First the Worst: The Ongoing Struggle of First-Generation College Students
Many first-generation students struggle to succeed in college. The complex nature of navigating the university system is an issue for all students, and when one considers the fact that many first-generation students suffer from both social and economic struggles as well, it is made apparent that their situations are even further complicated. Given the significant impact harsh socioeconomic factors have on first-generation college students, there is a natural discourse as to whether or not schools are responsible for aiding said students. Some argue that schools cannot resolve an issue as nuanced as generational poverty, for example. Furthermore, for those who do agree with the fundamental argument that schools should help first-generation students due to their difficult socioeconomic backgrounds, the discourse as to how they should help said students still remains. In order to properly and immediately aid first-generation students in their college experience, a multi-factored approach utilizing financial resources and affirming identity is required. Given my personal experience as a first-generation college student at the University of Southern California, I will discuss this issue with USC operating as an example of how many other universities operate.
Firstly, in order to discuss why first-generation students require significant help, we must define the term “first-generation college student”. By definition, first-generation students are individuals whose parents did not earn a bachelor’s degree. Inherently, first-generation college students do not have the same ability as their continuing-generation counterparts to go to their parents for guidance on higher education. In addition to this lack of guidance from parents, nearly 59% of first-generation students are also the first sibling in their family to go to college (“First-Generation College Students” 1). To an almost absurd degree, these students are situationally forced to navigate the complicated college experience entirely on their own. If the burden of trying to succeed in college without someone to lead the way or provide advice is not already stressful enough, first-generation students also tend to come from low-income backgrounds. According to one study by The Postsecondary National Policy Institute, “27% of first-generation students came from households making $20,000 or less, compared to 6% of continuing-generation freshmen” (“Factsheets” 1). Such data exemplifies how much more common it is for first-generation students to come from a harsher socioeconomic background. For 48 states in the United States of America, a yearly income of $21,960 for a family of three is considered to be at the poverty line (“2021 Poverty Guidelines” 1). Therefore, it is not far fetched to state that a significant amount of first-generation college students come from poverty. Given the harsh socioeconomic conditions first-generation college students come from, it is unsurprising that “89 percent of low-income first-generation students leave college within six years without a degree” (“Supporting First Generation College Students” 1). First-generation students demonstrate a consistent need for help during their college experience, as their harsher backgrounds cause them to drop out at extremely high rates when compared to their continuing generation counterparts. So, how does one help first-generation college students succeed?
Across the board, many universities including USC stress their admission of first-generation students as a positive action. The action of acceptance is implicitly believed to be part of if not the main solution to assisting first-generation college students. Although I certainly believe that it is important to have first-generation students attend prestigious universities, I find it egregious that schools do not tangibly show their support for said students after admission — be it financially, or through social programs. For example, in the 2019 Financial Report for the University of Southern California, the document appears to proudly state that 15% of the “2019 incoming class of students… are in the first-generation of their family to attend college” (“USC 2019 Annual Report” 7). Although this statistic is great in terms of demonstrating the university’s commitment to give first-generation students the opportunity to go to college, one would hope that a financial report would instead focus on how they are helping those students financially. Instead, students and the general public are left to believe that adequate funding is being provided to their community with little verifiable evidence. While institutions such as the University of Southern California are dedicating financial resources to help support first-generation students, I do not believe that this amount is adequate. Given their braggadocious tone for admission rates for first-generation students, one could assume that if their funding was on an equal level, they would publicize this figure as well. Throughout my research, I found that the public disclosure of acceptance rates rather than financial figures for first-generation students and their affiliated programming was extremely common. In addition, the lack of simple transparency when it comes to funding amounts makes it difficult for those who argue the school spends too much or too little money to prove whether or not this is true. Instead, everyone is left to live in seemingly intentional ambiguity.
Regardless of the amount of money used to help first-generation college students, the issue of how to use said financial resources also comes into question. Clearly, many first-generation students require financial aid, as many come from low-income families. However, many of them qualify for programs such as FAFSA, and so schools do not necessarily need to focus entirely on providing aid tuition-wise. USC itself offers free tuition if a student is below a certain income. Given that university housing is perceived to be an option and not necessarily mandatory, one can address this issue of aid on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, I believe that the most important way to use financial resources at universities for first-generation students is for the social programs meant to aid the said population. So, how does one approach social programming for first-generation college students?
