissions and eligibility for need-based financial aid are evaluated separate from one another. By and large, parents' education level is not factored into determining need-based financial aid offered.</p>