Transitioning From A Secondary Education Essay

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,

With the growing importance of higher education, more people than ever are attending college. According to a middle-class parent, “[Higher education] seen as a means of developing a career and getting secure employment.” (30, Higher Education, social class and social mobility) Moreover, “parents believe that their children need a university education to get on in life… over the past decades (parents) fearful that without a degree their children will be in danger of downward social mobility. (32, Higher

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

I am a first-generation college student. My parents never got passed high school. They were both faced with hardship and had no choice but to get a job to deal with the responsibilities of home. My dad left India at the age of 16 to build a better life for himself and my mom in America. In my household, education has always been a priority. Since my parents have felt firsthand how life is like without a degree, they made it their mission to ingrain in us a value for education like no other. However, there have been many situations in which I have found myself lost and looking for answers about college. Sadly, by being a first-generation student, my parents could not help me. Not only could they not help me, but being the first to attend college

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

First generation college students face many challenges or barriers along the road to academic success. These barriers can be and are very difficult to first generation college students. By definition a first generation college student is the first in their family to go to college. First generation college students are the first in their families to go to college compared to those who are not first generation college students, they have many more challenges or barriers. These barriers take a lot out of a first generation college student, in fact it takes so much out that 43% of first generation college student’s end up leaving college without their degree according to the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES).

Being a first generation college student has had its fair share of challenges. Both my mother and father, received their high school diplomas, but that was the extent of their educational careers. On top of that not a single grandparent on either my mother or my father’s side of the family even had the opportunity to attend high school. Though there are an endless array of resources readily available for all students, not having parents to help guide me through my collegiate academic process presented itself as daunting, as I was partially unsure of the road ahead. Being a first generation college student has been a burden, but it has also been, in a way, a blessing. I have had to face academic and financial obstacles other students have not,

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.

“Kids who are the first in their families to brave the world of higher education come on campus with little academic know-how and are much more likely than their peers to drop out before graduation” (1). Many people believe that school isn’t for everyone, and whoever goes is privileged for doing so. Countless people in the world today do not attend college, and this is mainly due to an influence of those in their family. Perhaps they are unsupportive 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 and higher learning. Most of the first-generation students decide to apply to colleges, because they aspire to jobs which require degrees. However, unlike some students whose parents have earned a degree, they often seek out college to bring honor to their families, and to ensure they make a decent amount of money for their future.

First generation college students have a difficult time from the start. They may not have the guidance, backing and understanding given by families with primary understanding of secondary education. (Dynarski n. page) These students without this experienced support at home, have an increased drop-out rate.

More people than ever are going to college, however, authors Andrea Venezia and Laura Jaeger argue that many high school students enter college without the basic knowledge, skills, or habits of mind to get through college. Venezia and Jaeger look at the college readiness of high school students, the programs in place to help with the transition, and the efforts to improve those transitions. One of the main social problems the authors’ mention is the disparity between students in poverty, and students that are more privileged. Another problem that the authors note is the peer influences and parental expectations for their child. Finally, they mention the differences between how high schools educate and what colleges expect.

College attendance factors have been explored by many researchers and school districts. Harris, Tucker, & Willis (2007) found that 90 percent of college going rates stemmed from students being exposed to: academic counseling or advising; information about preparing for college given early; admissions assistance, financial aid application assistance, or placement testing preperation; and co-curricualr activites that explored cultural and social challenges. It was found that first generation students were more accepted to higer educationt than not, but this is a common practice in college acceptance. When looking at collected data, the percentacges were low in surprising areas; like teachers believing that their students have the potential to earn

The main reason I decided to transfer to a different school was mainly due to the school’s teaching curriculum in their nursing program. Incoming Freshmen would be placed into courses designed for upper classmen. For example, one of the classes I was required to take was human physiology. The lecture’s level was 300, and consisted of older classmates in the peak of entering the health profession. When I researched to find if this teaching curriculum was normal in other schools, instead I learned many of the classes I took or was taking were suppose to be taken either in my second or third year. Slowly, I noticed the size of student population diminishing in the lectures. The students would either change majors or transfer to another school because they knew the chance of being accepted to the “official” program was very slim.

After examining the student’s responses to the surveys it became evident which turning points were the most important, the first being the transition into college. Some students cite feeling lost and wanting to return home to their parents immediately, while others recognized a trend in less frequent communication with their parents (C1, A21). Many students mark a sense of anxiety because they are unsure of when the next time they are going to see their parents, who they relied on heavily. This turning point is so important because it sets the student up to be more independent, sets the stage for the rest of the school year, as well as causes the following turning points.