First-generation college students are immediately placed at a disadvantage compared to their non-first-generation peers. Statistically speaking, 82 percent of non-first-gen students enroll in college immediately after high school compared to 54 percent of students with parents that only graduated high school. The statistics are even lower for students with parents that did not graduate high school at 36 percent.
As the daughter of a single mother who did not complete high school, I understand all too well the struggles and complications of being a first-generation college student. My mother is intelligent and has always tried her best to help me as much as she could throughout school. Of course, she was faced with challenges and limitations of her own. She was forced to drop out of high school due to external factors outside her control. Because of this, once I started to get older, her ability to assist me with my schoolwork was limited. I figured out at an early age that if I wanted to make it to college, I was going to have to work harder than my peers.
When I finally made it to college, I falsely thought that the challenges I had faced being a first-generation college student were over. Little did I know that I was about to endure one of the hardest years of my life. Throughout high school, I made straight A’s. College was a completely different story. I don’t want to say that I failed all of my classes, but I didn’t do so great. Several of the friends that I made my freshman year already had 3.8 to 4.0 GPAs after their first semesters. When I asked how, they all said that they were prepared for this. Their parents had “warned them,” they said. Like many other first-generation college students, I had no one to “warn” me that college life was going to hit me like a brick in the face.
According to an article in The Washington Post, most first-generation college students drop out after their first year because of insecurities. These insecurities include finances, academic inhibition and not feeling like “college material.” The Washington Post goes on to say that only 40 percent of first-generation students receive their bachelor’s or associate’s degree compared to 55 percent for non-first-generation students. Another article written by Linda Banks-Santilli, says that most first-generation college students seek out further education in order to advance in their ideal professions, but it is also viewed as a way to honor their families by eventually providing them with extra income. This guilt adds an extreme amount of pressure for first-generation college students because they fear disappointing their families or tarnishing their family name.
Of course, as a white student, I already had an advantage compared to my other non-Caucasian first-generation peers. It is difficult to be a first-generation college student, but the chances of making it during college or even going to college as a minority are even slimmer. Imagine being a minority in a group that is already viewed as a minority on its own. The College Board finds that 61 percent of Hispanic students are first-generation students, along with 50 percent of Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 42 percent of Native American and 41 percent of African-American students being first-generation students.
According to The Washington Post, another reason that first-generation college students have a difficult time adjusting is because they are needed at home. Twenty percent of first-generation students are non-native English speakers, so they are needed by their family members to translate and/or provide for the family.
I was fortunate enough to make it out of the hole while I was in my freshman year. There were so many resources available at this university that I should’ve taken advantage of my first year but didn’t simply out of embarrassment and fear of hurting my pride. NC State provides a plethora of academic-related services for students, including academic advising, the Counseling Center and the University Tutorial Center. There is absolutely no shame in asking for help. In fact, it is encouraged, especially for students who are struggling in a new environment. I would recommend that students introduce themselves to their professors, memorize their office hours and their TAs’ office hours and drop by the Academic Advising Center in the University College Commons. Also, the First Generation Foundation website provides a great deal of information for students that are specifically first-generation college students.
