<p>Do schools care if you were a first generation on just one side of your parents family or on both? What if one of your parents was born in Turkey as well? Do they care about that as well? How much does this all actually help in a college admissions process?</p>
<p>It doesn’t count as first generation unless both of your parents have never attained any college degree anywhere.</p>
<p>So it doesn’t increase my chances by a little if it is a first generation thing on one parents side? A little first generation? What about the other thing I mentioned?</p>
<p>No, not really.</p>
<p>I have never understood all the anxiety on CC over what counts as “first generation,” nor all the apparent angling for an advantage that attends it.</p>
<p>Maybe there’s some advantage in it, and maybe there isn’t. But whether a college that interests you will be interested in whether you’re “first generation” is beyond your control. And then if they are interested, you can’t control how much they’ll be interested.</p>
<p>More than that, it’s usually a pointless exercise to argue or speculate over whether one’s own situation qualifies as “first generation,” because there is no “first generation” box for applicants to check on their college applications. Colleges ask you to identify your parents, and give some information about them: address, occupation, and so on, including post-secondary education, if any. Those colleges that care whether an applicant is “first generation” will then make their own determination whether each applicant is or isn’t.</p>
<p>But for what it’s worth, OldArnold, I think Calico and born2dance have given you the right answers.</p>
<p>OldArnold, first generation and the educational background of your family is simply one of the many factors your admission officer may look at to put your high school achievements in context. It may or may not come to matter depending on other factors in your profile.</p>
<p>Cross-posted with Sikorsky. Totally agree.</p>
<p>Alright then. Thanks for the answers. I suppose they don’t care if your parents are from a foreign country either (in terms of using that to make a good essay topic and such).</p>
<p>I’m sure they’re not the answers you were hoping for. Sorry.</p>