<p>How much is the importance of the highest level of education obtained by a parent towards Scholarships? Do they give you a higher chance if your parent has not even received a high school diploma? or what do they use this information for?</p>
<p>There are specific scholarships and grants for first generation college students. That’s one reason this could be important. :)</p>
<p>Well my dad went to school in Mexico… so I could say I’m first generation right?</p>
<p>No, when they ask for college history of your parents, they mean attending college anywhere.</p>
<p>But its not like they will know…</p>
<p>Does he have a college degree from a four college and is his degree recognized in the United States? I think you could technically say you are first generation because I doubt your fathers education could be verified but I don’t know that for sure.</p>
<p>Note to self: don’t provide information to this member in the future.</p>
<p>x-posted w/janna: add janna to the list.</p>
<p>Sad, very sad.</p>
<p>@entomom: I knew someone was going to say that…
and his degree isn’t recognized in US</p>
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<p>Entomom, I wasn’t recommending it and would not have allowed my daughter to do such a thing but the OP was asking a specific question and I was simply answering it, not passing judgement as so many of you on here do. I could not care less if you ever provide information to me. I don’t need information from judgmental people as I have my own internal moral compass I apply to my life and the lives of my children. It’s not my job to police the decision of every poster on college confidential. For that matter, it’s not yours either.</p>
<p>But he still has a four year degree…</p>
<p>Thanks jannahickey!</p>
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<p>IF you falsify information for the purpose of financial aid gain, you are committing fraud. You run the risk of losing your financial aid, admitted student status, and could be required to repay the school any wrongfully disbursed aid.</p>
<p>Your best bet is to be HONEST. Colleges very much frown on dishonestly. Don’t think they can’t find out because you know what…they can.</p>
<p>Jannahickey, I believe Entomom was referring to the OP…not you.</p>
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<p>I’m sorry, but that sounded like a recommendation/justification to me. I actually do think it that every member here should provide truthful information and urge that others do so as well. </p>
<p>It’s pretty straightforward, colleges ask for the educational history of your parents, period. They don’t state that only US colleges count or that you don’t have to answer if the school isn’t verifiable.</p>
<p>Thumper, I did add janna after x-posting. I apologize if it was unwarranted, but I don’t think providing information extends to seeking out gray areas that might not be traceable by colleges.</p>
<p>It’s a much smaller world that people realize and lies/misstatements catch up with folks all the time. Much simpler to be honest and straight-forward. Let your application speak for itself rather than run risks for misrepresenting/lying/omitting information.</p>
<p>entomom - It’s definitely your right to think and act however you want. The same applies to the OP. That doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences if the actions are wrong. I believe thumper pointed that out. All bases appear to be covered for this thread. Have a great day.</p>
<p>What on earth does “his degree isn’t recognized in US” mean?</p>
<p>That he can’t find work in that field here? Well, lots of us can’t find work in our fields, and we have US degrees and are native-English speakers.</p>
<p>That he can’t work as an engineer/accountant/teacher/lawyer/whatever here because he doesn’t meet specific licensing requirements for that profession? Well, he needs to talk to some of my friends who had to be re-credentialed in their professional field every time they moved to a new state.</p>
<p>That it is in a field of study completely un-represented in the US? Then he essentially has a general degree in the Arts or Sciences. Lots of folks have those.</p>
<p>That he submitted his academic records for formal evaluation to a company such as [World</a> Education Services - International Education Intelligence](<a href=“http://www.wes.org%5DWorld”>http://www.wes.org) and the report came back with a whole bunch of zeros? OK, then I think I might agree that the degree isn’t worth much, but it still doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the degree.</p>
<p>That the institution where he studied wasn’t even licensed to teach anyone at all under whatever guidelines the Ministry of Education set when he was a student in Mexico? Then, possibly, you might say that he has no degree at all. But only if his education was indeed totally worthless even in that labor market at the time he was studying there.</p>
<p>happymom - the reason I asked that question is because my exhusband (father of daughter in college) earned a degree from a “technical college”. His degree actually allows him to have a really good job in the IT field. However, my daughter’s college did not consider this as a “college education” when I called them and asked them for the purposes of determining if my daughter was considered a first gen college student. I was curious what type of degree the OP’s father had in light of my own experience. I probably could have found a better way to phrase the question. :)</p>
<p>jannahickey -</p>
<p>Your daughter’s college doesn’t consider this a college education, but other institutions would. You were smart to call them and ask. Not everyone would think of taking the time to do that!</p>
<p>I was asking a simple question of the importance of the higher education of parent. I came here to get advice, not to get criticized.</p>
<p>Everyone is just trying to help you and warn you of not making the mistake of cheating/lying, as you sounded like you were going to… no one is sugarcoating their language, but that doesn’t mean they are criticizing you. They are being frank and offering legit advice.</p>