Father has a certificate but never went to college, how to report this?

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>Hi all, I have a dilemma that just popped up. Simply put - my dad has a certificate, but never went to college.</p>

<p>The full story:</p>

<p>I was double-checking my parent's graduation years and while I was talking to my dad he casually mentioned that he "had an associate's degree". At first I didn't believe him, because he has never taken a college class, and didn't even take the SAT in HS. After looking at it myself, my dad does not have an associate's but he has a formal certificate in Mill Carpentry from the vocational tech division of his high school (a school that is known for its strong technical programs, but the programs are integrated into the HS). He took a few classes in mill carpentry in high school (as he always liked it and was better at 'shop classes' than real academic classes), so they awarded it to him with his HS diploma. </p>

<p>I'm not sure if and how to mention this on the Common App. My dad handwaived it and told me not to mention it, saying, "Everyone who knows about this (besides your mother, you, and myself) is dead". The Common App doesn't allow me to enter my father's high school, the lowest it asks for is undergrad college (so the way it looks now is my dad has no schools listed, with highest degree being 'high school diploma or GED equivalent). The honest part of me feels like I should mention it but the fact that my dad barely finished high school plays into the rest of my application quite a bit.</p>

<p>So, what do I do? Or at least, what would YOU do in this situation?</p>

2

<p>A certificate from his high school is not a college diploma and you said yourself it is not a associate’s degree. Your father’s highest level of education is a high school diploma. Not mentioning the fact that he has a certificate from a high school is not dishonest in any way - he does not have an undergraduate education from a postsecondary institution. Just leave it like that on the Common App. Regardless of whether or not this was playing a role in your application, it seems to be the most accurate representation of your situation.</p>

<p>That said, if you did for some reason want to mention it, I don’t think it would change or detract at all from your story that your did just barely finished high school. It just seems to be an extraneous piece of information.</p>

3

<p>You are fine. No college. Btw, some colleges consider you 1st gen if neither parent graduated from college; for others, it’s if no parent attended. He didn’t attend, but you can still be proud of him for doing the certificate.</p>

4

<p>Mm, okay then. I kinda figured it wasn’t exactly the same thing, hence my confusion. I just won’t mention it.</p>

<p>Thanks very much.</p>