Hello,
My parents are both from Japan and did their undergrads there, and went to McGill in Canada for grad school. They then came to the USA to work, and then I was born shortly after that in New York. My parents are here on greencards right now, and I carry dual citizenship. Dumb question (and excuse my ignorance), but does this make me first gen / first gen US college student / is that anything or is there anything I can put on my college app in regards to that?
Thanks!
No. Your parents are college graduates. It does not matter in which country they received their degree.
@skieurope So I can’t put anything about being the first gen to go to college in America?
No. First gen is for kids who’s parents did not go to college. Your parents did.
That is correct. It is not a dumb question, but you are not a first-generation college student. It makes no difference which country your parents received their degrees in (and by the way, Japan has a very advanced higher education system).
However, if you are looking for an edge, there is a slight chance (only slight) that dual citizenship may be looked upon favorably by some institutions. That is probably already being entered onto your application as a requirement, which is positive.
Also, you may have (near-) native proficiency in two or more languages. That could also provide a slight advantage at some institutions, so make sure you clearly indicate your language experience on your applications.
Sorry to hijack this thread, but my parents only have associate’s degrees from overseas. Would I be considered first-gen? Are two year associate degrees considered first-gen by colleges?
Likely most only consider a BS degree but some will count any amount of college. You don’t have to figure it out. The application will just ask the parent education attained. So just put the Associate degree and then forget about it. It just isn’t something to do anything about or be concerned about.
@outlooker: the common app asks for your parents level of education. You list: associates degree. There’s no “Are you a first generation student”. It actually asks for facts, not a label.
@anhydrite thank you very much, i’ll definitely think about that