So my parents attended college but never graduated with a bachelor’s degree. I was wondering, will colleges look at my first gen status less if I live in a well-off community? My dad is unemployed at the moment and my mom is a business manager making ~50k. Any thoughts?
Why worry about things out of your control? You attend a great school. Be thankful. Glass half full – not half empty.
Is that the criteria for a first gen? I thought a first gen was someone whose parents had never attended.
Exactly. Typically, it’s because they didn’t have the opportunity, for whatever reason. Parents who attended but didn’t finish are sort of tweeners. Like The Bill or The Zuck, for example.
@T26E4 I appreciate the modesty, and of course I’m happy. I’m more than thankful to be having the kinds of opportunities that I have as of now. But there’s a reason why I posted two threads regards to my first gen status. The first one was just for self reassurance now that I look back at it, but this post was meant for those who really had knowledgeable thoughts on this. I asked this primarily because I saw that colleges look at the highschool/community that you come from. In my case, my first gen status would go against the well-off community that I live in. Even though this shouldn’t really be an issue, I just wanted to make sure. Nonetheless, thank you for commenting on my threads.
@redpoodles So far, I called UCB and Stanford and they say that first gens are those who’s parents haven’t received a bachelors degree.
Too many students fixate on whether or not they are classified as 1st Gen. There’s no ‘1stGen’ box to tick, the way there is for sex or race.
Based on the educational background u enter on the apication the form, the school decides whether u meet their definition of 1st Gen
Don’t waste time on things u have no power to influence.
@justonedad Interesting point. Gates’ dad graduated from law school, so I’m not sure the Gates kids would be considered first gen. (And Mom went to Duke, in any event!)