Non-First-Generation Students: A Qualitative Study

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.

First generation college students are those who are seeking to be the first in their family to earn a degree, according to UCLA. First- generation students can come from low, middle, or high income families without a history of going to college. Families of first generation students can either be supportive of the students plan for a high education or make them feel family pressure to enter the workforce right after high school like they did. First generation students often do not know their options regarding higher education and have fears about going to college and it’s cost. Currently, 42% of UC undergraduates are first generation.

Being a first generation college student is a heavy load to carry due to the constant reminder of having to be a good role model for my siblings. Children of immigrants are often highly expected to excel in their academics and to be involved in extracurricular activities. His/her parent immigrated to the “Land of The Free” in order to receive a better life and to give their children a place to call home. They work from one to two jobs a week just so that we can dig through the pantry, and raid the refrigerator. We sometimes take our parents for granted unknowingly, and constantly fill our heads with a question that we all seem to ask. “How do I please my parents?”, “What do I have to do to make them happy?”. As students we should all be voicing “College!”. Yes, maybe our folks’s dreams have faded away, however that should be our motivation to aim higher; to achieve our American Dream. Throughout our years of education, our very own relatives and teachers have emphasized on the importance of receiving a higher education. I have come to realize that I should not be asking myself “How do I please my parents?”. Instead, “How do I please myself?”, “What will my lifetime goals be?”, “Will it leave my parents hard work in vain?”. Obtaining a higher education will not impact their lives, but will affect yours drastically. My American Dream has always been to become an immigration lawyer that deals with international relations or to become a professor teaching my true passion for

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,

Over many years college has been known as a main path to success, yet many students find themselves being first-generation college student and face many challenges that come with it, despite the efforts colleges make to remove this stigma. “Thirty percent of higher ed students today are the first in their family to attend college, while 24 percent-4.5 million- are both first generation and low income” (Opidee, 2015, P.1). These percentages are very high, with 30% of students attending college being the first in their family many students and their families don’t know what they’re getting themselves into when they get to school. Students find that being a first-generation college students affects them even before they start college.

“First-generation” is a commonly known term, yet most people do not actually know the extent of being a student who is the first in their family to go to college. The majority of the general population assumes that in order to be considered first generation, a students’ parents must never have attended college before. However, this is not always the case. The University of Florida defines first-generation as students whose parents never earned a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, a student can be considered first generation if their parents have an associate’s degree. Regardless of the definition, a first-generation student’s major issue is staying enrolled in college.

The decision of a first generation student to pursue higher education comes with the price past the inherent financial cost, of leaving their families behind. Many of these kids may feel like they are abandoning their parents or siblings, although, sometimes they feel like they are being abandond as well. They are leaving everything they know behind to pursue something that they have either dreamed of, or pushed towards their entire life. There are a few conflicting feelings that they may have, first generation students desire

This outside research leads us to know that there are many factors that contribute to the success or lack of success of first-generation students. We are able to take away the CRT as a framework that affects many of the factors that influence first-generation student’s success or lack thereof. The CRT also shines light on how the issues first-generation students face are on a systemic level of not just the student’s school but the education system in general. By looking at cultural capital we are able to where first-generation students struggle with accessing resources at their schools and how that is a direct reflection of their first-generation status. Lastly, by looking at social capital, we see that first-generation students find support

Research of first -generation students started to increase in the in the early 1970s. During this same time, universities began to solidify the classification of these students by developing guidelines for the first-generation classification and outreach programs for the disadvantaged students (not your typical). This classification and outreach programming took place due to a scarcity of college first-generation student enrollment. Currently, 50% of all college students are first-generation students and 4-year institutions have a first-generation student rate of 34%

Second, another big challenge first generations students face is the lack of guidence.In other words, the students need a helping hand in the new chapter they are about to encounter in their life.The student may not know the time frame to apply to college, the required steps into

What makes me unique from others is that I am first-generation going to college in the United States. When I tell my friends that I speak Russian, they assume that we are Russian and never ask where my family truly originates from. My family is originally from Uzbekistan, but our blood is infested with other nationalities. Growing up, my house was always filled with music, specifically Rock ‘N’ Roll. My dad and I formed a special bond when it came to Classic Rock, and started collecting vinyl’s. My whole dad’s side of the family are musicians and are in some type of band. The gift must have passed on to me; starting at the age of 5, the piano was my best friend. Slowly I picked up the violin, then joined multiple choirs. Overtime, whenever

Elam, C., Stratton, T., & Gibson, D. (2007, Spring). Welcoming a new generation to college: The Millennial students. Journal of College Admission,195, 20-25. Retrieved from http://www.nacac.com.

College always seems to find a way to the back of student minds. Every single one of them wondering if college is worth the time and energy. College have opened many doors for people who went to college and graduated than the ones that did not. The ones who already experienced college report how the experience helped them shape themselves. They also claim that their college experience made them confront many different challenges that they later again experienced in the ‘real world’. Even though some individuals think that college is not a coming of age experience, it has been proven that college is an important coming of age experience because it makes students realize some of life’s obstacles and help them prepare for their future journey called life.

I asked the students if they can go back in time when they applied for different colleges and universities what would they do differently or wish you had. They all shared that they wish they had a mentor who would lead and guide them about the steps into going to college. They wished they had someone who offered guidance to know what campus might be the best fit for their character and talents. They emphasized the fact that it would have been helpful if there was a clear instruction on how to fill out FAFSA. They talked about different terms that they did not understand until they heard from their peers. Overall, they wished they had more information about the process of applying to different colleges with detailed information about what it means to the students and the parents.

A vast amount of students are attending college, either a community college or a four-year college, making it possible for them to prosper. A lot of first-generation students are seen across college campuses; I am one of those students. Student aid such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid makes it possible for students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds afford college. Parents and the students do not have to deal with the burden of trying to pay for the full cost of attendance of college. For this reason, “... college enrollment has been rising since 2007 as well” (Tushnet 354). Students going to college get to choose their field of study. By giving them this ability, they have more motivation to seek success and work hard towards their goal. As a first-generation student, my American Dream is to graduate from college with a bachelor’s