<p>Hi, my father dropped out of his American high school. My mother obtained a degree in Peru, its not equivalent to any American degree. She studied in Peru for approximately 4-5 years I believe. She never received any education in the United States. </p>
<p>Going back in the generations from my fathers side, none of his ancestors ever received a college education. One almost did, but was interrupted by the war. </p>
<p>On my mothers side, she and her family were born and raised in Peru. I am the first to be born in the US.</p>
<p>Would I be considered a first generation college student?</p>
<p>your mother has what sort of degree? YOu say it has no US equivalency – what’s your best guess? High School? Vocational certification? Bachelors? It’s gotta resemble something.</p>
<p>With the possible exception of some scholarship programs, you never have to answer this question, nor do you get to.</p>
<p>You enter information about your parents on the Common Application: their names; their addresses, if different from yours; their occupations; their post-secondary education, if any. And then the colleges that care whether an applicant is “first generation” (and a lot of them don’t care) will decide whether you fit their definition of the term.</p>
<p>If you’re asking for the purposes if college admission, you might as well (IMO) figure you’re not, and if you ever get an admissions benefit on account of your parents’ education, be pleasantly surprised. </p>
<p>Except, even if you do get some benefit, you’ll never really know it because (1) the benefit is usually pretty small, and (2) they’re never going to send you a letter that says, “Congratulations! We admitted you to [name of university] because you’re a first-generation college student.”</p>
<p>Well its not for that, its for Cornell University’s 2013 Fall Women in Engineering Hosting Program (WIE). One of the questions on the application is if I am a first generation student, which I feel like I am. Although, I have been having trouble finding a definition to make a definite declaration on whether I am or not. I am also an only child, so there are no other children that in my family that could have even gone to college.</p>
<p>What does your mother do for a living? Does she use her education? If she is working as a store clerk or a waitress or a housekeeper ( service industry) then you can probably say first gen, but if she is working in a professional career alongside other well educated people you probably can’t.</p>
<p>You said you mother has post-secondary education that resulted in a degree. That means you are not first generation. It has nothing to do with having siblings or not. It has nothing to do if it is in the U.S. or not.</p>