Confessions of a first generation student

http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2009/09/confessions-of-a-first-generation-student/ September 29 2009

I always knew I would go to university or college, but I was never sure what I was going to school for, since I had such a large variety of interests. I applied to an array of programs at a bunch of different schools, and was accepted into them all. (I made my choice based mostly on a campus visit that involved cotton candy and bubbles.)

I became the third person in my extended family to go to post-secondary education and the second to graduate; however, in my nuclear family I was the first for both. I am what is known as a first generation student (also called first gen or FGS): the first person in my immediate family to go on to post-secondary education.

With the number of students attending university and college on the rise in the last decade, the number of first gen students has increased as well. We fill an interesting demographic and face challenges that students whose parents have post-secondary education do not.

In general, first gen students often confront the following issues:

• Being confused by the application process
• No knowledge of academic expectations
• Use of confusing jargon by the institution
• Lack of information regarding support-systems on campus
• Coping with life as a post-secondary student
• Financial barriers
• Not having support of parents and family
• Guilt in regards to the post-secondary experience
• Higher dropout rates than traditional students

The hardest part for me was not having anyone to turn to. I knew nothing about choosing courses, how university experience worked, living in residence or what the university could offer me when I was applying.

I also did not know the benefits that some schools had over others, in terms of reputation, cost, location, transportation, programs offered, class sizes, supplementary fees and extra-curriculars. The only real form of guidance I had about Canadian universities was the annual publication from Maclean’s magazine.

My parents didn’t have any way to assist me in my choice; the only advice they could offer was from other parents to their children, which in many cases did not apply to me.

Once I made my choice, made it through Welcome Week and started my studies, I was once again inundated with unknowns. I sort of fumbled my way through, and more or less ended up OK (I’m still alive, aren’t I?).

But I faced another problem: the language I was comfortable using at university was completely foreign to my parents.

Things that became normative to me and my peers had to be explained to my parents, oftentimes more than once. They have become more familiar with terminology and practices as time has gone on, but there are still many things I do not think they understand.

I noticed my world progressively became more and more dissimilar to theirs. I can’t really say what will happen in the future in terms of my relationship with my parents, since I am not sure if I will pursue more post-graduate education.

But if I had gone straight into the workforce, I honestly believe our relationship would have been much different, as there would be more things I could relate to with them and vice versa.

Since I came to university, I have noticed that many colleges and universities now offer support programs to first gen students in terms of peer mentoring, financial assistance, orientation sessions and workshops during the academic year.

There has also been an influx of information about first gen students in academic literature, suggesting schools have recognized the impact felt by FGS in post-secondary education.

If you happen to be a first gen student, take advantage of the programs offered by your school. Such a program did not exist in my first year, but I wish it did. It likely would have helped me avoid some of those snags (and there were quite a few) in my first year.

A few years ago, I was a peer mentor for first year first gen students as part of the flagship year of the program. Not only did we face a lot of the same issues in our respective first years, but I was able to assist someone else in their transition into university life.

I know my mentee was grateful for the information I passed on to him, and he passed on his experiences to other first year students while being involved as a Community Advisor in the residence system.

First Generation Students Writing Workshop

"First Generation Students Writing Workshop", September 2007

Are you the first person in your immediate family to attend a post-secondary institution? If that is the case, by definition you are a First Generation Student. With up to 30% of university applicants being First Generation Students, both schools and the government have realized that FGS have a more unique university experience than their peers who have a family member that embarked on education at the post-secondary level. First Generation Students vary from so-called “traditional” students in that their assumed knowledge of university, personal commitment and familial support is disadvantaged.

Due to this issue, the First Year Experience Office has developed a plan specifically for First Generation Students. The aim of the program is to bridge the gap between FGS and their “traditional” peers. The curriculum offers support from upper-year Peer Mentors, who are also FG students (and one of whom is me!). In addition, the program gives FGS comprehensive knowledge of all the services and resources available to them on campus. The FYEO is positive that the project will encourage and support all First Generation students in being successful in completing their academic goals.

The first course available for First Generation students is a writing workshop. The goal of this session is to aid students in enhancing their academic writing skills. The emphasis will be on the academic writing process, which includes thesis development, structure, argumentation, clarity, flow, style and paragraph structure.

This workshop is being facilitated by Joanne Buckley, TESL, M.Ed.,Ph.D. She is an Academic Skills Counsellor in the Centre for Student Development (CSD). Joanne is the author of “Fit to Print: The Canadian Student’s Guide to Essay Writing” and has been on the Canadian Best Seller’s list. She has also written ‘Checkmate: A Writing Reference for Canadians, which we believe all students who need to write and research papers effectively should have as a resource.

The seminar is available on October 9th from 10:00AM-11:30AM, or on October 11th from 3:00PM-4:30PM. If you would like to attend please send an email to firstgen@mcmaster.ca. The deadline for your response is September 28th, and we encourage that you only pick one session.