DO FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS STRUGGLE MORE THAN SECOND

GENERATION STUDENTS? 1

Do First Generation College Students Struggle More Than Second Generation Students?

Edgar Juan

Los Angeles Leadership Academy

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First Generation College Students
Abstract

This research indicates the difficult transition for first-generation college students

compared to other college students that have siblings or parents who have already completed

college. The importance of this research is to demonstrate that first generation students have

difficulty with college but, there are programs that can help those of the first generation to be

successful in college.

Key Words: First-generation, College, Academic, Graduate, Programs, Difficulty,

Statistics, Research
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First Generation College Students

First Generation College Students

The attention towards first-generation students has grown, as well as the programs that

offer to help them. College students who are the first to pursue an advanced education are often

times underprepared to take on a college education. First-generation college students face many

obstacles in comparison to students whose family members have completed a college education.

This is a growing issue because many first generation students are dropping out of college

because students feel like they don't have any knowledge to get through college. Many of these

students also hold a huge weight on their shoulders because of being sent to college from their

families expecting them to graduate and help with financial issues. Unfortunately, taking

someone to college puts both the student and family deeper into debt due to books as well as

other materials required for classes. On the contrary, many second generation student have it

more settled than others like havin more benefits with help from family.

First Generation Statistics

According to, The Washington Post staff writer Kavitha Cardoza states that Nearly

one-third of students entering two- or four-year colleges in the United States each year are

first-generation. These students are also more likely to be minorities, and they are far less likely

to graduate: In six years, 40 percent of first-generation students will have earned a bachelors or

associates degree or a certificate, vs. 55 percent of their peers whose parents attended

college.(Cardoza, 2016). Interestingly, about 60 percent of first generation college students that
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First Generation College Students
havent earned a bachelors or associate's degree didnt have the guidance from their parents to

get through college. This example demonstrates the need for programs like this to support

students who otherwise would not be properly supported by families. In fact, there's a program

from Pomona, California called Bright Prospect in which empowers students from low income

families to gain admission to succeed into four year colleges. Similarly, there is another program

from Pasadena, California called College Access plan in which they describe they prepare

underserved students to succeed in college despite of their background they say everyone

deserves access to a college education.

Intergenerational Continuity

According to Quartz a website thats focuses global economy and a website dedicating the

best ways to report on news, staff writer Linda Banks-Santilli states, In families, role

assignments about work, family, religion and community are passed down through the

generations creating intergenerational continuity.(London,p 1441-1701989 ), When a family

member disrupts this system by choosing to attend college, he or she experiences a shift in

identity, leading to a sense of loss. Not prepared for this loss, many first-generation students may

come to develop two different identitiesone for home and another for college.(Santilli, 2015).

College students that don't have any help with college counseling have a sense of lost identity

trying to find who they are or what they are going to do in the future. This is a problem because

of these psychological bad thoughts it causes them to not motivated to stay in college. Whats

more, a statement given from The Washington Post staff writer Linda Banks-Santilli Higher
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First Generation College Students
education, with its unique culture, language and history, can be difficult for first-generation

college students to understand. Students whose parents have attended college benefit from their

parents experiences. They come through the door understanding what a syllabus is, why the

requirement for liberal arts courses exists and how to establish relationships with faculty

(Santilli, 2015). Therefore, They can call their parents to ask for help on a paper or to ask

questions about a citation method. They can discuss a classic novel they have both read

(Santilli, 2015). This is different with the first generation college students because they cant get

help from their parents because they haven't gone through college so they have to find an

alternative way to look for what their finding. This also explains the struggles with being in the

first generation because it's difficult to ask your family for help if none of them have been in the

same situation as you are.

College Accommodation

This research from the same The Washington Post staff writer Linda Banks-Santilli

shows that there is now help for first generation college students, according to this article In

2014, the college applied for a First In the World federal grant to help implement a new

first-generation program. Though we were not awarded a grant in the first round of competition,

we will continue to seek funding (Santilli, 2015). Some colleges have an optional choice when

applying to colleges that are dedicated to helping first generation college students. An example,

many students have a choice taking program called (EOP) the Educational Opportunity

Program to provide income for first generation college students by giving them an opportunity to
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First Generation College Students
write paragraphs or essays explaining why they deserve to apply to the college of their choice.

