This may seem like a dumb question, but how will colleges know that I am a first generations student? Would it be something I should include in my essays or will they be able to see it through the Common App? I feel like if I don’t exclusively mention it somewhere, it might be overlooked which I am worried about. And would it be better to write my essay surrounding that and that I’m a minority (Asian) as opposed to writing about what I was planning to (something completely different)?
They usually ask for the highest level of education your parents achieved. You could write your essay about that, but I suggest you write an essay about something you WANT to write about that shows what is important to you, not something you feel that you SHOULD write about.
What colleges are you thinking of applying to? You are probably not a minority as far as college admissions are concerned. Don’t write about that, it’s very boring and cliched, they have read a million essays about the immigrant family. Sorry if that seems harsh, but it’s true. What do you want an admissions committee to know about the type of person you are? Write about something that is unique to you.
The common app asks for the highest level of education of parents. They will see that you are first generation, which will be helpful, but not as helpful as you might think. You still need the grades and test scores, as well as all the rest if you are thinking about top colleges.