Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
First generation college students essay
Being first gen college student peom
Being first gen college student peom
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: First generation college students essay
1. Please describe the educational levels of your parents and other family members and discuss what it means to you to be a first-generation college student.
There are five people in my family: my parents, my two elder sisters, and me. During the 1950s-1970s, my father stopped going to school after seventh grade and my mother stopped after sixth grade. My sisters and I were luckier on our way to get education. My first sister graduated from University of Economics, Saigon with a Bachelor’s Degree. My other sister graduated from Electric Power College, Saigon with an Associate’s Degree. And I am here at UC Davis as a freshman.
To me, as a first-generation college student means that I have to study hard and reach my goals in order to reciprocate for all the hard work and sacrifices my parents have made. I am their hope, their pride, their happiness, their faith, as well as their dreams and I know they have been devoting their time and health to provide me a better life. I will always strive to get the degree for myself as well as for them. I will better their social statuses and to seek for a brighter future for my family. After that, I desire to assist those who struggle on their way to achieve education so that everyone can be in equity. Then, the modernization can be complete and the
…show more content…
VNCARES (Vietnamese Cancer Awareness, Research, and Education Society) will surely be my top option. VNCARES’s first info meeting has expanded my interest in being a clinical intern. I would love to speak my mother tongue while serving my community and by doing so, I could quench my burning curiosity about human health and cancer. Furthermore, the president’s clinical experience was so meaningful and it really touched my heart. There lies the value of life and compassion among human beings. I, myself, would love to accompany other people through happiness as well as
The documentary, First Generation, follows four first generation college students who try and balance the hardships of working, sports, being part of a lower socioeconomic status and handling the challenges of learning how to apply and cover the cost of hefty college tuitions. In this paper, I will discuss barriers that some students experienced, the benefits of attainting a college education as a first generation student and some of the challenges individuals faced once they were accepted into college.
First, no longitudinal study currently exists that follows children from kindergarten to college and beyond. Of course, costs for such a study would be exorbitant, but what social implications exist from the scarcity of available research? Second, the qualitative interviews concentrate on first-generation college students from one elite university. To the best of my knowledge, no study has qualitatively analyzed the differences between first-generation and continuing-generation college students. Additionally, one elite university cannot serve as the paragon for all elite institutions. Third, the qualitative study samples from a variety of cohorts to measure change across time, but a better method would be to re-interview each student in one year increments from the time they matriculate to several years after expected degree attainment. Finally, to fully understand the experience of first-generation college students, interviews with parents, educators, and gatekeepers can provide insights that the students themselves were unaware
I am Nursing major and with that degree to become a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in the Cardiovascular System to reduce the rate of heart diease in America. I am a hardworking individual and I take my academics very seriously. I understand that I am at school for a purpose and know my purpose is to further my education. I am just trying to make it. My parents always told me growing up “ In order to get something you never had that I will have to do things I have never done.” No one prepared me for college, because I am a first generation college student. In addition to being a first generation college student ; I am also a first generation high school graduate. I use my my parents trials and tribulations as my motivation, because I want
The author, Julia Brookshire Everett commenced the article, “Public Community Colleges: Creating Access and Opportunities for First Generation College Students”, by first characterizing first- generation college students and also expounding on the difficulties first-generation students encountered when acquiring post-secondary degrees. According to Everett (2015), the term ‘first- generation college student’ was first coined in the 1960s in order to regulate student eligibility for federally financed programs to aid students from low-income households.
How does being the first in one’s family to graduate from college impact one’s desire to finish college? Some of the major barriers first generation college students face included Lack of Motivation and Lack of support and also Low Income finances.
First generation college students are students who comprise a distinct minority within most institutions of higher learning. These groups of students are the first generation of students in their family lineage to attend a college or university (Allwood, 1966). Due to the lack of family guidance in navigating through the college experience, first generation students face an array of obstacles upon entering the realm of higher education. These students are less likely to obtain their bachelor degree due to finance, family support and retention, all which ultimately limit their college experience. Not only do these students experience issues migrating through high school into college, they also lack the necessary resources some students need to achieve higher standards. For instance financial assistance, mentorship, and other motivating factors that can help a student grow into a professional.
