I am a first-generation college student, however, I’m not low income (I feel like too many people often assume first gen = low income), which is definitely not always the case. However, when super selective need-blind schools asked me if I was first generation, I was honest and said yes. It didn’t ask if I was low-income AND first gen. It simply said are you low income OR first gen or just simply asked if I was first-gen (with the provided definition of: neither of your parents hold 4 year degrees).
I’m an OK applicant for top schools, but I certainly don’t have a great shot and maybe not even a good shot. Having a potential hook makes me feel a little bit better. I hear sometimes schools will look at your zipcode, but my zipcode has a large mix of low-income and midd/upper middle class people, so I don’t think that would help that much either.
I could be totally off here as well. Are colleges automatically assuming first-gen = low income (obviously they’re smart enough not to just assume that, but what’s the big interest in first-generation students anyway? Just to say they have them?)
Sorry if any of this comes off negatively. I’m just wondering.
You answered the question honestly; that is all you can do. Each college is free to decide how much of a bump, if any, a particular status warrants. IMO, for those schools that do give a bump for first-gen, it’s not as much of a bump as URM, as an example. And no hook will make up for a substantial deficit elsewhere.
As a first generation college student you add to the diversity of the school. And that is a highly valued perspective regardless of one’s family income.
While true, most colleges can easily assemble a diverse class without giving a diversity bump. LGBT comes to mind as a group that adds diversity, but gets no admissions bump.
Are you sure about that group not getting a bump ? Also, tough question because it is up to each individual school as to how they value diverse qualities.
I am not aware of any college that has publicly stated that LGBT applicants get a bump.
As I said from the outset, each college sets its own policies (I’ll clarify to add, where allowed by law) as to what gets a bump. Few colleges are transparent on this topic. In some cases, the legal system has dictated what is not considered a bump (e.g. URM at California publics).
I believe that first generation gets a bump at many schools. I believe this because it’s one of the things schools consistently (in the last several years) brag about when they announce the new admitted class. And you’re right that first generation does not necessarily mean low income.
It’s true that UCs can’t give URMs a boost, but they do give first-gen and low-income a boost. As one of the UCB Statistics professor stated in a YouTube video, the first-gen and low-income overlap a lot with URM. So, in another word, UCs are using first-gen and low-income to get around the legal requirement of not considering URM.
IMHO, first-gen + low-income is a powerful combo and will give a large boost; first-gen alone will give a smaller boost.
The assumption - and colleges know this is not always accurate - is that kids coming from a family where the parents went to college have certain advantages over kids whose parents did not go to college, for instance in the type of advice and support parents can give wrt what’s needed to get to college and to succeed there. Although there may be overlap with low income and/or URM families, the mere fact that parents didn’t go to college can be its own disadvantage, even if those parents are white and middle class. Hence the boost.