Equal Opportunity for Low-Income Students
Equality - what does it truly mean? To most people, the thought of social equality raises questions mainly dealing with race and gender. For instance, a popular issue today is the wage gap; a statistical estimation that states a woman is paid 79 percent of what a man is paid for performing the same job with the same credentials (aauw). A matter like this can certainly be solved to a certain extent by policy with enough reinforcement and push; however, can all social injustices be somewhat solved by policy and law? Unfortunately, no. The main factor that obstructs equality is privilege. Privilege is a topic that many non-minorities see as a liberal myth. A reason why it may seem like such an implausible …show more content…
One study shows that in a survey of 1.1 million unprivileged, eighth graders, 95 percent expressed an aspiration to attend college, however, the statistics showed that only nine percent of these students will have graduated college by the age of 24 (youtube). To help low-income students stay on track while attending university, non-profit programs, specific to students that are susceptible to dropping out, must be implemented that provide both the resources and support necessary to complete their degree program. The main focus of the such programs are to provide students with a mentor that is behind their back from the moment they step foot onto campus. Behind every successful person is someone who supported their goals. Studies have shown mentoring to be extremely successful in a college setting (mentor). Mentors from the program will be responsible with remaining in contact with students and providing positive encouragement and support. They need to check the student when they begin to fall behind and push them forward when the student starts to lose hope and direction. These mentors will be volunteers that are interviewed and trained for their position. Each low-income or first generation student will be directed towards a mentor through this program that helps the retention rate for susceptible students. Along with mentors, this program will teach students how to master being a college student. They will bridge the information gap by providing students with resources, such as tutoring, scholarship opportunities, career guidance, academic advisement, and available jobs and internships. Many students, regardless of income, that enter college for the first time are lacking the skills necessary to succeed. These programs will provide information that will help students develop studious habits, how to study, stay organized, take notes, communicate with professors, and manage
Equality - what does it truly mean? To most people, the thought of social equality raises questions mainly dealing with race and gender. For instance, a popular issue today is the wage gap; a statistical estimation that states a woman is paid 79 percent of what a man is paid for performing the same job with the same credentials (aauw). A matter like this can certainly be solved to a certain extent by policy with enough reinforcement and push; however, can all social injustices be somewhat solved by policy and law? Unfortunately, no. The main factor that obstructs equality is privilege. Privilege is a topic that many non-minorities see as a liberal myth. A reason why it may seem like such an implausible …show more content…
One study shows that in a survey of 1.1 million unprivileged, eighth graders, 95 percent expressed an aspiration to attend college, however, the statistics showed that only nine percent of these students will have graduated college by the age of 24 (youtube). To help low-income students stay on track while attending university, non-profit programs, specific to students that are susceptible to dropping out, must be implemented that provide both the resources and support necessary to complete their degree program. The main focus of the such programs are to provide students with a mentor that is behind their back from the moment they step foot onto campus. Behind every successful person is someone who supported their goals. Studies have shown mentoring to be extremely successful in a college setting (mentor). Mentors from the program will be responsible with remaining in contact with students and providing positive encouragement and support. They need to check the student when they begin to fall behind and push them forward when the student starts to lose hope and direction. These mentors will be volunteers that are interviewed and trained for their position. Each low-income or first generation student will be directed towards a mentor through this program that helps the retention rate for susceptible students. Along with mentors, this program will teach students how to master being a college student. They will bridge the information gap by providing students with resources, such as tutoring, scholarship opportunities, career guidance, academic advisement, and available jobs and internships. Many students, regardless of income, that enter college for the first time are lacking the skills necessary to succeed. These programs will provide information that will help students develop studious habits, how to study, stay organized, take notes, communicate with professors, and manage