Do you have a culture to emphasize/be proud of being the first in your bloodline who went to college?
Posted by Green-Ad5663@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 185 comments
I‘m from Germany and I’m the first one in my family tree to be able to graduate from university.
You may have heard that uni education is tuition-free here, but even then it’s a steep climb for someone with no family support. Emotional and financial.
The academic background of your parents still remains a good predictor whether you will earn a degree or not. 64% of academic parents vs only 20% from working class. For a country who advertises itself as egalitarian, this may sound surprising for you.
Hence, this has been an ongoing debate. Many people emphasize how they still managed to fight this battle, even if the odds were against it. Many people including me feel prideful.
Does there exist a similar awareness in the US?
Significant_Menu_313@reddit
Great job! It is a big deal in the US, too. You should be proud of yourself. German Uni is no joke.
Green-Ad5663@reddit (OP)
Thanks!
What makes you say this?
Significant_Menu_313@reddit
We spend about a month in Germany almost every year and his whole family lives there. They mostly major in law and mathematics and it isn't a walk in the park. My husband went to Tuebingen and he says it was pretty challenging compared to American uni which he also attended. I went to uni in Spain andI thought it was pretty manageable. It obviously depends a lot on your major, etc.
frickenfantastic@reddit
Nope
Crazycatlover@reddit
That sounds very similar to the US even though we pay an arm and a leg for education.
SueNYC1966@reddit
First of all, no one talks about bloodlines like that. I was the first one to graduate and my parents didn’t seem that interested.
Flimsy-Surprise-4914@reddit
Yes. Proud Mexican-American first to get a bachelor’s degree. With my influence, now my nephew has a doctorate. All 3 of my kids have bachelor degrees. One is working on his masters degree and one is working on her doctorate in veterinary medicine medicine 😊😊😊
Guy2700@reddit
Not really. My mom and my aunt took that title from me I think. I am the first of the grand children to graduate from college (only because I’m the oldest by 7 years).
vw503@reddit
I’m Asian so no. It’s expected.
jigokubi@reddit
In this case, wouldn't the family members before you have also gone to college, making you not the first?
vw503@reddit
No I was still the first. It’s still expected too though
Riker_Omega_Three@reddit
For a lot of families it's a big deal
On my dad's side he was the first college graduate and it was a big deal to his mom
wafflehousedumpster@reddit
My college (made up primarily of students from poverty), actually had all first-generation graduates stand at the ceremony. Not sure if thats common though.
FolsgaardSE@reddit
Pa said I is the first to finish high school and not get knocked up. So he bought me a deer riffle and a case of Bud.
Dgp68824402@reddit
I’m proud that my family tradition is that all of the women, since the 1920s, have gone to college and graduated and worked long careers.
Physical-Incident553@reddit
Yes. I was the first on my dad’s side of the family to graduate from college (university). My parents were white/pink collar even though they didn’t have degrees. Relatives/cousins on my dad’s side had manual labor jobs, many children out of wedlock while in high school, multiple didn’t graduate from high school. There’s a reason I’ve not had contact with that side for ages.
Physical-Incident553@reddit
I was bullied by multiple relatives on dad’s side of the family for doing well in high school and going to college. It was stupid.
OneNerdyLesbian@reddit
Being a first-generation college graduate is usually seen as something to be proud of in the US too.
youareallsilly@reddit
It was that way when i first went to college, and now college is seen by my Boomer MAGA parents as a liberal brainwashing institution so….not so much anymore
GreatestState@reddit
For what it’s worth your parents are probably gen-x’rs. Boomers are in their 80s
TheVentiLebowski@reddit
The first Baby Boomers are turning 80 this year. Most are still in their 60s or 70s.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
There are plenty of us in our late seventies. I'm one.
TheVentiLebowski@reddit
So ... you're agreeing with me then?
pinniped90@reddit
Part of the challenge is we don't really have a common word for that generation before the boomers. I've heard Silent Generation but I don't know how prevalent that is.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
I thought silent generation was WWI.
nostrademons@reddit
Silent Generation is the generation in-between Greatest Generation and Boomers. The Lost Generation is the one that fought in WW1:
shelwood46@reddit
lol, my mom was born in 1944 and me in 1965, so we always define Boomers are 1945 (post war) to 1964 so neither of us are in it.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
That is the standard; the end of WWII to the assassination of JFK.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
Coronials? I give up.
Classic_Cash_2156@reddit
It's Generation Alpha. They don't have a real nickname yet. (The Generation before is Gen Z, and it's not like there's any more letters in the Latin Alphabet after Z, so we switched to Greek)
Generation Beta now also exists, but to be honest, the oldest of Generation Beta are literally infants right now and the vast majority of them will be born in the 2030s. So they're barely a thing.
pinniped90@reddit
Coronials....I like that. 😀
icyDinosaur@reddit
It should be the Zoomers though. They are the ones most shaped by lockdowns probably.
nostrademons@reddit
Zoomers are the people that were in school when COVID hit, from preschool to university. So yes, they are the ones most shaped by lockdowns.
