<p>I was talking to students about certain things that add to your GPA/test scores, etc. in admissions. An admission officer told me that it varies a bit by school, but most love to have first generation students and give them a little edge (some even have programs for them) He said they also love to get a student outside of the area, a CA student with an identical app as a NYC student in NY would have the edge. Of course if the NY student was paying full freight and the CA student wasn't, that would count too. It makes your head spin.
I have a friend that is a first generation, multi-racial female with great grades (no tests yet) Do you feel, based on experience with students in college, this gives a real edge in today's college market?</p>
<p>My niece was first generation and she was deluged for a while with offers that mentioned that. Some had summer programs, SAT help, etc. She wasn't poor though and went to a good school. She called and asked about why they thought she needed to go to a certain program and they said, it wasn't because she was a poor student, it was to get used to the campus, meet other students and see what the course work would be like (it was a college known for rigorous workload) They know if your parents didn't go through it themselves, they might not understand how the system works...they also had financial aid info that broke down things in a more understandable way. (if that's possible) She didn't end up going to them, did very well anyway, but it can be a nice icebreaker for some.</p>