As I look back on my journey to college, I faced many different problems and disadvantages even before taking my first steps on campus. In Linda Banks-Santilli’s “Guilt is one of the biggest struggles first-generation college students face” many first generation students view being the first one in the family as a major flaw before entering college (Banks-Santilli, 2015, Par. 4 &7). The lack of self-respect makes it difficult for students to achieve success without help or motivation. The students have to change their viewpoint about being the first to go to college in their family as a weakness and make it a strength to help motivate them to be better students. At the beginning of college, I viewed being a first-generation college student …show more content…
In the quote by Kevin Abdulraham it explains that if an individual can take any disadvantage whether it is psychical or mental and turn it into an advantage can make the drive in the individual unstoppable. Additionally, Banks-Santilli (2015) explains that students who are entering college feel that they are breaking the continuation of their family’s values (Para. 2). This feeling of betrayal can put an emotional toll on the student if they feel that their family does not support their decisions. Additionally, in “First-Generation Undergraduate Students and the Impacts of the First Year of College” Ryan Padgett (2012) explained that students whose parents went to college scored higher on cognitive and critical thinking test than a first generation college student (p. 259). The study finds that the student begins college at a disadvantage than their counterparts because with no prior knowledge of their new surroundings, causing longer time to adapt. In addition, Ryan Padgett (2012) found that first generation student seems to be more unprepared to interact with faculty upon entering college than students whose parents went to college (p.261). The disadvantage a first-generation student faces upon entering college is due to the lack of contact with individuals who fall outside their parent’s social
As stated before, Miller was once a project director for the Pew-sponsored National Forum on college level learning from 2002-2004, and a Curry School of Education professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She has experience in this area, as well as research from which conducted for a national education forum. In this work, Miller provides outside sources to represent families who do not have parents who attended college to compare to her own experiences, as well as the data she provides. Miller also uses: charts produced by Tom Mortenson, data released by Educational Testing Service (ETS), and National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), all credible sources. This essay appeals strongly to ethos.
Alfred Lubrano the author of “the shock of Education: How college Corrupts” explains the differences and difficulties of what students can go through while they are in college. Lubrano says that when a student arrives at college, they lose their connection to their families. This is due to the extreme workload put on the student by the professors they don’t have the time to really chat with their parents like they used to when they lived at home. Also if there is an enormous distance gap where the students go to college and where their parents live it may create that sense like they don’t know each other anymore. I agree do with Alfred that college students change once they go to college they start grow apart from their families.
First-Generation Students to Academic Success Research shows that in the Washington post a reporter by the name of Linda Bank-Santali stated that over 4.5 Million First –Generation Students have enrolled in a post-secondary institution in the United States (Bank-Santali, 2015, para. ). Not all First –Generation College Students are all the same but many experience difficulty with four distinct domains 1) professional 2) financial 3) psychological 4) academic. First Generation Students have a lot on their plates and face many obstacles that keep them from succeeding in college. There are many Barriers that first generation students face such as Low-Income status, Lack of Motivation and Low-Self Esteem.
Deciding to attend Texas A&M University was both a hardship and immense, opportunity in my life. Coming from a close knit background, and possessing a very family oriented character, my decision to come to this incredible institution was one out of my comfort zone. If I was to be asked one year ago, If I could ever see myself standing on this marvelous campus, attending one of the top schools in the nation, I would have honestly responded, no. My counselors would have said no, my friends, my college advisor, my family. The answer would not have been yes, not because I wasn 't capable of meeting the standards to attend, but because there seemed more obstacles in my way than there was forces pushing me forward.
Who I am is divided into two distinct sections: the shy, reliant child I was before Upward Bound and the confident, independent adult I have become. Upward Bound (UB) is a college preparatory program for low-income, first-generation college students, but its effects go much deeper than that. The workshops during the school year provide opportunities to meet college students in an informal setting where they can be honest about their college experiences. My first year I remember a girl telling me, “The first week I got to college I cried myself to sleep every night,” which was terrifying to hear. It made me dread the summer segment of UB, when I would stay on Ohio University’s campus in Athens for five weeks to take mock college classes.