Coronials are the generation that comes after that, the ones with no living memory of the world before COVID. They get to deal with all the wars, economic disturbances, loss of public trust, etc that’s the fallout. They’re also shaped by fertility rates falling off a cliff, which in the U.S. actually happened around 2017, a couple years before COVID (though the decline has since accelerated even more).
icyDinosaur@reddit
Fair, but Millennials are also the ones coming before the Millennium so... By analogy that would make sense.
Also I don't actually feel like I notice a lot of Covid fallout over here anymore. It feels almost like a distant fever dream. Is that very different in the US?
nostrademons@reddit
Yeah U.S. has been a clusterfuck since COVID. Something in the social fabric just broke then. There’s a lot more distrust, a lot more polarization, a lot more of the feeling that you have to make it on your own and you can’t depend on institutions, plus things like lingering inflation, the supply chain breaking down, and a random crisis every couple years.
FlyByPC@reddit
Yep. My parents were born a little too early to be Boomers. They're Silent Generation, and don't/didn't fit the stereotypes. (Too liberal, for one.)
pinniped90@reddit
My mom is a progressive boomer. Dad was a lifelong Republican, long military career, and renounced the entire party when they nominated Trump in 2016.
He's not really a progressive, more of a Bob Dole type Republican, but I was proud of him for telling the party to go fuck themselves when they started shitting on McCain.
FlyByPC@reddit
This is what I don't understand about Trump/MAGA.
Even our family Republicans think he's a dangerous idiot. They may not be voting Democrat yet, but every single one made it clear they weren't voting for Trump. (He's not a real conservative, is why.)
PlayingDoomOnAGPS@reddit
I thought they were called The Greatest Generation. After surviving the Great Depression and WWII, I feel like that've got a good claim to that.
GreatestState@reddit
For what it’s worth I had an uncle who was from that generation and he fit the definition. Kept his head down and kept his opinions to himself. They were better than us
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
Us?
GreatestState@reddit
Yes, us.
JayRandom212@reddit
The "Silent Generation" was before the Boomers. Before them were the WWII vets, sometimes called the "Greatest Generation".
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
The first boomers (1945) turned 80 last year.
TheVentiLebowski@reddit
The first Boomers were born in 1946.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
lol
youareallsilly@reddit
Only a Redditor would attempt to correct someone on the age of their own parents lol
GreatestState@reddit
Well I did it because I could
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
You can stick a fork in an electric socket as well, but I don’t think many would say you should.
GreatestState@reddit
I did it because I decided it was the right thing to do
PhilTheThrill1808@reddit
So you tried to correct someone on their own parents’ age, while largely misunderstanding delineations between generations, and now you’re just spouting gibberish.
It makes so much sense that you’re trying to be a TSA agent, per your post history.
GreatestState@reddit
It would be a good idea for you to keep reading my post history
TheyMakeMeWearPants@reddit
The numbers are definitely growing.
youareallsilly@reddit
I don’t even mind someone correcting someone on the generation years, the absurd part is you assuming you know my parents’ age 😂
FrenchFreedom888@reddit
"Baby Boomers" are a specific age generation and cohort. The term "boomer" is a more general term that, while derived from the term "Baby Boomer", refers to older people with outdated ideas in general, not just those of a particular age in America
GreatestState@reddit
I think boomer is an awesome word
LifeApprehensive2818@reddit
This has been a thing since before MAGA. There's a long-standing trope of homogenous, low education communities going "you think you're too good for us, huh?" if someone decides to pursue an atypical life path.
the-quibbler@reddit
Specifically, since Vietnam when the most antiwar people used long stints in college to avoid serving.
sadthrow104@reddit
It’s a complex issue and I’m sure this is in play. I think the decades long push for college has also been very unbalanced and unbiased, and along the way there have been these sweeping sentiments of ‘if you don’t go you’ll end up like that guy at Burger King, if you don’t go you’ll be like that guy climbing into the stinky manhole, if you don’t go you’ll be like that girl on the street corner selling herself’
Before someone says ‘those 3 are all very different’ yes I know they are. But I’m referring to the greater college or bust mentality that is very strong in that college push sentiment. It’s very image driven too.
Our German friend here acknowledges that their system is far from perfect and egalitarian too, and other person on here commented that their own path to trades system isn’t as fair and flexible as you’d think either. I think we in the USA can learn from their system that has this alternate option in some way without copy pasting, but with the culture wars of the last decade and with both sides cutting their nose to spite their face….idk
No-Conversation1940@reddit
My answer wasn't "yes", but I wanted it to be, and I had to leave to make it happen.
majinspy@reddit
The Monty Python sketch Working-Class Playwright took a jab at this phenomenon back in 1969.
youareallsilly@reddit
True…it’s so crazy because my parents were pushing me to go to college so hard beforehand.
