Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why have we decided to wave a wand and fast track first gen status? For generations, plenty of immigrants worked in menial jobs and worked their way up. God knows in our family, that was the case.

If a student is stellar and happens to be first gen, then great. I would not want to see a repeat of when our parents and grandparents were *blocked* from great universities even when they were stellar. But a fast-track JUST because of first gen status? Instead, how about filling the universities with our best and brightest regardless of their "story."

First-gen students are typically attending big, underresourced public high schools, and are navigating the daunting college application process without parental guidance. So, it is pretty impressive when they are top students.

Kids getting in from poorer schools are at the top of their classes. A kid from the bottom of the class at such a school isn’t getting in anywhere. If you’re at such a school, you have to be top 5% of the class even think about applying to a top college. Top 20% or 25% of the class won’t cut it like it would if you’re applying from a ritzy private high school.

A first gen kid with a 1400 from a random rural school probably has a leg up on a kid with a 1450 from Whitman or Langley.

Anonymous wrote:“We have bachelor’s degrees from other countries.”

No, not first gen.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Why have we decided to wave a wand and fast track first gen status? For generations, plenty of immigrants worked in menial jobs and worked their way up. God knows in our family, that was the case.

If a student is stellar and happens to be first gen, then great. I would not want to see a repeat of when our parents and grandparents were *blocked* from great universities even when they were stellar. But a fast-track JUST because of first gen status? Instead, how about filling the universities with our best and brightest regardless of their "story."

First-gen students are typically attending big, underresourced public high schools, and are navigating the daunting college application process without parental guidance. So, it is pretty impressive when they are top students.

Kids getting in from poorer schools are at the top of their classes. A kid from the bottom of the class at such a school isn’t getting in anywhere. If you’re at such a school, you have to be top 5% of the class even think about applying to a top college. Top 20% or 25% of the class won’t cut it like it would if you’re applying from a ritzy private high school.

Anonymous wrote:Why have we decided to wave a wand and fast track first gen status? For generations, plenty of immigrants worked in menial jobs and worked their way up. God knows in our family, that was the case.

If a student is stellar and happens to be first gen, then great. I would not want to see a repeat of when our parents and grandparents were *blocked* from great universities even when they were stellar. But a fast-track JUST because of first gen status? Instead, how about filling the universities with our best and brightest regardless of their "story."

This is like saying that it’s unfair that’s there’s a vaccine for a particular illness, because that vaccine didn’t used to exist, and therefore it’s unfair that it exists now. Is it?

Students who are first gen, on average do not have the same exposure to college that students with college-educated parents have. Many first gen students do not know how the admissions process works, while most college-educated parents are able to help their kids through it. Look at the threads on here of parents strategizing about ECs, the SAT and early decision, combined with the knowledge those parents already have, and passing it onto their kids. Most first gen kids are on their own; their high schools tend to lack “college counselors” and only have guidance counselors who have bigger fish to fry, like making sure students graduate, and do not have a lot of college-educated individuals to look to in their communities. How do you know if you want to be an engineer, doctor, botanist etc if you’ve never gotten to chat with someone who is in one of those professions?

Hopefully what I wrote makes sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“We have bachelor’s degrees from other countries.”

No, not first gen.

Misinformed. OP, you are correct that definitions vary by institution. I work for a program that supports first-gen students. We accept students who have parents who received degrees in another country.

DP. So do the institutions check? Is it a boost to be first Gen.? What are some institutions that are fairly lenient re: first Gen definition?

Anonymous wrote:“We have bachelor’s degrees from other countries.”

No, not first gen.

Misinformed. OP, you are correct that definitions vary by institution. I work for a program that supports first-gen students. We accept students who have parents who received degrees in another country.

Anonymous wrote:For college it means neither parent graduated from college. The kid is the first generation going to college.

I suppose the former could be true but not the latter. All four of your grandparents could have advanced degrees and you'd still be defined as "first generation" even though technically you aren't.

Why have we decided to wave a wand and fast track first gen status? For generations, plenty of immigrants worked in menial jobs and worked their way up. God knows in our family, that was the case.

If a student is stellar and happens to be first gen, then great. I would not want to see a repeat of when our parents and grandparents were *blocked* from great universities even when they were stellar. But a fast-track JUST because of first gen status? Instead, how about filling the universities with our best and brightest regardless of their "story."

Anonymous wrote:How do they even fact check this for the parents? This feels like something that is reall Easy to lie about and get a big boost on your application

There is the internet for one thing.
There is also the FAFSA and parents' professional employment. The engineering dad and doctor mom are unlikely to be uneducated.

If a person is being admitted because they are first gen (everything else equal), there will be some degree of fact checking. If it's just to break a tie, there may be less of it

Anonymous wrote:How do they even fact check this for the parents? This feels like something that is reall Easy to lie about and get a big boost on your application

They don’t fact check anything. But if you lie, you’ll get caught.

How do they even fact check this for the parents? This feels like something that is reall Easy to lie about and get a big boost on your application

Anonymous wrote:For college it means neither parent graduated from college. The kid is the first generation going to college.

Define “college.” Associates degree? Bachelor’s degree? Started college but didn’t finish? Trade school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an immigrant admitted to an ivy I was shocked to find out that I was considered first gen (I did put my parents' educations on my applications). My six generations of university educated ancestors were rolling in their graves.

Both my parents went to university and 1 graduated, but only 1 grandparent went to high school. 3 of them were poor farmers. So nobody will be rolling in their graves if my kids end up being considered first Gen.

No your kids would not be. First gen is not "legacy" LOL!

If YOU were the poor farmer (or even a rich farmer) that did not graduate college, AND your spouse was ALSO, then they would be first gen college.

I was just replying to the 6 Gen college student that nobody in my family tree would be rolling on their graves if my kids were considered first gen. I know grandparents don’t come into consideration for first gen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As an immigrant admitted to an ivy I was shocked to find out that I was considered first gen (I did put my parents' educations on my applications). My six generations of university educated ancestors were rolling in their graves.

Both my parents went to university and 1 graduated, but only 1 grandparent went to high school. 3 of them were poor farmers. So nobody will be rolling in their graves if my kids end up being considered first Gen.

No your kids would not be. First gen is not "legacy" LOL!

If YOU were the poor farmer (or even a rich farmer) that did not graduate college, AND your spouse was ALSO, then they would be first gen college.