What People Get Wrong About First-Generation College Students

[LevelUP]

What people get wrong about first-generation college students
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local...e80ee731d5

What are some challenges you think first-generation college students face?

[rachel83az]

Not having enough experience to know that their guidance counselor is full of it when being told that the ONLY way to get a college degree is to go to the most expensive school and take out a lot of loans to pay for tuition.

[ss20ts]

Not having any clue what is needed to get into college. Not having a clue how financial aid works. Not having anyone in your family who understands the workload and stress you're under. Being put down by family members because you're trying to better yourself. Trying to get out of crappy living situations.

[sanantone]

Not knowing anything about financial aid.
Being attracted to non-traditional schools because they will hold your hand through the admissions process. The problem with this is that non-traditional schools often lack the accreditation needed for certain occupations, and most American college students (first generation or not) don't really know what accreditation is or how it works.
Not knowing how to select schools, so you select schools you see on TV and web ads.
Not being able to afford SAT/ACT prep and/or not being able to afford to take the exams multiple times to boost one's score.

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

Not having enough experience to know that their guidance counselor is full of it when being told that the ONLY way to get a college degree is to go to the most expensive school and take out a lot of loans to pay for tuition.

Some of the interviewees in this article might share a lot in common with the group that Prof. Anthony Jack calls "the privileged poor." These are the less-advantaged students who get into top programs, but realize that "admission" isn't necessarily synonymous with "acceptance." 

As a college counselor now, I thought it was really bizarre that one interviewee's counselor didn't do a quick Google search to confirm that Occidental could meet full demonstrated financial need. They were an ED applicant... the student could just decline the ED offer if the financial aid package wasn't sufficient. Honestly, I'd also recommend a private place like Occidental in this case if the student was competitive, since even with loans and the potential for cultural discontinuity, data shows that first-gen students' graduation rates are significantly better at private universities compared to publics. I felt a lot of the same stuff almost two decades ago, and colleges still need to respond to the research that's out there and create more inclusive atmospheres for first-gen students.

[davewill]

It all comes down to information. Both too little AND too much. A second generation student has parents that guide them through the steps. A first gen student has to do all of the research and make all of the decisions on their own. It's like trying to drink from a firehose, you get soaked, and probably don't get as much to actually drink as you wanted.

High school and college counselors SHOULD help fill that parental role for them, but they don't seem to be able to do it. That was one of the reasons I didn't succeed at college the first time, I didn't know what I was doing, didn't know how to pay for it, and didn't even know what jobs and pay would be like if I graduated....and I was a white kid from a middle class family.

I think that if someone had simply walked through the numbers and laid out how I could pay for school, I'd have had a much clearer idea of how and why I should do it.

[ss20ts]

Not knowing anything about financial aid.
Being attracted to non-traditional schools because they will hold your hand through the admissions process. The problem with this is that non-traditional schools often lack the accreditation needed for certain occupations, and most American college students (first generation or not) don't really know what accreditation is or how it works.
Not knowing how to select schools, so you select schools you see on TV and web ads.
Not being able to afford SAT/ACT prep and/or not being able to afford to take the exams multiple times to boost one's score.

SAT and ACT prep is a huge thing. I was in high school before the internet so there was no way to really search these things. Sure we had the card catalog in the library with SAT books that were 10+ years old. I went to a very small high school that wasn't up to date on most things. Our encyclopedias were from the 50's and I was there in the early 90's. People would say just ask a counselor. What counselor? We had 1 guidance counselor who schedule your courses for the year and process our graduates. They didn't have much advice about college or applying or financial aid. They would often tell you that wasn't their job and to ask the college. Meanwhile I had no idea who to ask at the college. College fairs are tough on students who don't know what to ask or who to ask. They just don't know. 95% of my graduating class went to colleges in the area around us - the same region - within an hour of home. About 50% went to the same community college.

[sanantone]

Not knowing anything about financial aid.
Being attracted to non-traditional schools because they will hold your hand through the admissions process. The problem with this is that non-traditional schools often lack the accreditation needed for certain occupations, and most American college students (first generation or not) don't really know what accreditation is or how it works.
Not knowing how to select schools, so you select schools you see on TV and web ads.
Not being able to afford SAT/ACT prep and/or not being able to afford to take the exams multiple times to boost one's score.

SAT and ACT prep is a huge thing. I was in high school before the internet so there was no way to really search these things. Sure we had the card catalog in the library with SAT books that were 10+ years old. I went to a very small high school that wasn't up to date on most things. Our encyclopedias were from the 50's and I was there in the early 90's. People would say just ask a counselor. What counselor? We had 1 guidance counselor who schedule your courses for the year and process our graduates. They didn't have much advice about college or applying or financial aid. They would often tell you that wasn't their job and to ask the college. Meanwhile I had no idea who to ask at the college. College fairs are tough on students who don't know what to ask or who to ask. They just don't know. 95% of my graduating class went to colleges in the area around us - the same region - within an hour of home. About 50% went to the same community college.

Most homes had the Internet by the time I was in high school, but it was still in its early stages. There wasn't free online test prep that I was aware of. This was before the days of Khan Academy and similar organizations. My classmates in my AP courses were paying for face-to-face SAT prep courses and taking the exam multiple times. I received one fee waiver to take the SAT, so I only took it once. People might only see a 30-point bump from SAT prep and a 30-point bump from taking the exam again, but that can make a difference in acceptance. My high school handed us a booklet of scholarships to apply for, but no one educated us on FAFSA and state and federal grant programs.

[ss20ts]

Most homes had the Internet by the time I was in high school, but it was still in its early stages. There wasn't free online test prep that I was aware of. This was before the days of Khan Academy and similar organizations. My classmates in my AP courses were paying for face-to-face SAT prep courses and taking the exam multiple times. I received one fee waiver to take the SAT, so I only took it once. People might only see a 30-point bump from SAT prep and a 30-point bump from taking the exam again, but that can make a difference in acceptance. My high school handed us a booklet of scholarships to apply for, but no one educated us on FAFSA and state and federal grant programs.

We didn't have AP in my high school. No SAT prep courses. We had to go to a high school half an hour away to even take the SAT and ACT. Most schools around us didn't have them either. The schools were all too small. Here it is 29 years later and not much has changed in my high school. I know because I have classmates whose kids go to our high school. There are now a few AP courses. No SAT or ACT prep course or exams at the high school. They still have to go to that high school half an hour away for those exams. 

A 30 point bump could be HUGE for many students. It could be difference between being accepted into a state school or a private university or being stuck with community college.

[Vle045]

I am first generation. I think we navigated the financial aspect pretty well. My high school did help with that. And I didn’t have grandiose expectations. My big problem was not connecting a major to a career goal.