5 Big Challenges for First Generation College Students

Lack of Knowledge About the College Experience

Parents and family who went to college have plenty of information and lots of stories about their college experiences to share with their children. Though many things may have changed since they were in school, the essential process of leaving home, living in a dorm and being responsible for oneself is the same. For first-generation college students, that information is simply not available. The motivation to attend college when neither parent has done so is far less as well. ​

Guilt

Leaving family behind to attend college far from home isn't easy for any freshman student, but for first-generation students, homesickness and loneliness are often intermingled with guilt. Especially for students from immigrant families who are sometimes the sole English speaker in their household, there can be the unnerving and difficult feeling that they have abandoned their family.

As with all college students who leave home, finding new friendships and relationships at college is an important part of integrating into campus life.

According to Tomorrow's Professor's Postings at Stanford University, first-generation college students often need advice on how to handle this kind of pressure, and many times they have to decide what and whom they must leave behind.

Finances and Social Life

According to The New York Times, The proportion of freshmen at elite campuses who are first-generation—11 percent at Dartmouth, 12 percent at Princeton, 14 percent at Yale, 15 percent at Amherst, 16 percent at Cornell, 17 percent at Brown—nearly matches that of their low-income Pell grant recipients.

At Ivy League schools and other elite campuses across the country, tuition, room and board, and books are often covered by scholarships, grants, and other sources for first-generation students. To participate in the campus social life, however, can often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more. Whether the school has an active Greek community or students spend their weekends and vacations traveling, there are many ways that first-generation, lower-income students are left out of the college experience.

Support From Home

Lack of support from family and friends at home, as compared to other students around them, can make first-generation college students feel abandoned and without the ​encouragement they may need to stay the course. To be fair, those who did not attend college may not understand the pressures and anxieties these students are facing and may not know the right words to say to keep them on track and focused. There are organizations with mentors and volunteers that can fill this need for first-generation college students:

• I'm First
• First Gen Fellows
• America Needs You
• Opportunity Nation

Fitting in on Campus

One of the important aspects of any college campus is how it welcomes new students and what opportunities there are for getting involved on campus. This is particularly important for first generation students, who may be far from home for the first time in their lives. Before deciding upon a school to attend, college applicants should make a point of visiting the campus and getting a feel for the atmosphere, the demographics, and the overall environment to see what a typical day on campus is like.

The goals of the Harvard First Generation Student Union (FGSU) are:

• To facilitate the transition to college for first generation students through initiatives such as providing mentorship networks and sharing academic and social resources among members
• To build a community among first generation Harvard students
• To provide the first generation student community a platform to express its voice and to advocate for themselves.