Hello, I was just wondering how much being a first gen college student will boost my admission chances. Although CV allowed me to select first-gen, it didn't impact my admission chances when comparing it to the exact same application without selecting first gen. Does anyone know how much of an impact this will have?
Being first generation will give you a decent admissions boost, though the exact amount is more difficult to quantify than other types of diversity. I can at least put the advantage into rough terms - being first gen will give you the kind of boost that will not make up for any major shortcomings on your application, but it will push you over the line if you are just a few points away from being admitted.
Because of your first gen status, you will be likely to receive additional merit aid and scholarships as well. For further explanation of the boost that first gen applicants receive, check out this CollegeVine blog post.
Hope this helps!
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Being first-gen won't make a big difference if you already have a better hook based on demographics. However, being first-gen will have a bigger impact if you don't have any other hook. Think of it as 100+1=101 and 10+1=11. There's a 1% difference in the first case, but in the second, there's a 10% difference. You're still adding 1 to each, but the context varies.