LifeApprehensive2818@reddit
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you and they can find peace.
youareallsilly@reddit
Thanks…we have a good relationship overall. We just avoid politics as much as we can.
poopiebutt505@reddit
Biomer nonMAGA parent here. My concern with today's higher education is that many dont graduate in 4 years, have fewer jobs outside school and choose studies that may interest them, but not rewardingly èmploy them. Amd Ronald Reagan set up the destruction of secondary education by removing federal support of students and universities and predatory student loans. Why that man was popular, I never understood. I left the GOP over Reagan. (But then I was t GOP long, so maybe he was just standard issued GOP r racist liar cheat.
majinspy@reddit
Old Millennials like me were the last generation to get the whole "go to college, you're set after that" nonsense. Younger people are learning that that is indeed some BS. They may still not worry about student loans at school A vs B because they want to go to school in Hawaii vs down the road at the local community college...and I'm not sure I blame 'em. There's a LOT of life that can be had, but at least SOME effort can be made to shop around.
nakedonmygoat@reddit
Well, there's also the unfortunate fact that employers started requiring a degree for just about every office job in the late '80s and early '90s, and it's just accelerated from there. It became an arms race. Everyone who wants an office job gets a bachelor's degree, but that just means you can't even get in the game without a degree. Even if an employer lowers their requirements, nearly everyone applying will have a degree.
So then, just to stay competitive, you get a master's. And on and on it goes.
At the same time, starting in the '80s, public funding of universities was cut, just as more students were showing up, needing more dorms, more classes, more faculty, etc. The tech revolution was beginning, requiring the wiring of campuses everywhere, the installation of computer labs, and the implementation of large data systems that cost millions each year.
It's a mess and I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that it's a complex problem with no one cause, and complex problems aren't solved in a day. It's a damn shame that so few in power even try, though.
Zinnia1127@reddit
Some good points here.
No-Conversation1940@reddit
I have told my 17 year old nephew to go to college. He has a specific major in mind (mechanical engineering), he's been exposed to engineering basics in his high school and he enjoys it, he wants to stay in Texas where he lives so he'll get in-state tuition, and he has asked me questions about studying methods and time management.
College is still worth it for kids who put in the work to learn what they are getting into.
shelwood46@reddit
tbf, I don't think anyone ever graduated in 4 years. That was a joke in Animal House.
No-Contact6664@reddit
Is that your final answer?
College is where young people get turned gay and woke to uneducated people. It's not celebrated by those who seek to keep young people down in the same ignorance they live in.
Physical_Floor_8006@reddit
Yes, but it's not that strong. More just an anecdote. It probably won't come up unless we've known each other for a minute or you met my mom first.
OneNerdyLesbian@reddit
I agree that it often won't come up randomly in conversation, but most first-generation college graduates I know are still pretty proud of it. And I've definitely listened to parents and grandparents brag about their kids or grandkids going to college.
Agreeable_Tonight807@reddit
My dad dad was a cop my mom worked for Sears. It was instilled in my brother's we were all expected to get a college degree. Two us did other joined military.
chodeobaggins@reddit
The only person that gave a shit was my mom 😂 I was the first person to drop out of high school and the first person to go to college in my family!
Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit
Yes, it is considered something to be proud of and it is acknowledged as a difficult task to achieve. I received several scholarships specifically geared to being the first in my family to attend college (university). There was also a program in my undergraduate education geared toward assisting first-generation college students to be successful. Even in medical school I received this kind of assistance.
GreatestState@reddit
Is it that everyone else in the world says “going to university” while in the United States we say “going to college?”
iamasecretthrowaway@reddit
"College" in most of the world also (or primarily, depending on the place) refers to highschool, highschool adjacent programs, or trade schools. A college might also refer to, like, a department at a university (department prob isn't the right term), but university only refers to secondary/further education.
In the US, college only refers to secondary school. It's a place you go to receive an associates or bachelor's degree. There's no ambiguity. If you say you're going to college in the US, no one wonders if that means you're in a highschool program for 14-18 year olds or if you've graduated highschool and are continuing your education.
back-better007@reddit
It is strange as most all of our “colleges” are universities
GreatestState@reddit
I went to a college that was not part of a university so there!!!!
Overall_Chemist1893@reddit
It is absolutely true that in the US, being the first in one's family to graduate from college is seen in very positive terms. And many of us had parents who never attended college (or university-- the terms are used interchangeably here) but hoped that we would attend. I'm the first woman in my family on either side to graduate with a Bachelor's degree, and the first person-- male or female-- in my family to get a PhD.
