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Background on first-generation students
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Background on first-generation students
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Being a first generation student attending college isn’t always easy. Not only is it very hard financially, but also difficult to do the many steps necessary to apply to a college and commit to the college of your choice. There are a lot of confusing steps and it would be much easier if my parents had gone through it before. However none of that will stop me from furthering my education.
Since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to have my own classroom and teach kids. Most kids avoid school in all ways, but that is where I want to be for the rest of my life. After high school I am planning on furthering my education at a university to become a teacher myself. I’m majoring in Early Childhood Education (grades K-4) and also Special Education.
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?
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
Everett pointed out the favorable circumstances provided by public community colleges which created access for first-generation students. She divided access into five categories: financial, geographic, programmatic, academic, and cultural/social/physical accessibility. She went on to elaborate the different ways in which these elements aided first-generation students in attending college. She concluded the article with a few challenges faced by first-generation students and the programs that were implemented to combat such challenges.
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 include lack of motivation, lack of support, and low income finances. Some freshman students might lack the motivation to do well in school because of the lack of appropriate role models or mentors in the academic environment. These difficulties can be tied to lack of support at home; the parents might not be concerned about their child's education, maybe the parent lacks the ability to guide them through college, the parent might not have the process of having not navigated it themselves. Parents might feel embarrassed that they don’t have any knowledge to help them through college.
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
If failure ever becomes an option, reconsider your choices and work out a plan where it is not even considered. Finding groups that help first generation students will help you tenfold. Students do not have to face the learning curve alone. Tutors and professors understand that being a first generation student is difficult even if the university doesn’t have anything to help. On top of not knowing about college and dealing with a learning curve, first generation students also have a fear of becoming unrecognizable to their own families. The development of two separate identities can often make it difficult for these students to branch out and learn. The fear of becoming someone else and not knowing can lead students to living in a shell where they are not only excluding themselves from others, but also from learning and being educated. More colleges need to implement a program that helps first generation students transition to college life. Without anything being done, these students will continue to have the highest dropout
In my opinion, colleges should recognize that being a first –generation student and seeking for help is not easy. They have hard challenges to overcome and may choose to remain invisible to not cause disturb. Many of them arrive with low income difficulties and lack of education which makes them an easy target to discriminate. First generation college students
I plan to never stop learning. I feel I have a thrust for knowledge that can never be quenched. I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education. Upon completing that degree I plan to share the wealth of knowledge I have attained. I plan to start teaching in or around the Appalachian area. I would like to stay in West Virginia, but for reason unknown I would be prepared to move to western Virginia, eastern Kentucky, or northern North Carolina. I then plan to enroll in graduate school to receive my masters, and then I wish to complete my education with a doctoral degree. I wish that one-day to help inspire the future teachers of America or the world.
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
To achieve these goals, the entering freshman need to be at a certain level academically. Unfortunately, first-generation college students are more likely to come to college under-prepared than their peers, and less likely to persist. In a 2006 Pell Institute report, Engle, Bermeo, & O’Brien found:
I desire to continue my education after graduating from State College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education, possibly majoring in science or history. With a teaching profession, the sky is the limit at what can be achieved. Who knows, I may one day change the life of a little person who grows up just like I did, and discovers that THEY TO CAN HAVE IT ALL! A family and a rewarding career in education.
College can be a very stressful time in a student’s life. Researchers conducted three studies regarding the relationship between financial literacy and the completion of a degree, and if students have a harder time adapting to university than continuing -generation female students based on their current involvement with their own parents. They also measured the total amount of stress a student might have about attending university. This literature review will provide first generation male and female college students reasoning’s why they should not be hindered in graduating with a college degree compared to continuing-generation students; following with a correct support system, stress
Becoming a teacher has been the ultimate aspiration for myself since the first day I walked into kindergarten. As a very timid student, it was a difficult task transitioning from being with my mother everyday, to being part of a classroom environment full of strangers. However, my kindergarten teacher helped me through this transition smoothly, and adequately. I very quickly learned to love school. Soon after, I knew I would aspire to become a teacher. I would spend countless hours at home with a blackboard, acting as a teacher to my imaginary students throughout my elementary school years.
I am so excited about one day teaching our children. My goal is to be a positive influence on a child and I cannot imagine anything more important to do with my life than helping children. A quote from Herbert Kohl sums up my feelings of becoming an educator: “I believe the impulse to teach is fundamentally altruistic and represents a desire to share what you value and to empower others. I am not talking about the job of teaching so much as the calling to teach. Most teachers I know have felt that calling at some time in their lives.” My dream is to someday soon fulfill my calling.