Are you aware that at least forty percent of the United States is made up of first-generation students? (Earl, 1987.) Being given the label “first-generation,” by definition, means that a student is the first in his or her family to attend and finish college with a college degree. In Hicks 2006 study, he compared the educational barriers of first-generation students to those non-first-generation students. As a result, Hicks found out the first-generation students had different expectations of college, poor academic abilities, lack of social skills, low self-esteem, and more financial restrictions (Hicks, 2003; Thayer, 2000). There are many challenges that first-generation students face in pursuit of a college degree: academic challenges, …show more content…
These students are less prepared academically and are at a higher risk for failing. They arrive to a college campus with few resources and more needs for academic success. With that being said, first-generation students are in need of extra help to obtain their end goal of a college degree. Another challenge first-generation students encounter is a part of their social life and the development of social skills. These students do not quite understand life on campus and feel that they do not have much in common with their more privileged peers. First-generation students view college differently than the other students attending college. They consider college as a serious responsibility and the only way to get a high-paying job. First-generation students tend to slip through the cracks at large institutions because they do not have social support or simply the knowledge of how a university may operate. They are much less likely to contest a professor’s grade or reach out for help when it is necessary because they feel anxious. They do not understand the need for networking, accessing campus resources, and the history of the campus. First-generation students have difficulty making or finding a community on campus that fits their personality mostly because they are having trouble finding out who they are. This makes them less likely to socialize with peers and take part in student organizations. There are some first-generation students who choose to live at
The article “Motivating Firs-Generation Students For Academic Success and College Completion” by Tanjula Petty describes the additional challenges first generation students have to overcome while attending college. A well-heeled diversity and world of opportunities are a few of the positive outcomes of attending college. According to Tanjula Petty (2014), “Yet, the most cited and widely used definition for first- generation students is someone whose parents has not completed a college degree”. Students whose parents did not acquire a college degree, have a lack of support at home. Their family members are not equipped to provide information required for college difficulties students may have. They lack knowledge and resources that students that students with college-educated parents have. The article states that these students are less psychologically prepared for college. Many low-income families do not understand the benefits of graduating from college. First generation students spend more time working and less time studying unlike their classmates. (Petty 2014) Coming from low-income families, many of these students have to divide their time between college and working. Leading students to prioritize money before school. Many work full time while going to school. Working more hours than studying can potentially harm students ' success.
I agree with Crucet idea that first-generation college students have a harder time leaving their families behind. It harder for a college student to leave home
The obstacles faced by first-generation families are often steeped in poverty (First-Generation College Students: How Co-Curricular Involvement Can Assist with Success). Although first-generation students often cross all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic status, and gender lines, the path to college-completion is fraught with
In reflecting on the background of these students, I realize that they often lack the resources necessary to successfully transition, not only into college but once they graduate and are looking for careers. For this reason, I feel that the purpose for pursuing higher education for first-generation, low-income students is to provide them with better opportunities than they would have with only a high school diploma. This is especially important for these students that lack cultural capital,
Tanjula Petty addresses challenges that first-generation college students face during their college career. Petty states that forty-three percent of first-generation students who attend post-secondary institutions leave college without completing a degree. The author examines two motivation theories explaining how each increases first-generation student academic success.
As a first generation college student, I bear both pride as well as, dread. I carry the torch to bring my family pride while I become the first to go to college. However, I feel as if there are odds against me before I begin my college education. Occasionally, to overcome these odds pressure amounts upon me. I do not wish to disappoint my family and their high expectations. Due to the mixed emotions derivative from being a first generation student, I push myself harder in everything related to school. I strive to succeed in order to receive my education. Despite the large sense of responsibility as a first generation student, I am aware in which whatever I do or accomplish in life, the love from my family, specifically my parents will never
Paying for college is one of the biggest challenges many college student face. In particular, first generation college students. Many first generation college students come from low income families. Myself, being a college student and a first generation as well can relate. According to an article written by Eric McWhinnie at cheatsheet.com, 85 percent of parents worry about their children being in debt after college. My first year of college landing me in over $15,000 of debt. This was only two semesters! Being a first generation college student, I did not have many people to ask or get information about college or scholarships. I thought that since I came from a poor family I was the only one experiencing financial difficulties. I was proven
Molly Bang’s article “Nine Ways Colleges Should Support Underrepresented Students”, advised “remind students they are not alone.” If first-generation college students have a support system or a mentor, then they are more likely to be comfortable in high school to college transition rather than they feel overwhelmed and stress. However, there is a high chance that they will need financial assistance to pay school, housing, and expenses.
In today’s educational system, there are high achieve students who need little assistance in mapping their post-secondary years, and there are students who desire to further their education, but lacks the motivation or guidance. For the purpose of this project, these students will be referred as first-generation students. These first-generation students are those students whose parents did not obtain a 4-year post-secondary education. Therefore, these students are known to have a disadvantage as their parents/guardians may not see the benefits of attending college or know the process to help their children successfully pursue a degree after their high school years.
At the turn of the 20th century, the majority of college students were white male adolescents, primarily the sons of doctors, lawyers, ministers, prosperous merchants, and well-to-do farmers (Jenkins, Miyazaki, and Janosi). First generation college students are a new demographic when it comes to the college population. First generation students are the first in their family to attend college and plan to be the first in their family that graduate. According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, First Generation Students make up 43% of the student population (Nunez, Cuccaro-Alamin, and Carroll.). This is a completely new demographic compared to the prior population of student bodies. Today’s society stresses the
First-generation students (FGS) are an at-risk population who have high rates of dropping out by the end if their first year of college, compared to non-first-generation students (NFGS). FGS are a group who could potentially benefit from intervention that teach a malleable view of intelligence and teach the importance of differences in backgrounds. The current study tested these two interventions (separately and in combination) with FGS. Participants came into a laboratory and completed online modules that presented on of three intervention conditions or a control condition, then completed an anagram task to measure performance and persistence after experiencing feelings of failure. The participants were asked about their help-seeking behaviors
Hope you are doing well. It's been awhile since we've last spoke. I was a freshman at USD and you helped me a lot throughout my first year before you went on to USC.
As student populations in higher education institutions become more diversified, a vast amount of research has been conducted to support college students to have better outcomes. This article seeks to focus on the academic preparedness of first-generation college students comparing with students whose parents had college experiences through qualitative approach. Based on the previous research on the academic preparedness of first-generation college students, the author examines whether the first generation college student status affects self-assessment of academic preparedness in the same way it affects traditional measures of academic preparedness.
Graduation rates for FGS are notably lower than the rates for students who represent the second, third or fourth generation in their family to attend college. First-generation students often have jobs and children who challenge their ability to focus on an education, and lack the built-in support of parents who have experience what they are going through. Because of that, they are more likely to withdrawal through college years than their counterparts were. But being a FGS itself may have a negative effect on college persistence, student persistence and timely graduation rates as well (Ishitani 2006). According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) (2011), 70% of FGCS at private 4-year universities graduated,
When a student, whose parents or guardians did not receive a post-secondary education, completes a bachelor’s degree at a university or college, they are known as a first-generation student (Choy, 2001). For many students, becoming a first-generation student is a very significant deal not only for the student, but also for the rest of the family as well. When becoming the first student in the family to receive a post-secondary education, there is an immense amount of pressure placed on the student to successfully complete their degree. On the verge of becoming the first within the family to receive some sort of bachelor of arts, students are challenged by their families to conquer an opportunity their parents were never granted. As a