Most first generation college students are significantly older than the average, approximately 24 year of age (Pascarella et. al 2004). The surrounding low-income environments that many of these students are raised around can explain this late age. This financial pressure can also explain another category of first generation students, preparation (Chen & Carroll, 2005). These students are often less prepared to enter the college life. They have not been exposed to the necessary preparation needed to succeed on college admissions tests and furthermore don’t meet the performance requirements that universities and institutions require. Analyzing the prefaces that surround the environment of first generation college students aids in understanding current problems faced in college as well as assist in proposing solutions for this subset of
Society today puts priority on a college degree, yet those who end up going to college are not always tended to. Of the entire undergraduate population in the United States, only 24 percent are first generation college students. From that group of students, only 11 percent earn a Bachelor’s degree after six years (Tugend). Often times first generation students are unaware of anything about college. This lack of knowledge leads to them not taking full advantage of all the resources available to them (Parks). Neither one of my parents went to college, so it was as much a learning process for them as it was for me. As a first generation student I believe that it is necessary for there to be some group of people that just devotes their time and attention to helping everyone take full advantage of everything they are being offered.
A solution to this problem would be if schools were to implement first generation counseling centers on their campus, which consist solely of former first generation students turned faculty members. If this were the case, students would have someone they can feel comfortable seeking advice from due to it being someone who’s been in the same rough spot. I reached out to a friend of mine, a fellow first-time member of his immediate family, to see how he feels about the subject. I asked what he thought the hardest part of the college process was and whether or not he would’ve sought out a first-generation center had it been accessible for him; he responded with, “The hardest part has to be figuring all this stuff out alone. Kids with college-educated parents genuinely don’t understand how lucky they are to have someone in their household, even remotely close to remembering how to fill all these papers out.
Being a first generation college student has been my biggest struggle in life. For years, I was told to attend Allen Community College before any big changes of course I didn’t listen. For years I was told I wouldn’t last in a big university, I have been told I will be unprepared and behind. I have been told that three out of five first generations students do not complete a degree. Being told something isn’t possible is a hard thing to deal with.
Being the first generation means setting an example and paving the way for future generations. However, this also means additional challenges like high expectations, guilt, and lack of guidance. During my secondary education, my family was not supportive or informed on the educational system and how it worked.
In the 21st century, if an individual decides to make a major commitment or resolution, they have the utmost support from their peers and family members. However, when a first-generation college student decides on furthering their education, the dearest people close to the student seem to disappear. Linda Banks-Santilli (2015) claims that first-generation students apply to a single college and without the help of a parent (para. 13). Although Banks-Santilli does not say so directly, she assumes that the students can not afford multiple application fees and the students are unsure on how to determine which college is a good fit, as their parents have not taken them on a college tour. I agree that first-generation students have far less help
We blame the millennials for their behavior and their different characteristics compared to previous generations; however, what if we stop looking at the millennials and start looking at the reasons that they behave sensitively? Each generation contains their differences, including the way they educate the next generation. We continuously judge the millennials behavior, but we rarely judge the people who influenced this behavior. Education has changed throughout the ages, not to mention the parenting skills that vary from generation to generation, which has affected the millennials way of interacting in the world. Millennials grow up believing that they are imperative, that they are secure, that the world will conform to their generation, and that the world is a “nice” place. This teaching, causes millennials to be sensitive babies early on in life. True, millennials have the freedom to act the way they want; nevertheless, like other generations, millennials will act the way that parents and other influences taught them to behave. The millennial generation should not be liable for their
Generation Z is determined to change the future and is at an advantage over all previous generations to do so. This group is those born between the years 1995 and 2012, whom are currently ages 4 to 21. Statistics show Gen Z is extremely mature for their age with the lowest levels of drug use, alcohol consumption, smoking, and teenage pregnancy in decades, as stated by JWTIntelligence. This demonstrates that they are future orientated. Generation Z is unified, diverse, realistic, and technologically advanced, making them the generation with the power to impact the world.
The generation that I was born into can sometimes be easily misunderstood by those in earlier generations. The individuals in my generation get thrown many different labels such as those that Rosie Evans (n.d.) listed in her article, “Millennials, Generation Y, the Lost Generation, boomerang kids, the Peter Pan generation…” and more. This can impact us as a whole because some will begin to live by the labels, in some cases that can be negative but in others it may be beneficial. Many people in this generation believe that they can’t reach their full potential due to labels and prejudgment, while there are others believe nothing can hold them back. When we get labeled all together that is also what may drive some to try to stand out from the