Parent's education

34KING18

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Quick question. If my father got his associates degree in another country but it was not accepted in the USA, and I am a first generation American, am I the first in my family to attend college? My mom only finished high school.
 
Quick question. If my father got his associates degree in another country but it was not accepted in the USA, and I am a first generation American, am I the first in my family to attend college? My mom only finished high school.
What do you mean "it was not accepted in the USA"?

I would say that your father is the first in your family to attend college. He earned an associate degree.
 
What do you mean "it was not accepted in the USA"?

I would say that your father is the first in your family to attend college. He earned an associate degree.

Degrees earned at non accredited colleges are not recognized within the US. I knew a women who had a degree in accounting from Russia, but that degree was not recognized in the US. She had to either go to a US school to earn her degree in accounting or take a job as a "general book-keeper."
 
Degrees earned at non accredited colleges are not recognized within the US. I knew a women who had a degree in accounting from Russia, but that degree was not recognized in the US. She had to either go to a US school to earn her degree in accounting or take a job as a "general book-keeper."

Good point, but colleges ask "has your parent ever attended college", not "has your parent ever obtained a reputable degree".

I guess it could go both ways.
 
This is where it gets...icky.

Are you "the first in your family to attend college?" Clearly the answer is no. Your father "attended college and graduated." The fact that his degree isn't academically accepted in the USA doesn't mean he didn't earn it, it simply means (typically) that the program overseas didn't meet US academic standards. This is actually not uncommon.

Now...if you want to say "Nope, nobody in my family has ATTENDED college" simply because your father's degree isn't recognized in the USA...I doubt anyone will question you however...there are 13 words at USAFA and I think at USMA that sorta speak to that...they begin "We will not lie...."

Just my 37 cents worth.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Either answer is correct - don't lose any sleep over it. Also, you don't really know how the admissions officers reviewing your file will react.

I have a great deal of experience on this subject. My father attended college for a few months, and was sent off to the Pacific. My mother attended college but dropped out to marry my father. That makes me the first in my family to graduate from college. However, as a result of my poor attendance while attending college, I also became the first in my family to almost not graduate from college.
 
This is not relevant to your direct question, but it seems to me that your experiences as an immigrant family could make your essay far more interesting and engaging than any other 'check box' answers in the application. Get to work on that.
 
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