School Wide Writing Project Former superintendent, Lawrence B. Shlack argues in his article, Not Going to College is a Viable Option, that too many students believe that going to college is the only option after high school in order to be successful. The main purpose of this article is to convince students to be less narrow-minded on the topic of post-high school decisions and effectively provides the reasoning behind his logic and provides alternatives. As a retired superintendent, Schlack proves that he has sufficient credibility and knowledge of high school students and what most of them are thinking. The use of pathos and ethos combined with his credibility appeals to the readers strongly by making the article relatable for most high schoolers.
For me learning this lesson early in life will help me through my years in college and I am grateful for that. I think that when Robert Frost says “we come to college to get over out little mindedness” he means that we come to see the real reason why were here in the first
The Case Against College by Linda Lee The Case Against College has a unique and interesting premise, exploring the idea that college is not necessary to be successful. In a country “obsessed with college”, American high schoolers often feel as if the next step in their lives has to be either college or failure. Lee, however, disagrees. In her essay, she explores the idea that college is expensive, unnecessary, and can lead to the same results as a path taken without college.
College is one of the most significant times in a person’s life. Every year high school kids will visit many different colleges so that they can be confident in their college decision. Some kids will follow in their parent’s foot steps and base their decision on where their mom or dad went, though, not all kids are fortunate to have help from their parents. Many kids nowadays may be the first in their family to take on higher education. The article, “First Generation College Students: Unprepared and Behind” by Liz Riggs explains that kids who are the first in their family to take on college are at a disadvantage compared to kids with parents who attended college.
Judging someone or making assumptions based on physical appearance can never determine the environment they were raised in. Just because someone is in college it should not suggest that their family members are college educated. There are many people at The University of Louisiana at Monroe that are considered first-generation individuals. As of 2010 the National Center of Education indicated that 30 percent of college freshmen are first generation college students. First generation students are fresh to the ideal of college and they need a mental support system during so because most of them are not equipped to deal with tough situations.
Those who attend college right out of high school has an advantage over those who sit out. My first years of college was successful, which makes think I’ve made the right
Since I am first generation, obviously my mom did not attend college, so she is not directly able to emphasize with me over all of the challenges that college throws at me like the parents of many of my fellow students. She will always be there for me no matter what, but it just is not the same as having a parent who knows exactly what it is like having completed college themselves. Fortunately, my mom isn’t the only one who supports me in my college endeavors, I have friends, fellow students, and other supportive adults on this journey with me emphasize with me specifically about things like finals and picking classes that are only a phone call, message, or visit
The adolescent encounters the question “Who am I?” in many different forms, from “What academic areas do I care most about?” to “What kind of social environment is the best match for me?” Another set of challenges bundled into choosing a college concerns the adolescent’s changing relationships with his or her family. All sorts of feelings come into play for young people and their families around the question of whether to live at home while attending college or to go away to school (and, if so, how far away?). Typically, choosing a college also poses difficult questions about finances for adolescents and their families, including what parents can and cannot provide and what financial responsibilities the student will have to assume.
In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, leader of one of the residential colleges at Yale University, the author describes the different amount of pressures that students struggle with in college. Because of his position at the university, he constantly noticed the students around him and the anxiety that was radiating off them. He believes that economic pressures cause students to feel anxious about paying back student loans after college. However, parental pressure leads students to make decisions that their parents would be happy with because of the feeling of guilt and wanting to please them.
Students face various challenges throughout their college career. Thus, the problems that students have can range from balance, new lifestyle, to financial problems. Therefore, finding a balance between being a student, possibly working, and keeping up with their social life is a necessity. Similarly, others are away from home for the first time thus, they have a new responsibility with being on their own and findings ways to deal with homesickness. Likewise, being exposed to new financial situations is yet another challenge college students will need to learn how to cope with.