<p>Does having a "hook" for being first-gen mean your parents didn't go to college, or nobody else in your family has? Like, if my brother is older than me and is currently in college, am I still considered a first-gen? He goes to a different college than the ones I'll be applying to, if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>First, being first gen is a small tip factor at a small number of schools, it’s not a hook.</p>
<p>The definition is that parents did not attend college, not sibs.</p>
<p>In addition, you are not asked, “Are you first-gen to college”. Rather, you will be asked about the college history, if any, of each of your parents.</p>
<p>I disagree about the smallness of the tip factor. A large number of very competitive colleges list “first-generation” students in their FAQ’s for prospective students, their common data sets and their acceptance letters. I think its quite a hook.</p>
<p>I heard a talk yesterday by a dean of admissions who has worked at a number of selective colleges. His definition of hooks: (1) be a recruited athlete (2) be a URM, (3) be something else that the individual institution wants, which will vary with the school.</p>
<p>mhmm: It’s not “quite a hook”. It’s a consideration factor among very selective schools. Meaning that if it was down to the final batches and there were two equally interesting applicants, the 1st gen factor might get the nod. It’s not as if immediately the entire pool of 1st gen applicants gets separated and they get read and slots allocated to them. Just not the case.</p>
<p>Truly “hooked” applicants are taken out of the general applicant pool an seriously considered. Not 1st gen.</p>