Essay About First Generation Students

Involvement is a key component to student persistence on a college campus (Tinto, 1975, 1987, 1993; Astin 1984). First-generation students are more likely to drop out of college (Heisserer and Parette, 2002). It is important for student affairs professionals to be aware of the growing number of first-generation students and the challenges they face because they are becoming a large population at institutions (David, 2010). Some of these challenges for first-generation students are being the first in their family to navigate the institutional environment without any prior knowledge passed down by their parents or guardians. First-generation students also face integration issues among their peers, faculty, and staff, and have a lower rate of retention (David, 2010). First generation students, as defined by The Department of Education, are individuals whose parents have not completed a college degree (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). …show more content…
First, a challenge that arises is being the first in their family to attend higher education. Since these students do not have parents or guardians who have neither completed a college degree nor attended college, they are at a disadvantage because they do not have the knowledge provided by their parents to share experiences of what college is like (Bradbury & Mather, 2009). Therefore, first-generation students arrive at an institution and many must navigate their path on their own without help from their parents. Another challenge first-generations students experience is remaining at their institutions through graduation. Many first-generation students are considered at risk of attrition because of this. Students who are considered at risk experience feelings of rejection and have a more difficult time adjusting to college life (Heisserer and Parette,