...As a first generation college student, university was never something that was supposed to happen. As a first generation college student, university was never something that was supposed to happen. I did not have parents that had gone through that experience and that could help me with simple things like college applications or even now with how to deal with college classes. Even though all odds were against me I decided to continue my path in education, which has been the most significant and biggest action I have taken up to this point in my life. I decided to go to Texas A&M University and pursue a career in Psychology. I walked into college not knowing what to expect. I knew that classes would be hard, but I did not understand how much work they would actually take outside of the actual class time. I had to not just to pass, but to strive to be the best possible college student I could be. I had to go to class, study, join clubs, and also have a social life at the same time in order to achieve a balance in life, ie the real challenge as a college student. I have two older sisters and neither of them even applied to college. My oldest sister didnt even graduate high school. I was the one that had to get the courage and power to apply to school...
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...From my experience as a first-generation college student, I have deeply rooted respect for hard work, meritocracy, and perseverance. I met first hand the challenges of navigating academic bureaucracies, networking among faculty, integrating socially, and grappling with identity shifts from my home community. As a result, I grew self-sufficient and can better empathize and discern the needs of others who are not unaware of available resources and/or feel guilt towards using government-provided support services. More importantly, I feel obligated and humble towards those who have helped me along my path to higher education and in return, I seek to increase veteran health literacy by elevating health services knowledge, encouraging active communication...
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...College:First-Generation Students Need More Support As a child, my parents never forced college onto my siblings and I.My parents really only had a few goals for their children keep good grades, graduate from high school, and get a job with decent pay.Both of my parents have different levels of education, my mother stopped attending high school after she got pregnant.My father, on the other hand, completed high school and attended a little bit of college before deciding to join the military.After seeing my parents go through many obstacles, I decided that I wanted to be the first in my family to attend and complete college.In early 2017 I began my first year of college at Rowan at Burlington County College.First-generation college students...
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...Needs of First-Generation College Students Hank R. Austin Arkansas Tech University Examining the Needs of First-Generation College Students Choosing first-generation college students as my sub-population to focus on was an easy decision. I was a first-generation college student. My father never attended high school and my mother never attended school beyond graduation from high school. Considering some of my own personal struggles and experiences, my research, introduced here, will serve to assist me further in reaching out to those students with similar backgrounds. First-generation students are defined as students whose parents have not completed a bachelor’s or an associate degree (Glenn, 2008). Roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the USA are first-generation college students, and 24% (4.5 million) are both first-gens and low income. Nationally, 89% of low-income first-gens leave college within six years without a degree. More than a quarter leave after their first year; four times the dropout rate of higher-income second-generation students (Ramsey & Peale, 2010). Much research has been conducted in the last decade on the issues facing first-generation students. I found that the major issues which have prompted this research are retention and graduation rates. Among students who enrolled in four-year colleges, for example, the first-generation students had a graduation rate of 44.9%, while the rate for non-first-generation students was 59%. Among students who enrolled...
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...The Concern of College Dropout rates in The United States RES/351 October 31, 2013 Dr. Albert Smothers The Concern of College Dropout rates in The United States The United States is known for spending a great deal of funds on higher education. However in recent years statistics have revealed a high rate of college students fail to obtain their bachelor’s degrees. Currently 42% of college enrolled students fail to complete their education for bachelor’s degrees. Both educators and economists see this as an issue that can impact the country economically and the overall quality of life (Dunn, W. 2013). Purpose of the Research The purpose of our organizations study is to determine the correlation between a student’s level of preparation for higher education and the national dropout rate of colleges in the United States. Specifically, this study will focus on students that attended four year universities with intentions of obtaining their bachelor’s degree, however, they ended up leaving school without this degree. Many people pursue college degrees to obtain specific disciplines and higher education in order to become successful and contributing members of society. However, many of these students are exposed for the first time to environments or challenges that college may present with no preparation or ability to adapt and complete their degree programs. Dropping out of college could potentially impact ones future income earnings and quality of life (Dunn, W. 2013). The...
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...In Kenneth Oldfield's article "Humble and Hopeful: Welcoming First Generation Poor and Working Class Students to College," he discusses the situation he faced when he had no role models who have experienced college. He argues that there should be more done for first generation students. He wished he had known more about college. Oldfield discusses six specific lessons that he wishes he knew before he started college as a first generation student. I relate most to the second lesson—“I wish I had known the real purpose of college before I started.” I relate most to the second lesson because I am a first generation student and I didn’t have anyone to tell me what the real purpose of college is. Like the author, I assumed that the purpose of...
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...November 19, 2012 Final Project: First-Generation College Students First for Everything No two people have the same experiences due to the fact that every person is different, whether it be a difference in background, education, or skin color, something separates everyone. When attending college, you become exposed to to even more differences between everyone. Students come from various backgrounds, including some students being the first in their family to attend college. These particular students are also known as first-generation college students. The hard-work and dedication of these students should not go unnoticed because they struggle differently due to them going into college blind in a sense. They do not know what to expect when going into college because proper guidance is lacked which leaves them at a disadvantage opposed to their counterparts who have family that are experiencing or have experienced the college life. However, a negativity or positivity of a person background does not determine their future, but rather the hardworking ethic and dedication it takes to succeed. “Fischer (2007) reported that black and Hispanic students are more often FGS than their white or Asian counterparts, and they also tend to have lower socioeconomic status backgrounds. Fischer added that the students also experience another disadvantage of being minorities on predominantly white campuses.” (Confronting First-Generation College Students) Researchers argue that family...
