Do colleges check to verify whether your parents received a degree in the colleges that they attended? My mother attended a university and has a degree in domestics in Korea, but that isn’t exactly considered as a “major” in the United States… she didn’t receive an academic education, so I’m not sure if it’s worth writing it down. She’s a homemaker, by the way.
I understand that the more educational background your parents have, the more disadvantage the admission officers have against you…? Just something I heard… (Hence my paranoia)
<p>That's not always true-- that the more education your parents receive, the more disadvantaged the applicant. Why don't you explain this situation in the additional information area?</p>
<p>That bit of information alone is not going to make a difference. When an adcom peruses an app, he gets a general idea about what kind of background you have. If you are going to a good school, living in a good address (many of them know the typical addressses), your mother does not have to work and you can afford college tuition, and your ECs show time and resources showered on you, the fact that she has a degree or not isn't an issue. But it is not a good thing to lie about these things. That is just not worth it for a number of reasons. Don't feel like teaching ethics,so I"ll be pragmatic and say that the world of academia in the US turns out to be awfully small, and some of the dangest lies get caught by the wierdest coincidences.</p>
<p>I agree with Janimom, and also have seen some amazing coincidences. The world is small. It is not worth it to misrepresent the truth. In addition, people whose parents totally lack college educations deserve whatever tip they can get from this. It is much harder for such people to get to college than it is for people whose parents have been to college even if the parents went to college in another country.</p>