When discussing the application question that inquires about your parents’ college background, the word “valid” isn’t … well … valid. 😉  That is, there is no “good” or “bad” way to respond to this question, and your admission decisions won’t be linked to the prestige of your parents’ alma maters.

I imagine that some admission officials will recognize the names of the Korean universities that your parents attended and others won’t. But it doesn’t matter. The primary purpose of this often-controversial question is to allow admission officials to ferret out the “first-generation-to-college” candidates who commonly get a small advantage in the admission process and are sometimes eligible for special scholarships.  When admission officers see that an applicant’s parents did attend college, it doesn’t matter so much which college they attended; it simply tells them that the applicant is not “first-gen.”

But, of course, admission officials do tend to make assumptions based on all sorts of information in the application. And many admission folks will concede (at least with a gun to their heads 😮 ), that these assumptions can be inaccurate or even unfair.  For instance, if they see a certain private school or a snazzy Zip Code on the application, they may infer that the student has had certain advantages which, in reality, might not be true. Similarly, if a parent’s profession is listed as “Cellist” or “College Professor,” the admission committee may expect that the student has had opportunities (exposure to the arts in particular) that the child of a “Factory Worker” or “Cafeteria Aide” may not have had. Again, these conjectures can be completely off target, but this whole crazy process is one that is rife with suppositions.

So those few admission officials who recognize the name of your parents’ colleges may realize that these are well regarded Korean schools and thus might have expectations for you that are a teensy bit higher than if your parents had gone to less illustrious institutions. But, ultimately, your answer to this question on the application will not really have any impact on your admission outcomes … certainly not one that will move the needle toward … or away from … the “Accept” verdict.