First-generation college students- Literature Review

First-generation college students- Literature Review

The review points out that students with parents who did not attend college happen to be more likely prepared more compared to their non-first –generation counterparts to be less academically ready for college. To acquire knowledge on the application for a college or financial aid as well as having more problems when acclimating themselves to college after enrollment. In other cases, faced with a higher risk of not completing. Since the likelihood of delay in registration after high school, enrollment in the postsecondary studies part-time as they work on a full-time basis while enrolled for studies. The intervention developed to reach out to the first generation both before and when in college is likely to reduce the divergence within the first generation and non-first generation students, thus aiding the colleges attain their goals and objectives of enrolling and retainment of all students’.

Approach issues

First-generation high school graduates

In the year 1992, roughly twenty-seven percent of the high school graduates mostly are first-generation students that are students from the backgrounds where none of their parents joined college

The probability of enrollment to postsecondary studies is highly relative to parents’ education, although consideration of other attributes, along the graduates of 1992 whom parents attended enrolled for college, fifty-nine percent happened to have entered in a few forms of higher studies by the year 1994 (Choy). With the rate rising to seventy-five percent to those whose parents got some knowledge on college education, and ninety-three percent to those whose utmost one parent acquired a bachelor’s degree.

Academic readiness for college

Academic readiness for college education changes with parents’ education, where about 49peercent during the 1992 high school graduates with parents who didn’t enroll for college education happened only to be marginally qualified or even not qualified for attending college studies after high school completion. When compared to thirty-three percent of the students where parents had acquired some college studies or fifteen percent for students whose either parents had obtained a bachelor’s degree (Choy).

There is a likelihood of first-generation students to enroll for college education being less academically ready and containing minimal or no access to information about the college knowledge of events either first hand or acquired from relatives( Thayer).

In Hispanics, there exist an absence of academic readiness where on average, the Hispanic students are seen to produce low scores on well standard college enrollment evaluations, thus the essence of more remedial on mathematics and English when compared with the white students (Schmidt).

Outlook on the admissions and financial help application procedures

Students from backgrounds where their parents had no basics or not attended college got less assistance from their parents when registering for their college education, and the likelihood to get support form their schools was minimal(Choy).

The low-income African Americans and families of the Latinos where parents did not enroll for college education are faced with the challenge of lack of information about finances in the schools. Where they tend to overestimate or underestimate the cost needed for tuition, thus an imbalance in their budgets in case of high disparities(Thayer).

The first generation and the minority students from families with parents lacking the primary skills of college education were faced with the challenge lack of particular types “college experience” therefore lack of understanding on the process for preparing for higher studies inclusive of knowledge on how to fund their college studies, completion of the primary admission procedures or connecting between career goals and objectives with their education requirements (Gullatt).

Knowledge of college experience

The first-generation students are faced with the lack of know-how about the management of time, college finance usages, budget development, and management or else the bureaucratic operations of college education (Choy).

Observations that were made by a dean from a community college made observations that the highest percentage of the first-generation students happened to be intimidated and demoralized by the education systems and had no understanding of when it is flexible or not (Thayer).

Despite the Hispanic students having all the support from their parents for the college education, the problem arises where no family member has the knowledge of the happenings and expectations that the students are likely to undergo through in their college education (Schmidt). This was a statement derived by the president of the California state university located at Bakersfield, where the enrollment in the institution is composed of approximately thirty-six percent Hispanic.

Exclusives of first-generation students

Demographic attributes

Beginning students from the first generation backgrounds differ widely with the non-first generation students both in age brackets and family upbringing (Thayer). First-generation beginning students more likely than in the non-first generation counterparts likely to be female (57%females in the first generation, 51%females within their colleagues).

Disparities between the cultural setting and backgrounds and the school cultures limit the efficiency of classroom studies as the students are not able to link between the two with the real world itself(Choy).

Enrollment factors

First-generation students mostly focus on enrolling two colleges offering two-year programs, which happens to be available at all the levels of the postsecondary studies (Gallant).

The first-generation students are less likely to attend the learning program on a full-time basis compared to their coLwhose parents have knowledge about college education or have acquired a bachelor’s degree (Thayer).

It has been observed that most of the first-generation students start their college education at community colleges. From where they transfer to four-year colleges after ascertaining various credits for transfer.as, some of the students experience a smooth transition in the four-year institutions they enroll in, some struggle within the acclimation process(Choy).

Parents’ enrollment for a college education is an essential factor and base for their children in helping them drive the meaning and requirements during their college education. This is creating a smooth transition for students in their studies due to the availability of firsthand information on the expectations in their learning.

Work cited

Thayer, Paul B. “Retention of students from the first generation and low-income backgrounds.” (2000).

Choy, Susan P. “Students whose parents did not go to college: Postsecondary access, persistence, and attainment.” (2001).

Schmidt, Peter. “Academe’s Hispanic future.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 50.14 (2003): A8.

Gullatt, Yvette, and Wendy Jan. “How do pre-collegiate academic outreach programs impact college-going among underrepresented students.” Washington, DC: Pathways to College Network Clearinghouse (2003).