<p>I'm having trouble finding out if a "hook" includes being first generation (my parents were born in India). Also, does it help in admissions for Harvard, or in general, at all?</p>
<p>It helps a little. It is about 1/5th “the hook” of being an URM though.</p>
<p>^Awww…that sucks. Are you sure it’s that low?</p>
<p>That was an approximation, but it does not help nearly as much as being an URM. It helps somewhat though</p>
<p>It definitely does help in admissions. I don’t think anyone except in admissions can approximate how much being first-gen can help. But Harvard, among others, is pushing really hard to increase its socioeconomic diversity (which is the most common complaint about Harvard and the like for many decades now - that it’s “for the rich and priveleged,” etc.), and % first-gen is a measure of that. Harvard even goes on tours with other colleges targeting low-income and first-gen students.</p>
<p>Are you also a low-income student? If so that’s another form of adversity that can give you a significant boost in admissions.</p>
<p>So, I am a first generation Indonesian, and seeing as how there’s only ONE Indonesian (that I know of) in Harvard, how much does my ethnicity benefit me?</p>
<p>I’d say that if something, it is not going to hurt you in any way. :)</p>
<p>Your Indonesian, your probably not poor, and you should probably focus on grades and actually working hard than trying to compensate using hooks and such.</p>
<p>^Let’s not assume the OP doesn’t already work hard and is not getting good grades. He might be doing that already and is asking about the hooks now to try it get that part covered.</p>
<p>First generation in the context of college admissions means that your parents didn’t go to college. This is a hook, not as big as URM but it still means something.</p>
<p>However, it is my understanding that being a first generation American is not a hook for college admissions.</p>
<p>^^
Yeah, being a first generation American counts for nothing.</p>
<p>My mom is in her low 50’s. She decided to go to college about a year or two ago, it was nothing special, about 1/2 the size of a community college. She went for about 2 months off and on, do I still count as 1st gen or no? She didn’t get a degree or anything…</p>
<p>@RevSam
Don’t worry, I am totally focusing on grades and EC’s and SATs and all that good stuff. I’m just wondering if my ethnicity is beneficial at all. I’m not sure if it will help that much since the one Indonesian in Harvard has almost 10 awards in robotics and computers and a huge scholarship. I on the other hand do not have that. :(</p>
<p>^By ethnicity, I assume you are an Indonesian who lives in US? Because Indonesians, especially first-generations, normally do not have the proficiency in English that you have showed in your posts.</p>
<p>If your Harvard material, they will accept you, Indonesian or not.</p>
<p>@ fungusmaximus
Yeah, IDK, my parents spoke pretty much 100% Indonesian up until I went into PreSchool, so my only English influence came from old television shows like the Puzzle Place and Sesame Street. 
I actually find Critical Reading and Writing really easy, aside from the darn vocabulary.</p>
<p>@ RevSam
I’m not betting it all on my ethnicity. I am actually trying my best in school, don’t you worry. :)</p>
<p>There’s some confusion here I think, because “first generation” is ambiguous. One definition applies to immigrants, i.e. the children of people who immigrated here. That can be helpful in admissions, because it’s a form of adversity and could affect the student’s performance (giving context to the student’s accomplishments). </p>
<p>But “first generation” is also used in reference to one’s parents’ educations, specifically a bachelor’s degree or higher. The idea behind it is to assess whether a student grew up in an educated environment, which has a profound effect on the student’s outcome and success. In elite college admissions, first-gen typically includes even those whose parents attended a few terms and dropped out, as well as those who attended (or even graduated from) community college. If that’s the case, the student is still considered first-gen. There are other factors that would make a student first-gen - for example, if that student is in a single-parent household, say his/her mother, and has never seen or talked to his/her father. If the mother never went to college, then the student is first-gen - even if the father has a PhD. The idea, of course, is that the educational background of one of the parents (in this case, the father) had no effect on the growth of the student. </p>
<p>Both definitions of first-gen factor into admissions. The latter, I would say, tends to be more of a hook, even if you’re American.</p>
<p>Ah, thank you for the clarification on the definition. I was confused on its meaning even after researching it online and on CC.</p>
<p>Edit: For elaboration, my dad went to law school in Indo for four years (achieving a Bachelor’s degree which became invalid as soon as he came to America) and my mom went to a nursing school in Indo for three years (I have no idea what kind of degrees they would give out there and if they are the same rank as American degrees), but she did go on to go to nursing school in America and went on to become an RN.</p>
<p>Based on the info I gave above, would I be first generation?</p>
<p>If you live with your mom and she has a bachelor’s…Nope</p>