If you’re a first-gen parent with a rising junior or senior in high school, you’re probably starting to feel that familiar mix of excitement and overwhelm when it comes to college. You’ve been here before – you navigated the system, earned your degree, and figured it out. But here’s what I want you to sit with for a second: the process you went through to get to college? It looks almost nothing like what your child is facing right now.
I say this not to scare you, but to free you from the assumption that your experience is enough to guide them through this. And I say it from 14 years of combined college admissions and counseling experience, this landscape has genuinely shifted!
First, Let’s Get Clear on What “First-Gen” Actually Means
There’s a lot of confusion around this, so let’s clear it up. First-generation means that neither parent has earned a bachelor’s degree – not an associate’s, not an international university. A bachelor’s from the US. So even if your sibling went to college before you, if your parents didn’t have that four-year degree, you were first-gen. And now, as a parent who has earned that degree, you’re raising the next generation and the stakes feel high because you know what education can do.
What’s Actually Changed in College Admissions
A few years ago, during the pandemic, colleges got flexible. Test-optional policies popped up everywhere, and institutions were more lenient across the board. But that era is shifting. More and more colleges and universities are returning to requiring ACT and SAT scores, and on top of that, admissions overall has become significantly more competitive.
To put it in real terms: I graduated high school with about a 3.4 unweighted GPA and a 19 on the ACT. Back then, I likely would have gotten into a school like University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. That same academic profile today? It wouldn’t make the cut. That’s not a judgment, that’s just the reality of where higher ed is right now.
Checking Boxes Isn’t Enough Anymore
Here’s the piece that I see first-gen families miss most often: it’s no longer enough to take AP classes, join a few clubs, and fill out the application. Colleges want to see intentionality. They want proof that your student isn’t just interested in a major – they’ve been actively building toward it.
Say your child wants to study biology to eventually become a doctor. Great. But what has their high school experience shown about that interest? Have they done any kind of research project, volunteered in a healthcare setting, gotten a CNA license, or attended a program related to the sciences? Because they might be going up against a student with a similar GPA and test score who has done those things and in that case, that student gets the spot.
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about being strategic and intentional from early on, ideally junior year at the latest.
Knowing About College vs. Knowing the Current College Process
This is the gap I keep coming back to. As first-gen parents, we know what college is. We lived it. But knowing the current admissions process – the nuances, the strategy, what schools are actually looking for right now – that’s a different kind of knowledge. And without it, our students can either be limited (applying to too few schools) or overwhelmed (not knowing where to even start).
There are over 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States. Building a smart list isn’t just about reach, target, and safety schools: it’s about fit, financial aid opportunities, and real chances of admission based on your student’s actual profile.
This Summer Is the Time to Start
That’s exactly why I launched Avila College Consulting – to bridge this gap for first-gen families in a way that’s accessible and affordable. This summer, I’m opening a beta group of just 10 students, rising juniors and seniors, to work through the college process together, one-on-one, from building a school list all the way through enrollment.
If you’re listening from anywhere in the US or even from Mexico and thinking about a US education – I’d love to connect. I’m offering a free 20-minute consultation to start, so we can see if it’s a good fit.
DM me at @avilacollegeconsulting on Instagram, or send an email to podcast@vivalamami.com. The spots are limited, and this summer is the perfect time to get ahead.
Because you worked too hard to get here to leave your child’s college journey to chance.
Show Notes
In this solo episode, I’m getting real about what it actually takes to help your child get into college in today’s landscape, because spoiler: it’s not the same process we went through. As a first-gen parent myself with 14 years of combined college admissions and counseling experience, I’m breaking down what’s changed, what still matters, and how you can start building a real strategy this summer, whether your kid is a rising junior or senior.
What You’ll Hear:
- What “first-generation” actually means and why the definition matters more than you think
- How the college admissions landscape has dramatically shifted post-pandemic
- Why checking the boxes on a college application isn’t enough anymore
- The real difference between knowing about college and knowing the current college process
Resources Mentioned:
- Follow Avila College Consulting on Instagram: @avilacollegeconsulting
- Book your FREE 20-minute consultation with me!
About Jessica Cuevas
Jessica is the founder and creator of Viva la Mami, LLC a community centered around Latina motherhood. Jessica created this platform after not finding empowering stories about experiences of Latina moms. She realized that there was a lack of representation in this space and felt there was a need for mamis to share their stories and to learn more about the nuances about motherhood through a cultural lens.
Viva la Mami’s mission is to empower the modern Latina mom to redefine the meaning of madrehood through education, story-telling, and cultural relevance all while bringing comunidad together.
