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
After years of research, Dr. Ryan Padgett and Megan Johnson (2012) found that first generation students lack interpersonal skills when entering college because they are unfamiliar on how to interact with individuals who have a postsecondary education. By demonstrating a certain lack of skills before entering college, Jennifer Guerra of the National Public Radio extends the findings of Padgett et al. by stating first-generation students feel out of place when assimilating to their college campus. When I began college I had a small group of friends, but when I was trying to introduce myself to new people it came as a surprise for them that my parents did not attend college. After the conversations ended, I felt uncomfortable on how to act or think because I had a feeling of misplacement when talking with my fellow peers. I began to lose the confidence that I belonged in school and how I could not be the “savior” for my family without
As a byproduct of the change in college culture, it will create a “friendlier” environment for first generation. Students need to feel safe rather than out of place. Additionally, prestigious institutions need to take initiative to create new programs that will make college a painless transition for first generation students by implementing new policies such as mentors or clubs. As many colleges and universities have not taken the initiative to help first-generation students, North Carolina State University is one of the few exceptions. As a fellow first generation college student at North Carolina State University, I have reaped many benefits from the different organizations they have around campus. In the Poole College of Management, I was assigned a professional mentor in my future line of work that made the transition into college a better experience for me. After listening to his forums, I was able to use the skills I had learnt from my parents and apply it to college and my study habits benefiting me in countless possibilities. Additionally, the sociology department at North Carolina State University has created a program that guides first-generations students throughout all four years of college making the transition as
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
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.
While first-generation college students are over half of all students in postsecondary education, exclusionary practices block their admittance into elite institutions. The outliers who receive admittance to the Ivory Tower may think they have made it—that their American Dream and long-held belief in the meritocratic ethos has finally paid off. Instead, they are confronted with educational stratification and social reproduction that was stacked against them long before they received the piece of parchment granting them access. The onerous task of navigating through unfamiliar academic and social situations often results in leaving. Can first-generation college students learn how to activate, manage, and accumulate social and cultural capital to navigate elite universities?
College life is a journey taken by many high school graduate in effort to explore a higher form of education, and most importantly build a new life outside the boundaries of their families to sustain a long path of toward successful career and to some, building a new family of their own. In the United State we are blessed with an education system that is never available worldwide. Laws are placed to allow every students regardless of ethnicity, gender or class a chance to pursue education in among the most prestigious universities in the world such as Ivy League school as well as many large public universities with many programs. This vast number of education institutions available of every type of students create this big diversity leading the U.S. to be the frontrunner of education in the world.
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.
Although perhaps supportive of higher education their parents and Family members may view their entry into college as a break in the family system rather than a continuation of their schooling. In families, role assignments about work, family, religion and community are passed down through the generations creating intergenerational continuity. When a family member disrupts this system by choosing to attend college, he or she experiences a shift in identity, leading to a sense of loss. Not-prepared for this loss, many first-generation students may come to develop two different identities one for home and another for college, the student might feel he needs to do better in college then his parents. So the student might start feeling the pressure, that there is too much going on in his life and at home, because the parent is putting too much pressure to do better but the student just can’t stay focus on their studies, and they eventually will develop low grades he or she might just drop out of school, the parent might want them to work and go to school that could be difficult for the student. A student need to be successful in college to succeed, parent needs to be more supportive, and maybe their child can finish
Saunders, M., & Serna, I. (2004). Making college happen: The college experiences of first-generation Latino students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 3(2), 146-163.
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.
Students entering college for the first time become concerned with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These students are now responsible for how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands of college?
In “Choosing Success in College and Life”, Carol Kanar exposes students to the foundational skills that they will need to develop in order to be successful in the college setting. Effective interpersonal skills and understanding that people are the biggest resource can be two of the biggest factors in how a student assimilates to campus life. Students can be intimidated by all of the offices and professional titles that surround them when entering this new surrounding. It is important that students understand that their desire to succeed is met by college professionals’ mutual desire to see the same. The blueprint for this success should first begin with the students’ inner belief in themselves. Second, the student should familiarize themselves with all that the college has to offer by way of various supportive offices, support groups, and clubs. Finally, the students should begin to set scholastic, life, and financial goals for themselves.
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