Am i first or third generation american?

Parents Forum
1

<p>my mom is an immigrant</p>

<p>but my dad is second generation american...</p>

<p>so would i be first or third... idk</p>

2

<p>Whatever you feel. I doubt it makes a difference.</p>

3

<p>You are a third generation.</p>

4

<p>I doubt that it is “whatever you feel”…lol. The student is 3rd gen.</p>

5

<p>@OP, are u confusing the concept of “1st gen college student” with “1st gen American”?</p>

6

<p>^ Yes. The “first generation” usually used in college admissions is first generation college student.</p>

7

<p>no my d was going to use the phrasing in her common app essay but didn’t want to misuse the terminology. thanks guys!</p>

8

<p>I don’t know why you’d use any phrasing of the sort.</p>

<p>So wait- is it YOUR mom who is the immigrant? If so your D isn’t first gen in any sense of the word. If YOU’RE the immigrant, then just have her say that and don’t worry about what to label herself- if it’s relevant. </p>

9

<p>Google it. I just did- two sources. Either the naturalized immigrant or the child of immigrants (plural)- it can vary. But- you already have one parent here more than a generation. Count yourself as one of the millions of us who were lucky enough to have American culture from a parent and no need to learn it from nonrelatives.</p>

10

<p>2.5 generation…that’s something new! :P</p>

11

<p>I thought the term “first generation” meant you’re the first generation to go to college, not necessarily that you’re the first American born generation to a family of immigrants.</p>

<p>Like, what if your parents were born in America but never went beyond high school.</p>

12

<p>Then you’re first generation college student…</p>

<p>First generation American…First generation college student…They are different things. </p>

<p>Look at the context.</p>

13

<p>@romanigypsyeyes my daughter went on my account… </p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>“1st Gen” referred to immigration until just a few years ago</p>

15

<p>It is not a label on your application or your essays. The colleges which like to take that into account are looking at the education level of the parents and the parent attending college in another country can also count in determining this status. </p>

16

<p>Change your password, don’t share acct</p>

17

<p>@fnl012, please tell your mom not to post on your account. It’s a violation of the Terms of Service and could result in your account being banned. If she would like to post then she is more than welcome to have her own account. I realize she was probably trying to help.</p>

18

<p>

</p>

<p>Then your original post needs to be clarified. Did you write it…or did your mom?</p>

<p>Not that it really matters at all for college purposes.</p>

19

<p>On the initial question–my wife is an immigrant, and I don’t think my kids would for one second consider themselves first generation Americans.</p>

20

<p>Op,
The immigrant is 1st generation.
The first generation born in the US is 2nd generation.
Your dad may be 2nd or 3rd generation depending if he was born in the US or if his parents were born in the US.
So on your mom’s side you are 2nd gen Am, on your dad’s side you are 3rd or 4th gen Am.
You could average them, I guess, but most people take the highest number of them.</p>

<p>2nd gen kids when both parents are 1st gen classically have a difficult time with one foot in their parents’ expected old ways culture and the new American culture (and American friends).</p>

<p><a href=“Second-generation immigrants in the United States - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-generation_immigrants_in_the_United_States&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;