According to my research, an in depth analysis of how to boost first-generation college students’ success finds that the exploration of a student’s first-generation identity aids significantly in their success. According to one study, “Using the personal stories of senior college students, a 1-hr difference-education intervention at the beginning of college reduced the social-class achievement gap among first-generation and continuing-generation college students by 63% at the end of their first year and also improved first-generation students’ college transition on numerous psychosocial outcomes (e.g., psychological adjustment and academic and social engagement)” (Stephens 7). These findings suggest that by merely discussing and acknowledging their background, first-generation college students are more likely to succeed in multiple facets of college life. Not only did first-generation students who had heard the stories of senior college students achieve higher GPAs, but they were more likely to use college resources than first-generation students who had not been a part of this intervention program. While the study demonstrates that providing social programs that uplift and highlight the backgrounds of first-generation students is extremely beneficial to the first-generation community, many universities instead focus on accepting first-generation college students into their institution, and then fail to provide adequate support post-acceptance. I believe that if more funding were dedicated to social programs that help foster community for first-generation students, then many first-generation college students would be more likely to succeed. If just a one hour conversation can make such a difference, what might a community that is available through one’s entire college journey do?
In my experience, the lack of support when it comes to identity can negatively impact a first-generation student’s perception of oneself. Personally, I have had many instances where I did not feel like I was appreciated nor respected for being a first-generation student. One example I can recall is when I was moving into the McCarthy Honors College residential building as a freshman. The building was reserved for those at USC on scholarship. I myself am a Questbridge recipient, which provides a 4 year, all-paid scholarship that includes housing at USC. I was able to earn this scholarship due to being a high achieving low-income first-generation student, and was the first of the five students in the class of 2022 to be told I was accepted into USC. However, at the welcome ceremony, my scholarship was not listed. I remember feeling disappointed and hurt, as I felt like USC had tried to hide the idea that students like myself existed. This was only further propelled by the fact that when I first came to campus, there was no First-Generation Student Leadership Program nor a physical space on campus for first-generation students like there is now. The extreme disconnect I felt from my peers often made me feel I was not deserving of attending the institution, and these negative thoughts inherently made college more difficult for me during that time. Unfortunately, my experience is not unique, and many first-generation college students that I have spoken to also experienced the same situation.
However, although I have personally experienced the negative effects of being a first-generation college student firsthand at an institution that provides little resources to the first-generation community, I have also experienced the positive effects of attending an institution that has ramped up their resources for said community via social programming. USC did not have many resources available when I first began my time on campus. However, during my sophomore year, USC took a major step towards progress via the development of the First-Generation Student Leadership Program (FGSLP) and the First-Generation Plus Success Center (FG+SC). While the FGSLP initiative was aimed towards building a community of mentors and resources, the FG+SC space was meant to give students a physical space on campus, in an effort to both affirm and champion the first-generation community. I have personally witnessed how much this has helped first-generation college students, as I myself have worked in both programs. In a variety of instances, students have been able to find friends, mentors, and scholarships via these programs. Given how impactful just a 1-hour intervention was for first-generation students, one can assume that these programs are accomplishing an even more significant impact by building a community for first-generation students here on campus. Therefore, I adamantly believe that universities should significantly fund first-generation oriented programs such as these, as they leave a significant impact on students and provide a very clear and identifiable manner in which said students are supported.
Overall, I believe that the solution to helping first-generation college students is extremely nuanced. I myself concede that programs such as FGSLP and FG+SC will not resolve all the issues that first-generation students face. Those who suffer from harsh socioeconomic circumstances cannot easily be pulled out of generational poverty via direct funding or copious scholarships. Those who suffer from issues such as imposter syndrome or disconnectedness may also not find solace via social programming. Yet, we will not be able to resolve the issues surrounding first-generation college students if we do not try our best to improve resources that combat such issues. Furthermore, the overall purpose of aiding first-generation college students is to create equity among the students. However, equity does not need to exist only for first-generation students. Equity needs to exist for all students. A legacy student can have a wealthy family who is horrible to them. A rich international student may find it difficult to assimilate to a new culture. A typical middle class student may find themselves unable to qualify for low-income programs, but unable to afford certain resources like tuition or housing. Universities must implement a multi-factored approach utilizing financial resources and the affirmation of one’s identity for all of their students — especially first-generation students — to build equity. Building equity means that some students may appear to receive more resources than others, but the reality is that said students receive more resources if they were lacking in already expected ones. Of course, the first step to improving a situation is to discuss it. So, what will you contribute to the conversation?
Bibliography
“2021 Poverty Guidelines.” ASPE, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
“Factsheets.” PNPI, 1 Feb. 2021,
“First-Generation College Students: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND
POSTSECONDARY ENROLLMENT.” Firstgen.naspa.org, NASPA, https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/FactSheet-01.pdf.
Stephens, Nicole M., et al. “Closing the Social-Class Achievement Gap: A Difference-Education
Intervention Improves First-Generation Students’ Academic Performance and All Students’ College Transition.” Psychological Science, U.S. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24553359/.
“Supporting First Generation College Students.” First Generation Foundation, The First
Generation Foundation, http://www.firstgenerationfoundation.org/.
USC 2019 Annual Report Final — University of Southern … University of Southern California, https://about.usc.edu/files/2020/07/USC-2019-Annual-ReportFINAL.pdf.