This program can help students with priority enrollment, school supplies, and even help them

navigate the college system. The University of Berkeley's website further discusses how other

colleges have implemented similar programs as stated by Alina Berkeley isnt the only

university putting programs in place to help first-generation students. Other efforts include the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills program, Carolina Firsts (18.6 percent of UNCs

incoming freshmen are first generation); and Loyola Marymounts First To Go program. In

addition, for those who want to continue on to postgraduate work, theres the federal McNair

Scholars Program, (Tugend, 2015). These programs are specifically designed to provide

financial assistance to first-generation students and other underrepresented groups who want to

pursue advanced degrees. These programs can help first-generation students with extra financial

aid if students and their families are struggling with money. Colleges and universities have the

ability to redesign their institutional cultures, teaching practices and academic support services to

be more inclusive of first-generation college students. For instance, they can offer required

courses in a variety of different formats like hybrid, online, face-to-face and timings between

semesters or during summers to help first-generation students reduce degree completion time and

save money. They can recruit former first-generation faculty members to advise and mentor

students. A webpage for first-generation students and families can be created that features

success stories, user-friendly financial aid as well as scholarship information, and links to other

opportunities. (Tugend, 2015), With the right support from institutions of higher education,

first-generation students can earn their degree, reinvent themselves and reposition their families
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First Generation College Students
in positive ways for generations to come. (Santilli, 2015). This article it states that colleges and

universities are now looking for a way to fund a program that will can help first generation

students get through college. They will be searching for first generation college graduates to

mentor and help future students if that have any difficulty with anything. These former first

generation student college students will give advice and tell them about their experiences and on

what they through being a first generation student, as well as what methods they used to survive

through college. According to, The Atlantic staff writer Lizz Riggs states Though there isnt

significant research that measures all mentoring relationships and their effects on college

persistence, there is some research showing the positive effects of mentoring relationships on

young kids. Colleges across the country are implementing mentoring initiatives for

first-generation college students in attempts to combat the staggeringly low graduation

rates.(Riggs, 2014). Even though, there isn't enough information stating that seeing a mentor

can help, many they think that if having a mentor can help you when you're struggling as first

generations student. This might help many individuals because all that these first generation

students need is someone to talk to, as well as having the feeling of comfort in college. College

researcher Khalilah A. Payne from Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis indicates,

One challenge that this population faces is related to academic and life skills. First-generation

students are often less prepared academically than non-first-generation students and have an

elevated risk for academic failure. (Payne, 2007). According to Jacqueline La-Von she stated,

These students tend to require remedial assistance in mathematics and reading to get them to

college-level work in these areas. Additionally, their standardized test scores, such as their ACT
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First Generation College Students
or SAT scores, are often lower than their non-first-generation peers (Hodges, 1999). Even

though, this article is from 1999 this study is still relevant to this day for the reason that these

students don't have the mentoring or preparation from families to support them to study or

succeed in their goals. Conclusion

In conclusion, the population of first-generation students has grown, as well as the

programs that offer to help them and guide them for a better educational future. These college

students who are the first to pursue an higher level education are often times unprepared to take

on a college. First-generation college students face many obstacles when compared with students

whose family members have already completed a college education. In which, they can

overcome by searching and start applying for these first generation programs to have assistance

when having a difficult time with their college education.

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First Generation College Students

References

Cardoza, Kavitha. (2016). First-generation college students are not succeeding in college, and

money isn't the problem. The Washington Post. Retrieved from

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students-are-not-succeeding-in-college-and-money-isnt-the-problem/?utm_term=.2d2d61

072f6b

Hodges, Jacqueline La-Von. (1999). The Effects of First-Generation Status upon the First Year

College Success Patterns of Student Attending an Urban Multi-Campus Community

College.ERIC. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED474344

London, Howard. (1989) Breaking Away: A Study of First Generation College Students and

Their Families. The University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/1084908?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Payne, Khalilah. (2007). First Generation College Students: Their Challenges and the Advising

Strategies That Can Help The Mentor:An Academic Advising Journal. Retrieved from

https://dus.psu.edu/mentor/old/articles/070131kp.htm
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First Generation College Students
Riggs, Liz. (2014). What it's Like to Be the First Person in Your Family to Go to College The

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n-in-your-family-to-go-to-college/282999/

Santilli, Linda. (2015). Guilt is one of the biggest struggles first-generation college students

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/06/03/guilt-is-one-of-the-bigg

est-struggles-first-generation-college-students-face/?utm_term=.51256d59afbe

Santilli, Linda. (2015). The unique challenges of a first generation college student Quartz.com.

Retrieved from https://qz.com/418695/the-unique

-challenges-of-a-first-generation-college-student/

Tugend, Alina . (2015). The Struggle to Be First: First-Gen Students May Be Torn Between

College and Home. Cal Alum Association UC Berkely. Retrieved from:

https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-2015-dropouts-and-drop-in

/struggle-be-first-first-gen-students-may-be.