<p>I thought I'd ask this here, because ya'll are probably more informed about this kind of stuff :).</p>
<p>My parents immigrated to that States after finishing their undergrad education. Within a few years, I came out of my momma (in a hospital in CA).</p>
<p>Am I first or second-generation?
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>You are the first generation born in the US. Your parents are immigrants.</p>
<p>Wouldn't he be second generation? His parents being the first to settle in the U.S.? Not absolutely sure...</p>
<p>Who knows?</p>
<p>Immigrant generations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p>
<p>Haha, that's why I'm so confused. This is actually just for the restricted scholarship considerations (I think that's what it's called) for the UCs. I chose the option that I'm a "first-generation American" but now I'm not so sure anymore. I tried looking online, but results were like the above 3 posts :rolleyes:. I guess I'll stick with it, if I can't find another option that applies to me.</p>
<p>From the URL treetopleaf gave:</p>
<p>
[quote]
The term First generation immigrant may be used to describe either of two classes of people:</p>
<ol>
<li>An immigrant to a country, possibly with the caveat that they must be naturalized to receive this title. </li>
<li>The children of immigrant parents, first in a family line to be born in the new country.
[/quote]
</li>
</ol>
<p>My parents are #1 and I'm #2 haha.</p>
<p>FWIW: the definition I gave was that used by my PhD-sociologist mother when she did her PhD thesis on Italian immigration to the US. If it's for a scholarship app or other organization, I would check with the organization for their definition.</p>
<p>My understanding is that dmd77 is correct: Your parents are immigrants; you are first generation.</p>
<p>The usage makes more sense when you look at it from the perspective of the native country. From Wikipedia:</p>
<p>"Nisei are people, or a person, of Japanese ancestry and the first generation to be born abroad. Their parents who emigrated are known as Issei, or first generation; subsequent generations are known as sansei and yonsei. These terms are in common use in countries such as Brazil, the United States, and Canada, where there are significant communities of Japanese immigrants and their descendants."</p>
<p>You are the first generation in your parent's family to be born abroad from their native country, so you are first generation.</p>
<p>"Nisei are people, or a person, of Japanese ancestry and the first generation to be born abroad. Their parents who emigrated are known as Issei, or first generation"</p>
<p>If this is correct, then you are second generation. Your parents would be Issei (first generation) and you, Nisei (second generation)</p>
<p>No, the quote says first generation TO BE BORN ABROAD. Nowhere does it say Nisei = second generation.</p>
<p>Well, my entire life, I've called myself first generation. My parents came here as young adults. I was the first generation born here. Now maybe if they had come as babies it would feel different, but they were definitely immigrants. No one has ever corrected me when I have stated I was first generation. I've never heard someone who immigrated here referred to as first generation.</p>
<p>You are first generation.</p>
<p>Not according to AdOfficer. If your parents graduated from college in another country, you are NOT considered first generation as far as college admission process is concerned.</p>
<p>You are a first generation American, since you were the first generation of your family born in this country.</p>
<p>Ah, first-generation college-educated is NOT the same thing as first-generation American.</p>
<p>First-generation college-educated has two possible meanings: first generation to get a college diploma OR first generation to attend college at all. FGCE (I'm lazy) is often used as a demographic marker.</p>
<p>In my case, for example, I am fifth-generation college-educated (both sides), 2nd-generation American on my mother's side (my college-educated grandfather and college-educated grandmother married and came to America), and 8-generation American on my father's side.</p>
<p>I always considered first generation American as the first children born to parents who immigrated (who were born citizens of a different country). Now as far as college educated, I never considered nationality, i.e., my grandparents were educated in the universities in Europe, my parents (both first generation having both been born on US soil) were educated in American universities, therefore I'm third generation college graduate but second generation American.</p>
<p>The terms Issei, Nisei, Sansei etc. are indeed very commonly used among my Japanese American friends.</p>
<p>In Japanese (with origin in Chinese), Issei means first-generation, Nisei means second-generation, Sansei means third-generation.</p>
<p>However, the Chinese-American people I know usually do not identify themselves as nth-generation American. I suspect different ethnic or immigrant group may have a different definition of “first-generation”.</p>
<p>What if you're a naturalized immigrant and therefore first gen...would your children be first or second generation?</p>
<p>You are considered to be a 2nd generation. 1st generation refers to those who were not born in America. I've always been taught that those who are born on U.S. soil to immigrant parents (regardless of when they came here) are 2nd generation. If your parents came to America in high school, they'd be 1.5 generation.</p>
<p>Even dictionary.com states that a second generation is:
"being the native-born child of naturalized parents."</p>
<p>For admissions office purposes, you are first generation born here.</p>
<p>If you were born abroad, you would be classified as an immigrant.</p>
<p>The whole point of classifying you as first generation (or immigrant) is that it is likely that you will bring a different perspective to the classroom than all of the 7th and 8th generation kids out there.</p>