Zinnia1127@reddit
My family is from the eastern Kentucky/southeastern Ohio area that is considered Appalachia. They had low incomes and parents would allow the children to quit school after eighth grade, even earlier, to go to work on the farm or find any kind of work. My grandmother insisted her five kids (one being my mother) graduate from high school in the 1940s/1950s since she hadn't had that opportunity. My brother was the first family member to go to college, in 1970. Then my sister and I and other cousins all went to college in the following years. Then four of the uncles, including my dad, went to college in the 1980s because factories had gone overseas and they wanted an education for other jobs. Now, some young people are not going to college and are getting factory or skilled labor jobs again. It's due to the high cost of college and just not wanting to be in classes anymore.
Wolfie_Ecstasy@reddit
I was the first and they were proud but now my family thinks college brain washed me and turned me ultra woke lol
Dazzling-Climate-318@reddit
Maybe, I was not the first in my immediate family to go to college. My mother and father met at college; my father graduated, my mother did not. I met my wife in college, I graduated, she did not and has regretted it. Our daughter has gone to college, has taken many courses, but hasn’t graduated. She has two children and is pregnant with a third, is married and her husband went to college and graduated. Her father in law has a Ph.D. and is a retired educator, her husband hasn’t decided if he wants to pursue graduate school, just as she hasn’t decided if she wants to get a degree. Maybe in a decade or two when their children get older. I’m retired so other than taking classes for fun, I won’t be finishing a Masters program or getting a Ph.D. Education is valued, but is not an overriding value for us.
uReallyShouldTrustMe@reddit
Same here. Im also the first.
Trialbyfuego@reddit
Yes there is. As you said, it's usually people from working class backgrounds showing that they are proud of themselves. It is usually supported by some light compliments from other college grads and usually made fun of by people who did not go to college.
Green-Ad5663@reddit (OP)
Why is it made fun of by those people?
Trialbyfuego@reddit
They usually think it's a waste of money/ time/ or they think college is a conspiracy to make you hate America. Also, they think that college grads act superior.
Sometimes though, it's just about your degree. And if you're an art history major with no idea how to turn that into a career they usually have a lot to say to you about it lol. Sometimes it makes sense but yes sometimes it is envy or just ignorance.
Tbh though most people don't give a fuck at all.
Green-Ad5663@reddit (OP)
Yeah, the latter we also have in Germany as a meme. For art/history/philosophy/etc basically most of humanities. It’s usually joked that you will become a taxi driver, as there are no careers.
„Do you get your taxi license on graduation day as an extra?“
Trialbyfuego@reddit
Aw haha for us we say they'll work at McDonald's but I got a humanities degree and became a school teacher after selling insurance for a little while. At least i have a salary and benefits and some time off and can feel useful to my community lol.
Is a taxi driver a bad job in Germany? I don't think it pays a large amount here in the US and I think it's also seen as a dead end job.
Specialist_Handle_56@reddit
It's sort of seen as abandoning your roots or thinking that you're better than your friends that didn't go to college. Skilled trades in particular tend to take it personally, oddly enough. They see it as a sort of moral superiority because electricians, plumbers, etc. can make the same as a college grad but college in the US means a massive pile of debt.
back-better007@reddit
We have a rather strong anti intellectual community, hence Orange Messiah
Serious-Mongoose-387@reddit
My grandfather went to a university but didn’t graduate. My dad went to a 2 year tech school. My mom didn’t go at all. So it was a big deal for me to go to a university, and then I got a master’s too.
bdanred@reddit
Its important but In my family and area in general, its just expected.
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
This won't be popular but the majority of Republicans (based on surveys) think college is a negative.
It really depends on the person and the family.
Green-Ad5663@reddit (OP)
That has been a recent shift I reckon? Due to their criticism for the curriculum, which is to them left brainwashing?
How are the reps going to get jobs if every employer requires a degree?
OpposumMyPossum@reddit
People that leave their rural town and go to college sometimes stop believing liberals are evil and get exposed to new ideas.
majinspy@reddit
There are exceptions for more "right wing" fields and fields that pay very highly: engineering, accounting, business, medicine, law, geology (oil and gas), etc
HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit
There are lots of high-paying jobs that don't require degrees from Harvard. Science, medicine, or law degrees are still respected. Business less so, arts/humanities not at all.
buginskyahh@reddit
Skilled trade schools (welding, construction, electrician/plumbing/HVAC, etc) pay very well here
Impressive-Cod-7103@reddit
Not sure if it’s cultural here, but I was the first in my family to graduate college and it was a big deal for my family.
hannahroseb@reddit
My friend in Jesus, "bloodline" is not a word you want to be using as a German.
