“We define students as “first generation” if neither parent graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college”
My parents are immigrants from Russia, but I was born in the States. My dad learned in Russia and attended university in Moscow. However I am a first gen student to learn at an American college, should I consider myself as a first gen student or leave it as no? On JHU’s common data set it says that this IS considered and could give me a little bit of an edge.
Typically, you don’t decide or check a box on your application. You will be asked what level of education your parents have and the schools will decide if you are considered first generation. I think for the most part your answer will be no. Just because your parents obtained a degree in another country doesn’t mean you are the first generation to seek a degree.
Answer what they ask. If you are 100% sure that your father attended an accredited 4-year university, no matter the location, it would not be the truth to say you are first-generation college.
My father went to a 4-year college, but it was after WWII and basically votech training. Regardless, it still was “college” though he was a veteran on the GI Bill getting training for a job.
It does not matter where your parents went for college. You are not first generation student as defined by vast majority of schools. Only certain schools like Brown that may reconsider it if your parents received their degrees in a very different education system in a foreign country. It is not the case for you.
On the common app, you have to put in what college (if any) your parents went to. If its not a searchable option you have to type it in manually. The degree my mom got in russia was a 5 year degree, which she said was in between a bacholors and a masters, but definitly qualifed for bacholors in the us. So, I had to put down that she got ___ “bacholors” degree at ___ university.
What you consider yourself is irrelevant. What matters is what the college considers you.
Generally, if one parent has a degree, regardless of the country and regardless if the parent is utilizing the degree currently, you are not considered first-gen
Anyway, there is no check box on the application that says “Check here if you are first gen.” You list your parents’ education and the college will use that info as it sees fit. No sense in overanalyzing it, because it’s out of your control.