<p>nngmm, For cry out loud, what are you trying to do? When did I ever say that our
[quote]
D is a first generation college student
[/quote]
?</p>
<p>She is the first one in our family to attend a 4 year college in US. Which and any part of that is not true?</p>
<p>Whenever there is a question about "first in a family to attend college", it means just that - no one in the family attended college (not a college in the US). To put on the application "the first one in our family to attend a 4 year college in US" is misleading, even if it is technically not a lie. The purpose of this question is to give some boost to students who do not come from households with highly educated parents, because they are at a disadvantage compared to others that do.</p>
<p>
[quote]
many schools consider first generation college student as undergraduates whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education
[/quote]
</p>
<p>An additional source for this definition:</p>
<p>Which states: First Generation College students are defined by the U.S. Department of Education as Neither parent had more than a high school education.</p>
<p>And cites the source: </p>
<p>U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Bridging the Gap: Academic Preparation and Postsecondary Success of First-Generation Students, NCES 2001-153, by Edward C. Warburton, Rosio Bugarin, and Anne-Marie Nunez. Project Officer: C. Dennis Carroll. Washington, DC: 2001. <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001153.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001153.pdf</a></p>
<p>But goes on to say: Why do some grant applications define First Generation College Students differently? The majority of the research literature defines first-generation students as students whose parents have no postsecondary education. In some cases, such as defining eligibility of the U.S. Department of Educations TRIO programs, first-generation students are defined as students whose parents have never earned a bachelors degree but may have some postsecondary experience.</p>
<p>“first-generation” students are defined as students whose parents have never earned a bachelor’s degree but may have some postsecondary experience.”</p>
<p>This is what S's school defines it as.</p>
<p>nngmm, I hope you are just joking with me. Otherwise, I consider what you said as being a direct personal insult. </p>
<p>
[quote]
To put on the application "the first one in our family to attend a 4 year college in US" is misleading, even if it is technically not a lie.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You are a parent, do you ever file any part of your children's application? I did not. In other words, when and where did I say anything about putting any of this on the application? You are just reading what you want to read and being negative, right? </p>
<p>There are many things our family faild to understand during our D's application process just by reading the web site or the mails. When I communicated to schools via phone calls or e-mails, I would say "our D is the first one in our family to attend a 4 year college in US. We do not understand about this part ------ of the process . Please explain it to us in details. " </p>
<p>Looks like everyone else understood my original post. I was just giving an example of how to clearly stating the situation for families like ours. Yes, I do have an earned Ph.D. from a US institution. However, we still do not understand many things in the 4 year college application process such as loans, housing, work study etc. </p>
<p>Please, do not assume negative thinking of others.</p>
<p>I don't understand why so many here are differing perhaps arguing, on the definition of first generation to attend college. In fact, I really don't see why first generation is even being discussed. The Op wanted us to define "first in family to attend college". Thats first in family, not first generation, not first in U.S., not first-hand, not first place, not first time, not first on the moon, and not first in the hearts of his countymen, to name a few other irrelevant firsts. The only relevant first is the one the Op was seeking help with- "first in family".
I also hate to see that some of those who strayed from the topic of first in family are being taken to task on their ethics. May I ask subsequent posters who may post in this thread to please get back on subject of defining "first in family to attend college" for the Op?
That might give Op a clearer picture, and might help eliminate bickering here.
Thank you.</p>
<p>OP may have stated "first in family to attend college," but many schools inquire regarding first-generation status, so a discussion clarifyiing the differences b/w the two terms is of general interest, though admittedly not responsive to the original post.</p>
<p>As for parents attending college/uni abroad - - does anyone really think that the off-spring of parents with degrees from McGill, Oxbridgethe LSE or the Sorbonne are or should be entitled to first-gen consideration just b/c the degrees were awarded by a school outside the US?</p>
<p>I'm with younghoss, post #17, on every item except one. A community college graduate with an AA or AS has completed the equivalent of two years of college; even though he/she is technically a "college graduate," I think that "college graduate" is generally understood to mean "four-year college graduate"--but the precise wording of the college/university on the application form would matter for this. </p>
<p>My university gives a boost to "first generation" applicants, so I disagree with newmassdad that it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>And foolishpleasure is exactly right . . . imagine claiming "first generation" college status for someone whose parents both had firsts at Oxford.</p>