(Apologies for the joke, just know that we would just use "family" in this context and don't really talk about bloodlines unless we're discussing pedigreed animals!)
AppropriateDark5189@reddit
My parents met in uni. They both graduated. I’m the only one of three brothers to complete a college degree.
My family was lower middle class at best. I’m not sure how that translates in Germany. I paid for all my college education by working overnight shifts and through loans because my family couldn’t afford it. I would get home from work, go to my morning classes. Get some sleep. Go to any night classes I could get, then go to work.
I ended up on a good career path. I paid my loans, traveled the country and sometimes internationally for work. I even paid off my parent’s debt so they could retire. It wasn’t easy but I made it.
I could earn a lot more and I could still travel but I have a good life. I don’t really need more. My best friend that I’ve known since childhood had a similar path. Neither of us can figure out how we made it this far :).
dobbydisneyfan@reddit
Yeah, we’re proud of that thing here. Even for strangers
baddspellar@reddit
My sisters and I were the first in my extended family to graduate college. My parents had rough childhoods. My dad graduated high school, but my mom did not.
But ... I did not have a rough childhood. My family life was stable, my parents didn't drink, we lived in a neat, modest home. I had to fund my entire college, but I always had a home to go to during break. It wasn't so impressive that I did it.
JoeMorgue@reddit
We don't have "bloodlines" in America unless you're a WWE Faction.
We're not Game of Thrones.
PromiseThomas@reddit
Oh, give them a break, English is almost certainly not their first language and they did a great job otherwise.
saberlight81@reddit
This subreddit drives me crazy the way people nitpick the vocabulary of obvious ESL speakers lmao. "Bloodline" isn't even that crazy, everyone reading this knew what they meant.
2Asparagus1Chicken@reddit
There's even a show set in the Florida Keys with that name
Ok_Salamander6797@reddit
I snorted at this, thank you
LMAO bloodlines
Vivid_Wings@reddit
Yes! Being the first of your family to go to college is considered a big accomplishment.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
Graduate. Too many of us go, gather debt and wander off w/o finishing.
Vivid_Wings@reddit
This is true. I do still think that getting to college at all is an accomplishment because you did make it further...but the cost isn't worth it if you don't graduate. I always recommend community college then a transfer to basically everyone for the cost savings and so you can see if you're struggling before heading to 4-year. It is what I did and it gave me time to figure out what I wanted to major in before I committed to full-on university costs.
2Asparagus1Chicken@reddit
I just don’t get it. My brother, who’s an engineer, goes around acting like he’s better than everyone just 'cause he’s got a fancy degree and a job where he pulls in 50k a year. Meanwhile, I'm a tradesman, busting my ass every damn day, making a cool million, and somehow, people still look down on me like I’m some kind of lowlife. It’s wild, man. I spend years working hard, learning my craft, dealing with tough conditions, and what do I get? "Oh, you’re just a tradesman, you don’t have a real job." REALLY? I’m making more than most engineers out there, but somehow, they get all the respect, and I’m still the one getting treated like I’m beneath them. Doesn’t make sense, does it? People think I’m some kind of "uneducated" grunt, but here I am, doing things with my hands, providing for people, and bringing in the big bucks while they’re stuck in some cushy office, pretending their job is so hard just because they play with numbers all day. It’s all some messed-up joke.
holiestcannoly@reddit
Yes. I'm the first person in my college to graduate and get a degree. Not even just a Bachelor's, I'm going for a J.D. (law school)
midgetyaz@reddit
Ha! First person in your family!
Otherwise that is a terrible or incredibly difficult college🤣🤣🤣
holiestcannoly@reddit
LOL I didn’t even realize
ClickClick_Boom@reddit
No, most people in my family went to college.
Boston_Brand1967@reddit
Yes. My mother finished HS, but prior to that no one else in my family had done so. I now have 3 degrees, including a MA.
My grandmother does brag about me all the time. It matters a lot to most families I have interacted with, especially in that lower-middle class/ blue collar sphere I was in. I do get some flack from members of the family who think hands on work is the only valid to make a living, and look down on an education.
No-Contact6664@reddit
I'm the first and only college graduate on my dad's side and you can fucking tell.
My mom's side is loaded with them and my cousins are brilliant. My grandma was valedictorian. Education is important to that side of the family.
Now here's the cultural rub.
The dumb side of the family blames my college education for making me how you say libtard. It is not a source of pride. It's where I went wrong. I'm sure they have the same phenomenon in Germany with the uneducated and educated.
Anyway, I haven't spoken with anyone on my dad's side of the family in 6 years.
Bluemonogi@reddit
My parents did not get the opportunity to attend college. My sister and I got to go to college. I was very conscious of not wasting my opportunity. I think my parents were very proud of us for being able to do what they were not able to.
