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Considering the theme of equal opportunities companies (purport to) care about, is mentioning that I am the first person in my entire family to go to university a bad idea? It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but it's tough out there and you have to use what you have to get into an industry dominated by Oxbridge grads.

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    I don't see why they would care that you're the first or that it would have any bearing on their decision to hire you, or not. You should list your degrees (and your schools if you choose), but listing the fact that you're the first in your family to go to university isn't relevant.
    – joeqwerty
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 16:35
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    No, don't treat a job application like you would a college/university application. They do not care. You know this yourself. You wrote "(purport to) care about". That being said, stop discounting yourself. You may not have come from the best University, but that's fine. The subject you chose to study is a notoriously difficult one. The fact that you did so well in it is very good for you. Definitely, apply to the Big Three, but apply to other companies as well. Getting job offers is a numbers game.
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Commented Jun 15, 2019 at 18:57
  • For me it leaves a bad taste too, so what makes you think this information should be part of the information you provide?
    – puck
    Commented Jun 16, 2019 at 6:46
  • Update: I got a short phone interview. I did say that I was the first to go to university in my academics section, but without any gushy spiel. I mentioned it briefly after going into my high grades, scholarships, and study abroad experience as an extra way of flexing. Mind you the application was off the back of a recommendation, so maybe my cover letter had less importance than usual. Thanks for all your support guys.
    – Hanadulset
    Commented Jul 5, 2019 at 8:53

1 Answer 1

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Your cover letter’s job is to get you the interview. Your pioneering educational effort shows perseverance and courage, as you know.

Can you make the case, briefly, in your cover letter that your perseverance and courage will benefit your employer and their clients? If you can do that, definitely do!

All the best to you.

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  • Truly the point isn't saying you went to college per se, but highlighting positive traits of you that your employer would like to have on board. It all depends on how you word it.
    – lucasgcb
    Commented Jun 18, 2019 at 8:18

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