Some people said that first generation students have better chances of getting into colleges because they are exceptional or whatever it is.
The vast majority of UVa students have parents who both attended college. In any case, don’t worry about what you cannot control.
Some would say you are at an advantage in almost every aspect of life if you are raised by college-educated parents.
The research shows that students with college-educated parents are more likely to be told early on that they are going to college. They are more likely to have guidance in the application process. They are more likely to start college immediately after high school and they are more likely to graduate.
You are very lucky to be growning up in a college-going culture!
Dean J. is right. YOU are the advantaged student.
First generation students succeed despite having a disadvantage in that their families may not be as familiar with the whole college-preparation process.
Yes, it is wonderful that colleges are trying to build diversity and welcome students from backgrounds who might not normally attend top colleges in large quantities-- those groups include first generation, minority, and lower socioeconomic students.
But the inclusion of students from these groups does not mean that students outside those groups are disadvantaged. White, wealthy students of educated parents still are a vast majority of applicants and of accepted students to top colleges.
And your legacy status at your parents’ particular schools may help you at those schools, too. It won’t help if you are not as strong as other applicants, but it may help give you an edge in a crazily competitive pool if you already are a strong applicant.
If your post is from genuine worry, I agree with Charliesch; why fret about what you can’t do anything about? If it’s a political statement against affirmative action for students from less privileged backgrounds, all are entitled to their opinions, but my paragraphs above suggest a counterargument.
Best of luck in your college search. Focus on finding schools that are a good fit at a range of selectivity levels, and on creating a strong application-- the aspects of admission that are, indeed, under your control.
Every application has it’s own strengths and weaknesses.
You might be missing the “point” you get for being first generation, but there are lots of ways to earn points with admissions such as your grades, rigor, test scores, sports, doing research, winning national awards, leadership, child movie star, etc.
Nobody has absolutely everything. Nobody has to. You just have to have enough for the standards of the schools you apply to.