What People Get Wrong About First-Generation College Students

[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.