7 Things Latinx Students should know before starting College
Most of the time Latinx students who are attending college are first generation students. These students may not have someone to guide them through college as someone who has parents or family members that have attended college. It’s good to know what to expect when starting something new. Here are few things Latinx Students should know before starting college.
1.Remember that you belong
It’s likely that any college a Latinx student attends will be predominantly white. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 10.5 million white students enrolled in a college/university, while 3.6 million Latinx students. You may feel like you don’t belong but you do! It’s a big accomplishment whenever a Latinx students attends college. You have worked hard to be where you are and deserve to be in college. whenever it starts to ger hard, always remember that you belong.
2. You can’t miss class
This may seem an obvious one, but you do not have the luxury of missing class like some of your other peers. There are times where you’ll see other students skipping class but do not do it. As a Latinx students you have to work harder than others. It’s good to start getting into those good habits from the beginning because it’ll get harder later on.
3. Be organized, get good study tips, and be accountable
In college, being organized, have good study habits and be accountable are things that you may have not needed to have in high school. Being in college you’ll need to be good at all of theses. Get a planner and go through your syllabus it’ll help out a lot with being organized. Not everyone is great at studying but a great way is to start is by finding a place to study, like the library or in another building. Last but not least, being accountable for your assignments, things coming up, etc. learn to be accountable for your assignments. It’s good to prioritize school work before going out.
4. Resources
Something very useful to know is to know what are the resources the college you are attending. There could be many such as counseling, tutoring, technology etc. A good resource that we all have but may not use as much is our professors. It’s all a good idea to go into office hours when you are struggling in a class. Building that relationship with professors is good because you may need a letter of recommendation and they could be really helpful.
5. Scholarships (Financial Aid)
A good idea to do is to apply to as many scholarships you can before or during your college career. It will be better to do as soon as possible. There may even be scholarships that are offered by the college you are attending. Finding for scholarships could be hard but fastweb makes it a little easier to look for those great scholarships you can apply to. Take an hour or two to look for those scholarships.
6. Culture Shock
It’s possible that you may be coming from a community that you felt there were others you could relate to because they are from your own culture. Well, attending college may be a culture shock for you. It’s a new environment when coming to college. There are so many different people from different backgrounds, some that you have never interacted with before. This is all part of the college experience.
7. Finding your community and friends
This may be one of the things many don’t think about before going to college, but finding your community and friends in college can be really helpful while your in college. They can be a support network for you while you go through college. You can find your community through the dorms, clubs on campus, diverse offices, and even joining an organization like a fraternity or sorority. Latinx students may think that fraternities and sororities are only for white students but there’s a council for everyone. The Multicultural Greek Council is another place where you can find your community or friends.
