hi all. in working on some of my college apps for this fall, a few things have come up that i need help on.
i’m a first-generation american; my parents came to the U.S. in 1981 following the iranian revolution. both of them are highly educated in their own right–my mother studied architecture and my dad has an m.d. despite this, due to circumstances like huge language barriers/lack of resources upon coming to the country, they both hold rather menial jobs; my mom is a store clerk and my dad sells real estate.
my dad, particularly had a very tough time. he wasted 4 years of his life trying to become a doctor in this country but was unsuccessful due to language problems/the huge disparity between medicine in the U.S. and his training in iran/raising my brother and sister.
anyway, my question is this: what would be an appropriate way to mention my parents’ education while also describing the reasons that their current jobs don’t pertain to what they studied…and also, clarifying that while my parents were highly educated, i don’t come from a priviledged background by any means-i don’t see an easy way to clarify these points through the common application.
help would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.
<p>In the world where everything matters (applying to HYPSM), it is better to downplay the academic background of your parents. I'm not saying lie, but if your parent is the head of a hospital, you write down doctor. The theory behind this is that applicants who succeed in spite of not being helped at home deserve more credit that applicants who went to prep schools and had SAT tutors. In your case, I would just fill out the app the way it is. Put in the highest level of education attained by your parents and write down their jobs. Nothing further needs to be said, and it can't matter that much anyway.</p>
<p>All of the colleges know the problems that educated immigrants have obtaining licensure in their original professions. It's nothing that you have to explain. Plenty of applicants are in your situation. It doesn't reflect on your application-- doesn't hurt you; doesn't help you.</p>
<p>When given the choice between a student whose parents have Ph.Ds and an identical student whose parents have no college education, most admissions directors would chose the student whose parents do not have any college education.</p>