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...Every high school student remembers the stressful experience of preparing for college. Quite frankly, I never really understood the concept of college. In my opinion, it was just another ordinary school transition unlike the ones I had already experienced. I envisioned it be something along the lines of my middle school to high school transition. Yet, to my surprise, it was nothing of the like. It was not until my college transition, that I finally felt I was at a disadvantage in comparison to some of my classmates. It was also during this time that I realized I was a First-Generation College Student because neither of my parents had attended college and I was the first of my family to do so. Nevertheless, as a child, I never questioned the...
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...For many, going to college is seen as normal and unimportant. They just see it as a few more years of schooling. They don’t realize how great of an opportunity it is to be able to go to a college. For others, it is a privilege to get to go to a university. First generation students are defined as people who come from a family that has not been to college. They are brought up being constantly told the importance of attending college and receiving a degree. Some of the difficulties faced with being a first generation college student are the fact that no one in their family has any real background knowledge on it; the struggle of finances; trying to fit into the college life; and the overwhelming pressure to graduate. First generation college...
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...William Hageman, writer for the Tribune Newspaper, Author for “First-generation college students must navigate a series of unfamiliar paths”, published April 18, 2012. In this article, he states that a first generation college student is “defined as one who had neither parents graduate from a four-year school.” Then continues to describe the struggles a student will have first stepping onto a campus. Hageman explains how the students coming right out of high school are excited to begin their college experience, but very soon realize it’s not what they expected. The author gives descriptive detail on how the college student might be feeling at that particular moment, as if they are lost, confused, afraid, and they don’t know where or who to go to for help....
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...African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Rheon Gibson Northern Illinois University Abstract In this report, I discuss the importance of African-American college students in higher education realms and why the topic appeals to my interests. I will also identify trends in research questions, methodology, and research findings; regarding three identified themes; Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation. In addition, I will provide the reader with an evaluation/critique of the existing literature, including; 1) contributions of literature to the field, 2) overall strengths, 3) overall weaknesses, 4) missing elements, and 5) what are the next steps for research. African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Introduction Importance to the Field Educational attainment amongst African-Americans is a crucial concept that not only affects African-American communities but it also affects society as a whole. Education provides a solid foundation for individuals to experience personal growth, increase one’s socioeconomic status, and obtain professional careers and licensures. Obtaining higher education does not begin upon admission to an accredited college or university; instead, it begins when one is first introduced to the educational system. This introduction can be in Kindergarten, Pre-K, the first year of home school, or wherever the first fundamental steps of acquiring a higher knowledge of comprehension...
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...long-term goals? Additional questions I would hope that all of the hard work I have put into my education over the past years have helped prepare me for this moment, the moment where I move from a community college to a university. My readiness for upper division courses in my major, which is Sociology, include me taking all of my general requirements, of course, but also being very focused...
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...control to choose my actions and accept the consequences that come from these actions. These actions can be as simple as determining what my attitude will be for the day all the way to choosing to have a great, motivating, and inspirational life. Covey (1989) explained, making the choice to choose our response we powerfully could affect the results. Personal responsibility links to everything in my life, my family success, my professional success, and my educational success. In this instance, personal responsibility’s associations with the actions I must take to be successful in college are show initiative, be proactive, manage my time effectively, and create effective habits. Initiative There are multiple methods and attributes to ensure my educational success, taking the initiative to choose to be a successful student seems to be the first key point. A study performed by Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (1986), comparing advanced students and lower performing students found that the lower performing students often give reactive statements such as “I just do what my teacher tells me,” compared to the academically achievers that use statements such as, “If I’m having difficulty motivating myself to complete my homework, I just work harder.” The findings indicated a lack of personal initiative in the lower performing students whereas the over achievers show initiative in every aspect of their learning endeavors. By choosing to apply initiative to my college achievement and doing...
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...SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND COLLEGE STUDENTS 1 Introduction Social health is the key to success, having the ability to have healthy relationships and interactions with people; it will be beneficial not only in your social life but also in your workplace. When it comes to thinking about your future having the capacity of adapting easily to new social situations and having appropriate daily behaviors will open many doors for you. It is important that each and every one of us is able to have a healthy and positive social health for the following reasons; Social health does not only create the ability to relate and network with people but also to express your feelings to others instead of just keeping it to yourself. It sustains health and wellness with positive reinforcement from family, friends, and even your neighbors. It is very important that as a community we build confidence and great self-esteem since it will give all of us the strength and guidance to be able to rely on each other and provide encouragement to live your lives in a healthy and happy manner. Problem Statement The lack of inequality with underrepresented students seems to be an issue for many years. We the underrepresented many times just let it go by, but it should not be that way. Being able to be successful in college also means good social integration. In a study done in the University of California Santa Cruz and University of Minnesota they mention in...
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...Running Head: RESEARCH REPORT: OBSTACLES OF UT TYLER STUDENTS. Research Report: Obstacles of UT Tyler Students Lisa Womack University of Texas—Tyler In partial fulfillment of the requirements for (CRIJ 4322) Dr. Barbara Hart November 15, 2010 Research Report: Obstacles of UT Tyler Students Introduction Throughout a student’s education, progression is measured by representative grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, one may question whether economic status affects a first time student’s success, and one may speculate if age directly relates to GPA. First time generation college students may struggle with the decision to attend college due to family pressures, which relates to the required necessity of needing a job due to their limited finances. Likewise, the non-traditional student may have greater responsibility; such as, child care expenses and other financial responsibilities; whereas, the traditional student may have minimal expenses with the exception of childcare, which relates to effecting his or hers GPA based on priorities. My personal interests in choosing the following two hypotheses derive from my perception and background. Growing up, I felt college was something I could never achieve because no one else in my family had ever attained a college degree; nevertheless, I was not aware of how a college degree could benefit me or what procedures to take to see if acceptance into a college was possible with only a General Education Degree. As well,...
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