My Students’ Blog

First Gen College Student: Taking the Iniatiative

By Ana Munoz

Deciding how to navigate your future can be a hard and stressful topic. When you are a first-generation college student, this can result in holding yourself back and not being able to take initiative. Taking initiative is being able to work independently without having to rely on others, persevering through tough times, and being able to benefit from your advantages and disadvantages. 

In this blog post, we will use the common definition for a first-generation college student, meaning someone whose parents did not complete a 4-year college or a university degree. That being said, in 2016 56% of undergraduates were first-generation college students and 59% were also the first sibling to attend college. If you would like to  see more about these statistics, click here.

There are a lot of leading factors that could cause someone not to pursue their education such as;

1. Low Family Income 
2. Family Conflicts and Guilt
3. Difficulty Navigating Academic System
4. Social Isolation
5. Stigma and Discrimination

The majority of this is what first-gen students go through, which is why taking the initiative is an important quality to have when it comes to branching out into college, whether you are a first-gen student or not. So how do you overcome these obstacles? These are all things anyone could have the opportunity to overcome, if they have the initiative to do so.

As of 2016, the median household income for first-generation college students is around $99,600. That being said, there are a variety of opportunities to achieve more money to go to college such as applying for scholarships, as well as managing your money properly and educating yourself on financial literacy. To see more information on first generation college students along with some statistics click here.

This leads us to our second topic: family conflicts and guilt. Many first-gen college students might feel guilty because they got the opportunity to attend college while their parents or other family members did not. This could result in them not being able to fully focus on their education, as well as not wanting to leave their family behind. They might also worry about how their home life is financially. Since being able to overcome family conflicts and guilt goes hand in hand with taking initiative, as you have to be able to take advantage for opportunities that you were given, here are some ways to help listed below:

Many first-gen college students might feel guilty because they got the opportunity to attend college while their parents or other family members did not.

1. Journaling
2. Joining support groups 
3. Speaking to a therapist, family member, or friend

Moreover, many first gen college students, as well as non first gen students, struggle with navigating the academic system. The best way to navigate this is by getting to know all your resources at said college and getting to know your professors. This can all be achieved by taking the initiative and opening yourself to new beginnings. It’s a scary thing to think about, but, once you know you are not alone, it will slowly become easier for you. A part of taking the initiative is being able to find out what you need to know. I have listed some resources below.

1. PurdueOwl – focuses on your English writing, but primarily with helping you cite sources
2. Grammarly – helps you with your grammar
3. Rate My Professor – You are able to type in your school and professor which allows you to view a rating given by students along with providing you with honest reviews on said professor by students who have taken the class.
4. Google Scholar –  Provides you with easy access to a variety of literature, articles, theses, books, authors and publishers and universities.

Social isolation is something that many college students struggle with, whether that be from anxiety or depression. In recent years due to Covid-19, the percentage of social isolation has risen by 40%. That being said, just healing from a pandemic is a struggle itself, but learning to not let the past affect your willingness to open up is a huge part of learning how to take initiative. Ways to help you take the initiative when you struggle with social isolation in your first year of college include:

1. Joining clubs – Clubs are a great way to really put yourself out there; every college offers them. If you join a club in college you have already completed the first step of taking the initiative in your life.
2. Connecting with students – Being able to connect with at least one of your peers is a great way to jump start your initiative lifestyle. Once you start getting to know new people you share a class with, soon you will be able to initiate new conversions and connect with others.

So it’s important to take initiative so you won’t succumb to social isolation as a first-year college student, but  now let’s talk about discrimination and the stigma surrounding it. As of 2014, 54% of first-gen college students are racial/ethnic minorities. According to the article Stereotypes and Their Effects on First-Generation College Students , many first gen students felt as if assumptions were made of their families, not themselves, because they were first generation college students. This article also talked about how much of an opportunity they had to attend college while their parents did not. Since one of the meanings of taking initiative is to keep on persevering when things get tough, being mindful that discrimination and the stigma surrounded by being a first gen college student should not hold you back from taking advantage of the opportunity you were given to go to college. 

All in all, if you want to know more information about first generation college students taking the initiative,  watch this video from PBS: Videos | First Generation Initiative.