IanDOsmond@reddit
It was when I was a kid; right now, we're in a serious anti-intellectualism backlash, and you see a lot of people down on the concept of post-secondary education at all.
HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit
And that's definitely nothing to do with insane costs and low, low standards. Some of the shit they're teaching in college these days I learned in middle school.
IanDOsmond@reddit
But if you valued postsecondary education, you would find places that weren't like that. See how that works? We have a generation of people who believe that you go to college to get a piece of paper and there is no moral failing in cheating, including having computers do your work for you, who get mad when they get bad grades because they are paying for them, who have parents who value the paper and test scores, no matter how they are gotten, rather than learning, who believe that
Reader124-Logan@reddit
I was the first in my mom’s family to go straight from high school into college. My uncle was actually the first to complete a college degree, but he went into the military first. He made the distinction that my parents putting money aside for college.
LopsidedGrapefruit11@reddit
It’s something that is generally a big deal in the US. My family is kind an anomaly in that one set of grandparents (first gen Americans born at the turn of the last century) both had advanced degrees. A lot of my friends were the first generation in their family to go or finish university.
sean8877@reddit
My wife was the first woman in her family to go to college. Problem was her parents expected her to make tons of money when she graduated but were disappointed when she made about the same as everyone else in the family. So the luster wore off after that apparently.
BabyBeeTeeth@reddit
As someone who's graduating with a bachelor's soon, while my dad doesn't even have a high school diploma or a GED and my mom only has a high school diploma, I personally am not that proud. I feel that in recent years it's been really popularized to claim it's a waste of money and time. But seeing the statistics from your post definitely makes me prouder!
SnowblindAlbino@reddit
Yes: it's called "first generation student" and at my university (I am a professor) there are many faculty and staff with "PROUD TO BE FIRST GEN" signs on their office doors. About 25% of our students are first generation currently.
HeyPurityItsMeAgain@reddit
Americans don't think in "bloodlines." There are people who are proud of being the first in their family to go to college but frankly, the standards for admission are low these days. I would congratulate them but I don't think it makes or breaks their lives.
ThePoWhiteTrash@reddit
I grew up in a trailer park. There wasn’t a single member of my extended family, or my community, who graduated from college. I was one of the first to earn a bachelor’s degree, not just from my family, but from my neighborhood.
Also, in an unusual coincidence, I’m married to a German. My wife attended gymnasium, as did her older brother, and due to an incredibly chaotic home life, they were both average students. When she explained to me the tiered high school system that exists in Germany, I was appalled, though she assured me at the time that it wasn’t an example of overt classism. (I didn’t believe her then, and I don’t believe it now.)
Eventually, she completed university in the U.S., and went on to earn a master’s degree in a medical field from the best program in the world for her field of study, where she finished first in her class. She was considering medical school back in Germany, only the programs she looked into were only interested in her high school performance in Germany, despite her educational accomplishments abroad.
My wife would have better prospects applying to German medical schools if she had never attended high school in Germany. Needless to say, she no longer argues that the German high school system is inherently fair.
I know I’ll be in the minority for saying so, but despite my own struggles and experiences in the U.S., I genuinely believe that Germany is decidedly less egalitarian than we are. Frankly, I don’t think it’s particularly close. A dirt poor kid from a trailer park in California has a significantly better outlook than a Turkish kid in Germany with similar disadvantages.
sneezhousing@reddit
Yeah I've had several friends who proud of being first in their family. My dad was first in his family as the oldest. A few of his siblings did it too. My mom and her cousin were first. They are same age graduated high school then university at the same time
For my brother cousins and I it was expected we would graduate from university since they did. Most of us did graduate. All of us went
rawbface@reddit
Yes. I'd say it's an even bigger accomplishment when there's six figures of tuition at stake. Lots of kids come from families that make too much for state tuition assistance, but not enough to pay for tuition upfront. That means they either have to take on a ton of student loans, or maintain high enough performance to keep merit-based scholarships.
Regardless of your parent's educational background, it's something to be proud of.
Basic_Procedure6687@reddit
Literally all of my family went to college for a semester and then gave up, maybe I’ll be the first
FlyByPC@reddit
Being the first generation to go to college or graduate is something to be celebrated. It doesn't apply to me personally, but I admire those who achieved it.
Cowboywizard12@reddit
I think this is a universal thing these days, doesn't matter if you're from Germany, The U.S, or Zimbabwe
Building_a_life@reddit
It was a big deal to my spouse and me. We put each other through college in the first 15 years of our marriage and ended up in better paying professional careers.
Sufficient_Cod1948@reddit
Yes, being the first in your family to graduate college is something to be proud of, I'm not sure about the culture or bloodline aspect of your question, I'll just assume that's a translation issue.
nope-its@reddit
Yes.
