Is being a first-gen student a plus when applying to grad school, REUs?

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raremeatsandcheeses
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:39 pm

Is being a first-gen student a plus when applying to grad school, REUs?

Post by raremeatsandcheeses » Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:36 pm

Hi, I am a domestic Asian/White male, and in my first year of undergrad.

I'm here to ask: when applying to REUs / grad school, is it advantageous to make it known that I am a first-gen* college student/high school graduate?

*What I mean by first-gen is a little complicated. I was raised primarily by my mother, for both work reasons and personal reasons that have never been fully disclosed to me. My father has a bachelors degree. But, on my mother's side, I am a first-gen high school graduate and first-gen college student. Because I consider myself as 'raised by my mother,' I am wondering if it is worth mentioning this (details included) to REU programs and in my graduate schools applications, if prompted.

cauchysequence
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2019 5:14 pm

Re: Is being a first-gen student a plus when applying to grad school, REUs?

Post by cauchysequence » Thu Oct 01, 2020 12:40 am

If you feel like it is a necessary component of who you are as a person today, I personally think it is a valuable piece of information to discuss. Especially considering that at some REU programs strongly emphasize research opportunities for people who might not have many opportunities, it could help you in some ways. But of course, if there isn't a positive way to say it, it might be more helpful to be left unsaid.



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