This might seem like an obvious question, but I’ve had this debate for quite a while. My family and my sibling were all born in Asia and immigrated to the US. This means that they are all first gen immigrants. I, however, was born in the US. This would technically mean I’m a second gen immigrant. The issue is that my sibling and I are in the same generation, but we are separate gen immigrants. I’ve looked up this issue and several websites give conflicting answers. Should I be classified as first gen or second gen?
Different immigrant communities count the generations differently.
But, in the college context, “first generation” usually means first generation to college, not generations since immigration.
I would say first generation to enter college, but technically second generation immigrant.
If this is an issue on college applications though, I’m sure you’ll be able to include your situation in an essay or “Extra info about me that you should know” section
What @ucbalumnus said, if you are a first generation immigrant it means you are the first generation to be put through an American school system (college or primary/secondary school)