I even taught at a high school that was full of immigrants and they were celebrated at graduation if they were the first in their family to graduate high school. They earned a cord to wear for it at graduation. Other cords are earned based on high grades, or academic-based clubs that require a lot.
shammy_dammy@reddit
No.
BidenGlazer@reddit
Yeah, I don't know why so many people here say it is. Going to college is basically the expectation at this point. It's not anything special
improbdrunk@reddit
Perspective mate. Coming from a background that doesn't value education or hasn't been able to attain the levels they would like and still coming through with a degree is bloody impressive.
BidenGlazer@reddit
Making the same decision that 2 in 3 people your age make isn't a very difficult one. It's not as though you're going against the grain.
improbdrunk@reddit
When you're not raised in that culture or in a situation where education is valued, it absolutely is.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
I feel like a few people have not ever really looked outside their bubble. I have a friend who grew up in rural Northern California who told me that growing up, no one ever told her she could go to college, she never had a counselor tell her what she needed to do to get into college, anything. And guess what...she didn't go to college!
As someone who grew up not even that far from her (suburban Northern California), that was crazy to me! My high school was set up to push us toward a college education so that even kids whose parents hadn't gone to college would have institutional support. But this is clearly not the case for all students.
improbdrunk@reddit
Thank you, you explained that much better than I could have.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
I'm surprised to see someone say that, I have definitely heard people talk about being the first in their family to go to college and how their family is really proud of them.
As someone who is not even close to being the first in their family to go to college, it was expected for me, but other people have clearly had really different experiences.
shammy_dammy@reddit
The US has many different cultures and experiences. I, personally, do not come from a culture where college attendance is a big deal.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
I don't either, but I met people in college for whom that was not the case.
BidenGlazer@reddit
2/3 of Gen Z is going to college. Even the majority of people in the bottom quintile of income are going. Their family can be proud of them I guess, but it's still the expectation to go to college. It's not doing anything special or hard or unique.
DeiaMatias@reddit
My brother beat me to the punch on my mom's side of the family. And that's only because he's older than me. The jerk. My dad's side has been college educated since powdered wigs were in fashion.
TheRateBeerian@reddit
Not really sure about the culture bloodline part here?
I come from a low income rural family and was the first to go to college. The lineage traces to Irish on my dad's side and Dutch on my mom's said. Neither of those seem relevant to me going to college???
benkatejackwin@reddit
That's not what they're asking. They mean is it part of American culture to be proud of being the first in your family (bloodline) to earn a college degree.
Green-Ad5663@reddit (OP)
Yes now that I think about it, bloodline sounds kinda strange lol.
Would an older cousin who also got a degree still make me the first one „in my family“ to get a degree?
Technically, they’re also in my family, but not one of my direct ancestors
amazingtaters@reddit
The cousin question is going to get a lot divergent answers I think. With it we get into that nebulous question how folks define family, which is not at all uniform. Cousin especially can mean a lot of different things to different folks. I would venture that the further removed the cousin is the more likely folks would be to agree that their degree has no bearing on your "first in the family" determination.
superdupermanda@reddit
Depends on the family. Some will say "first in my immediate family" while others may count that older cousin as technically first.
I work with a scholarship that targets low-income, first-generation students interested in pursuing STEM degrees. I pushed for "first generation" because the previous wording "first in (their immediate) family" technically excluded younger siblings and that was not our intent.
Folksma@reddit
I always counted it as "family in the house I grew up in". Neither of my parents or grandparents went to college.
But my parents sibling who went no contact years before I was born had a bachelor's degree and so did his children.
Carl_Schmitt@reddit
I mean, I have ancestors that went to Oxford in the 16th century. So that ship sailed a long time ago lol.
DOMSdeluise@reddit
yeah if people are the first in their family to go to college, or to graduate from college, they tend to be proud of it and make a big deal of it.
Frosty_Employment171@reddit
My Father made a big deal of it. I didn't.
MrShake4@reddit
Yes, there’s also a significant number of scholarships and grants specifically for that.
Meowmeowmeow31@reddit
And a middle and high school elective (AVID) meant to help students on track to be the first college student in their family.
Colonel_Gipper@reddit
It's definitely something I hear. I went to the same college and got the same degree as my dad so does not apply to me
Signal-Weight8300@reddit
Both of my parents and both of my wife's parents have Master's degrees. My wife and I also have a Master's, as well as all but two of our combined siblings. Of those two, one earned a Bachelor's from an Ivy League university, and the other is in graduate school now working towards a Master's. She has two Bachelor's degrees already.
Even with this, most of us are blue collar workers. I was one of the few construction workers t my old job who had a college degree, much less a Master's. I left there to teach, which is what nost of our family has done.
