<p>I am part of the first generation in my family to attend college. On the Common Application, I marked my parents' educations (high school) and occupations, but looking back ( after it's all submitted xD ) I realize there was never a question that asked explicitly whether I was the first in my family to attend college. Is this assumed based on the last generation's education (if so, it seems like a poor system--while my grandparent's were both enlisted men without college, it seems plausible that there might be families with college-educated grandparents and high school only parents), or am I missing something here?</p>
<p>You’re assuming that being “first gen” it’s an important factor–it’s not (I have no idea why people think it is). If a college felt this information was important to their evaluation of your application, it would be asked in a Common App supplement. Information about your parents’ education is apparently all any school wants or needs to know.</p>
<p>It’s important because some colleges do specifically look for first-in-family kids. That tends to be the more selective colleges, not state flagships, but some do care and recruit students specifically with that family background.</p>
<p>^ this. There are also scholarships for first-gen kids. Even if you had an older sibling who went to college, you are still first-gen.</p>
<p>First gen has been shown to influence admissions whether it is just or not (even if not just, I don’t really care as there are plenty of other unjust advantages taken in the American system by rich and poor alike), if only slightly. That isn’t up for discussion. I am just wondering how they even know the generational status of the applicant. On Columbia’s admitted stats, for example, it says “15% First Generation College Students.” Apparently it is something they are interested in, but how did they evaluate it when none of their questions (I completed their app yesterday) actually specifically addresses it? For now I can only conclude that the questions about parental education are taken in order to analyze the education of the student’s family, but if anyone knows more definite information I would appreciate it.</p>
<p>A school’s Common Data Set will tell you whether they care about first-generation status or not. I assume they determine it based on the information you give them about your parents’ educations. “Are you the first person in your family to attend college?” is potentially ambiguous…they just ask what they want to know.</p>
<p>“parental education” question is how they know, bigbanks.</p>
<p>Many colleges take it into account. It takes a certain type of kid to get through high school with good grades and test scores when neither parent attended college, there is likely little knowledge in the family about what it takes to get into college, and possibly much less emphasis within the family to go to college. Colleges want kids with that type of internal drive. I just wrote a letter of recommendation for a kid from a family where the parents do not have high school diplomas. Her GPA per year is 3.0, 3.2, 3.9, and 4.0. It will be interesting to see where she gets in.</p>