My First Generation College Student - 956 Words

I come from a low-income family with a household of eight people. I have my dad, my six siblings, and my mother passed away a few years ago. As a first-generation college student I felt so many emotions. I came from a high school that didn’t prepare me for college courses and that became a problem. What made it worse was that my dad didn’t go to college, so I couldn’t go to him for help. I was scared, depressed, unprepared, I was doing everything on my own. I also felt like I didn’t belong because I believed I wasn’t as smart as the other students or â€Å"rich† enough. When I first arrived at UC Davis, I was immediately intimidated. All of the other students seemed so educated and professional and I just compared myself to them without even getting to know them. Let me tell you, getting here wasn’t easy and I know it wasn’t easy for you either, so feel accomplished. You made it! Now that you’re in UC Davis, you will b e expected to work hard. Times may get rough, but just remember that help is out there. Take advantage and don’t be afraid or ashamed to seek help. Resources play a huge role on this campus; it’s what helps students succeed. There are so many available. All you have to do is use them. Some academic resources are office hours, tutoring, and TA’s. Office hours are offered by instructors. Its time they set aside to help students in need. They drop whatever they’re doing and focus on you and the rest of the students that might drop by. Most students attend officeShow MoreRelatedMotivating Firs Generation Students For Academic Success And College Completion902 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Motivating Firs-Generation Students For Academic Success and College Completion† by Tanjula Petty describes the additional challenges first generation students have to overcome while attending college. A well-heeled diversity and world of opportunities are a few of the positive outcomes of attending college. According to Tanjula Petty (2014), â€Å"Yet, the most cited and widely used definition for first- generation stude nts is someone whose parents has not completed a college degree†. Students whose parentsRead MoreHelp To Reach Full Potential. One Of Crucet’S Arguments1676 Words   |  7 PagesHelp to Reach Full Potential One of Crucet’s arguments in her novel, Make Your Home Among Stranger, states that first generation college students should receive more help than other college students because it will increase their likelihood to pursue graduate from a university and they will have a better future than their family. She discusses the struggles of her main character faces while she attends to school far away from her hometown and her academic struggles. She also conflicts with her self-identityRead MoreRisk Factors for Freshman in Their First Year College Experience1682 Words   |  7 Pagesmajority of college students were white male adolescents, primarily the sons of doctors, lawyers, ministers, prosperous merchants, and well-to-do farmers (Jenkins, Miyazaki, and Janosi). First generation college students are a new demographic when it comes to the college population. First generation students are the first in their family to attend college and plan to be the first in their family that gra duate. According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, First GenerationRead MoreHow Does Much Friends Affect The Self Esteem Of A Student? Essay1695 Words   |  7 Pagesshared how he tries to hide that he is a First Generation College Student for he is afraid that he might be judged by his peers of being ignorant. He shared that many people have a stereotype that First Generation College Students do not know what they are doing in college and that they are not smart enough. He said he tries harder than most of his peers to make sure that he does not get that label when his friends find out he is a First Generation College Student; he reminds himself that it is a motivatorRead MoreBeing A First Generation Latina Essay1357 Words   |  6 PagesAs a first-generation Latina in college, I could not be where I am without the help of multiple individuals. My parent’s sacrificed so much coming into this country. They left behind their family, their h ome, in order to one day provide a better future for me. Initially, my parents planned on staying in America for five years then they would go back to Ecuador. However plans changed once my mom became pregnant with me. The decision to stay in order to give me the best future possible greatly affectedRead MoreGraduation Speech : First Generation Students838 Words   |  4 Pages First-generation students are a growing and diverse group of students enrolling in postsecondary institutions. Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, and Terenzini ( 2004) describes first-generation students whose parents did not attend college. The college experience first-generations have can negatively or positively influence the outcome of student’s ability to succeed in school. Due to the increase in first-generation students entering college more researched has been forced on them compared to theRead MoreGraduation Speech : High Education838 Words   |  4 Pagespriority in my life. While I realized a high school education was important, my parents expected more. They said if I wanted to succeed in life, a college education was something that I could not live without. What they don’t tell you is how exhausting and confusing the process is to get even into. First-generation Hispanic students are faced with more challenges than other ethnicities when seeking higher education. Many Hispanics face less economic and social resources than others students whichRead MoreResearch Study : Motivation Of First Generation College Students816 Words   |  4 Pagesmotivation of first generation college students 1. I utilized the University of North Florida’s search bar through the library to find my article. I typed into the search bar â€Å"motivating first generation college students†. I wanted to find research that explored different ways utilized by institutions to motivate and retain their first generation college students. This article is from the NASPA Journal which is a journal I have used frequently in the past as it is most directly related to my chosen fieldRead MoreGraduation Speech : College Students1272 Words   |  6 PagesCollege, whether community, private, public, or vocational, encourages a creativity and belief within students, offering the explanation that their futures increase ten-fold just by having a degree. It proves the ability to learn and connect concepts and to think critically and efficiently, skills highly useful in their careers and endeavors. It instills within students, the truth about the world around them and how interactions with sta ff and peers will guide them for their future encountersRead MoreBackground Of First Generation Students977 Words   |  4 Pages Background: First Generation students are students who are the first in their family to go to college. These students come from a variety of backgrounds. They can come from low-income families who previously didn’t have the means to attend college, they can come from families that never encouraged college or thought of it as an option and focused more on manual labor as a career, and they can come from families who’ve been stuck in the cycle of poverty and are trying to make their way out through