Mundane-Caregiver169@reddit
It’s a narrative that is pushed here, for sure. The for-profit motive has, over time, caused self-perpetuating-administrative-bloat that justifies higher and higher tuition. Meanwhile degrees have by and large turned into nothing more than passports that admit entry into the administrative class. Higher education has not lost the “higher education” element, but it’s a special feature, not the engine. Lately it has lost a little of its shine. CS Lewis predicted that this was going to happen in 1943 in his book “Abolition of Man” which you should read- if you want to feel depressed. It’s kind of like reading a book in 2002 about how easy it would be to hijack planes and fly them into the World Trade Center written in 1990. You think, “Wow someone should have listened to this warning.”
Ok_Orchid1004@reddit
Nope
Outside_Holiday_9997@reddit
My dad loves to brag that all three of his children have degrees.
He had a good job that fully supported us, and allowed our mom to be home with us, but I grew up in the 80s so it wasn't irregular to be able to find a good job without a degree. He ran a water treatment plant for a large corporation. Couple of certificates to keep up but no degree.
He was fortunate and that he was able to pivot that role through the years by going from employee to running the place and retired well. Luckily, he isnt an "in my day.." kinda guy and knows that even without his degree..he was in a better place than the three of us are but id say the three of us are doing better than many so I cant complain.
United States
donuttrackme@reddit
Yeah, back in the day for sure. Most of my family is highly educated though at this point. The generation before mine (Dad, Uncle) already broke through not only the first undergrad degree but Masters degree and even doctorate. So I'm a failure with only a Masters lol. Me and most of my cousins are all at least college graduates, and several of us have further grad degress such as myself with a Masters, or my cousin with a law degree.
Special-Reindeer-178@reddit
College is a scam here. Also being the first in your family isnt an accomplishment really, because they accept anyone who can pay for it.
Getting scholarships and free tuition for being smart or athletic is something to be proud of, but getting a 200k dollar education loan with a 12% interest rate isnt hard to do.
TsundereLoliDragon@reddit
Sure, go be an engineer, doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, scientist, or pharmacist without going to college.
Special-Reindeer-178@reddit
Sure. But most americans arent going to college for a specific targeted industry that requires it.
They go to college because society (and school guidance counselors) tell them they have to. So they spend 100k+ at a liberal arts college getting a degree in "business" or "creative writing"
Responsible-Care-388@reddit
My family should be (dad immigrated from the middle east, mom grew up very poor in rural VA) but they don't really care that I ever went or helped/supported me.
They don't dislike that I did or anything, but in their eyes they can't relate to it and don't have much to say.
My grandparents/aunts and uncles thought it was cool though.
NeverRarelySometimes@reddit
I am a first-generation college grad, and only a second generation high-school grad. I don't look at it with personal pride; I appreciate my parents for sacrificing on my behalf, for supporting me, and I appreciate the fluid 'class' system in the US that let me feel that there are no barriers between me and what I want.
mr_jugz@reddit
oh absolutely. theres so lots of scholarships/grants built around it
sapphr3@reddit
Many US colleges have clubs, special advisors, and resources for first-gen students. It is VERY helpful and the staff is usually supportive and prideful of the accomplishment
ThreeDonkeys@reddit
I would say yes, especially if your family were immigrants to the country.
ztatiz@reddit
Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal in my family of immigrants because it’s a double first-gen thing, but I’ve found that many people whose parents went to college or grad school don’t have a sense of why or how our experiences are different. My mom decided to go back to school after my brother and I were already in college and I remember helping her study for placement exams and stopping her from entering her credit card info to a scam FAFSA website, for instance.
Longjumping_Event_59@reddit
Kind of…?
GSilky@reddit
People take pride in it. It's also kind of screwed up and illustrates how entrenched class is in America now. in 2018, researchers found that first in the family degree earners average lifetime earnings similar to middle class GED recipients. It's also illuminating to know that middle class (people with degrees, for this purpose, not being technical) make up about a third of households in the USA, and the percentage of their children who earn a degree is in the high 80s, and in the 90%s for finishing school, whereas the vast majority of "some college" is among the two-thirds of the households without degrees.
improbdrunk@reddit
That's fucking impressive mate. We do, I genuinely would look at someone that is a first gen college graduate in a higher light than someone else with the exact same credentials otherwise.
Prestigious-Craft251@reddit
Yes, Certainly. Especially if you're parents are immigrant who sacrificed alot to give you that opportunity.
44035@reddit
Yes, and at some universities there are special scholarships for first-generation college or grad students.
Many_Inevitable_6803@reddit
Yes definitely! Especially since it costs SO MUCH! And it’s a big deal to get any kind/amount of scholarship
StupidLemonEater@reddit
"Bloodline" is a very strange way to put it, but in essence, yes.
If a person is the first in their family to go to college, you can bet that fact is plastered all over their application essays.
SaltandLillacs@reddit
Yes