Am I compared to other first generation students like URM students are? Is this still particularly helpful if I am white male?
It depends upon the school. Some will just kind of consider it as a tip factor some will have a pool, some will consider it only along with other factors, some won’t consider it at all.
@cptofthehouse What about top 25 schools? Such as schools like Cornell, Vanderbilt, Rice, and so forth.
If you google each one of those school’s “Common Data Set” each will show the criterion considered. I have mostly seen it as “considered” rather than “important” or “not considered.” I never find Common Data set on the main web sites. I’ve only found them through google. While looking you can see how your SAT scores and GPA compare with admitted freshmen.
They don’t all do things consistently just because they happen to be in the top category of some poll or ratings. Heck,even the ivy league, often grouped together, do not. And they are not telling how they specifically treat this category. Only that it can have an impact on admissions.
My UW GPA is 3.9 and my W GPA is 4.5. My SAT (which I’m retaking) is 2270. I am just curious if there is any trend with any school about the average first generation student accepted. Because, it is commonly known that URMS can have low SAT and GPA and still enter very prestigious universities, relative to Asians.
Totally anecdotal but our high school had 21 students apply to Stanford. Admittedly a lot of them probably had no shot, but probably at least 5 were competitive (top test scores, strong EC’s and LOR’s, top 1% of class, etc). The one who got in was a white first generation with no financial need – in fact from a wealthy family. Not saying he wasn’t qualified, because he was a strong candidate (but so were the Asian valedictorian and salutatorian). But he was first generation and I can’t help but think that helped him. To me, the proof is looking at what schools say when they announce the stats about their new class of admittees. Most of the top schools like to tout what percent are persons of color and what percent are first generation. Ex: Stanford says 16% of its new class is first generation. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/march/new-admits-finaid-032715.html. So yes, I think it is a factor in your favor if you are first generation. Assuming you are otherwise qualified, it might be the factor that tips you into the admitted pool.
Cptofthehouse is right, it really depends on the school.
I’m first gen, and I got accepted to Penn (where first gen status is “considered”) with a 2230 SAT, 4.3 W GPA, 3.9 UW GPA, ranked 3/470, and some really awesome essays. I personally doubt that being first gen gave me anything more than a small boost, and I’d be suprised if it was a deciding factor. I’m more convinced that it was my essays that got me in. I was also rejected from Brown and Yale.
I would check each school’s common data set and see what they say. And to answer your question about first gen vs. URMs, I’d be suprised if first gen is as strong as a hook as URM is. Though obviously I’m not an admissions rep, so this is just speculation.
I am just curious, URM, First Generation, and Interview are all classified as “considered” for Cornell and other schools too. I often understood the interview meant little, just a tool to prove the applicant isn’t a mentally disturbed James Homes. I find it troubling that the university ranks these all similarly, and instead rank it as such to be politically correct.
URM is a whole other category. Most schools that seek URMs have a separate admissions pool for those who so qualify. Though an outright quota system is denied, such schools are looking to keep the diversity in their student body. The accept rate for URMs at some highly selective schools with single digit accept percentage has been in the 40% range. That is not the case with 1st generation. It’s usually more of a tip factor, not a something that gets “hooked”.