Cat Cobb
I recall my New Student Orientation at NC State very clearly. Two days of the first-year frenzy, jam-packed with seminars, presentations, registrations and more. Even as a student who was reasonably well prepared by my parents and high school teachers, I found myself overwhelmed by the influx of information and responsibility.
I am extraordinarily privileged in that both of my parents were able to go to college. When confronted with the confusion of enrolling for classes, choosing extracurriculars and navigating first-year life, I was able to go to my parents for quick and accurate answers. However, many students on campus don’t have that privilege and the programs the university offers to help don’t quite meet the necessary requirements.
In 2017, 514 individuals out of the incoming class of 4,725 freshmen were first-generation students. No such data was reported in the 2018 report, but it is logical to think that the number is also in the ballpark of approximately 500 students for this year’s freshman class composing roughly 10%. Many of these students experience feelings of confusion regarding campus policies and procedures and many also find it difficult to find answers to pressing questions.
First-generation student Curtis Gautier, a third-year civil engineering major, reported similar feelings during his freshman year. “For a lot of things like choosing a meal plan or handling insurance for student health, I kind of had to figure them out on my own.” he said. “I couldn’t ask my parents about these tasks.”
Ashley Castrejon a first-year design major, recalled the difficulty she faced during orientation. “I didn’t have any firsthand knowledge of what the college experience was like.” she said. “It was mostly the little things that I didn’t know — what dorm life is like, how to handle insurance, everything they don’t cover explicitly in orientation.”
Gautier did offer a solution.
“A workshop before orientation for first-gen students would be really great. You could learn about what college is actually like, so you get a better idea than what they show on TV. That would’ve helped me feel more confident,” he said.
A program offered before orientation, could help these students tremendously. It could explain how to navigate MyPack, insurance, meal plans, student life and everything else and it could help first-generation students feel more secure in their abilities to navigate college responsibilities.
Tianci Chen, a first-generation and first-year statistics major, expressed the desire to have information available to parents.
“Maybe some sort of resource for parents would be good, just so they have a greater idea of what their kids are up to. It would be nice to feel like the university is helping them learn too,” Chen said.
NC State already provides a resource for first-generation students, and the program’s mission is admirable. The First in the Pack Program is NC State’s first-generation student program that focuses on “connecting first-generation college students with campus resources, faculty and staff, and other students at NC State to help them hone the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college.” They offer seminars, a family reception, networking events and more.
However, these students also brought up a far larger problem to address. Out of the four first-generation students I spoke with, none of the students had participated in the program and only one had previously heard of the program. Sarah Breneman, a first-year in exploratory studies village and a first-gen student, received four emails from the First in the Pack program advertising events, but no further communication from the initiative.
Despite the program’s mission, none of its efforts matter if students aren’t aware of them. Even as a resident advisor who was extensively trained on-campus resources, I had no knowledge of the program until very recently and it would have been wonderful to have these events to recommend to my first-generation students during their transition.
If the First in the Pack program was to sponsor an event prior to orientation, it could help make many students more comfortable on campus. A supplementary database for parents to learn more essential information about school procedures could also help tremendously.
The university needs to better communicate the program to a point where first-generation students are actually aware that the program exists. Greater involvement with the RA staff and other campus resources such as the Exploratory Studies and International Student programs would be excellent to expand their reach.
The campus absolutely has the potential to expand the initiative’s reach; however, it’s not performing to its full capacity. It has the ability to make first-generation students feel empowered, secure and confident, and the university needs to place far more focus on doing so.