Am I first generation?Answered
Hello, I will be going through the college application process this year and I was wondering if I'm first generation. Both my parents didn't attend a four year college but my sister will be the first in my family this year. After her, I'll be going to college too. Does this still consider me first generation?
1 answer
If neither of your parents have a college degree then yes, you’re 1st gen.
Nope - the first “gen” is generational. being the first in your family to go to college does carry a lot more weight, but 1st gen is still significant. 1st gen just means that neither of your parents went to college and you’re part of the first generation in your family to go to college
Ohhh okay makes sense, thank you so much! Will being first generation benefit me in college applications?
yes! it’s not a shoe-in but typically about 15% of the class at prestigious unis (since that’s where you’re looking) is reserved for 1st gen. it’s one of those “other” categories like intl students/legacy/recruited athletes. it’ll give you a slight boost but not enough to go from rejection to acceptance just based off of that. admissions officers will also take that plus your socioeconomic background into account when evaluating your essay
ohh okay, that's understandable! Thank you for your helpful answer :)
no prob! can you check my answer as “accepted?"
of course!! :)
It doesn’t matter if my sister is the first one going to college?