For 20-year-old Max San Pedro, a freshman at the University of Idaho, not having any family members to help when it came to college shaped his experience.
San Pedro emigrated from Mexico his junior year of high school, leaving behind his parents, familial support and native language.
But he found support through the College Assistance Migrant Program, a federal program offering educational assistance to migrant workers and their children of migrant workers.
“They show you how to get involved in college, what questions to ask and who to ask. They brought me to campus more than three times,” San Pedro said. “It’s like a little family there.”
Though students like San Pedro comprise a sizeable portion of college students nationally and locally, their graduation rates lag. That’s because first-generation students face unique challenges when accessing higher education, according to a 2008 study in the International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning.
First generation college students make up 34 percent of the university population across America, according to the U.S. Department of Education. At UI, they make up roughly 36 percent of the incoming freshmen class. Only a small percentage of first-generation college students will obtain their degrees within six years, compared to their peers with parents that have at least one degree.
Tamera Dirks, a researcher on the project “Attracting and Retaining First-Generation College students in the Rural Pacific Northwest: A Grounded Theory Study,” found similar experiences among the students she worked with.
While interviewing 20 first-generation students throughout Idaho, Dirks found many students did not have someone to turn to with questions.
“They had specific questions to their individual circumstances but they seem to have to find answers from multiple entities or organizations at UI, whereas a second generation student often can just turn to their parents to help them find the answers to questions,” Dirks said.
Colleges, like Brown University, have implemented first-generation student networks and mentoring programs, pairing first-generation and master’s students together. Some schools even have programs to donate materials and books to low-income students.
At UI, the federally-created TRIO Upward Bound program offers assistance to low-income and disabled first-generation students from households that earn under $28,000 each year. It occurs at the middle and junior high school levels and aims to help students generate skills and motivation that will help set them up for success in education beyond high school.
Not every first-generation student feels as integrated as San Pedro though. Cayden Field, 20, came to UI because of the PGA Golf Management Program, but dropped out the first semester of his sophomore year.
“I wish I would have been more prepared for time management,” Field said. “It’s hard to be at school and doing classes that don’t interest you but are required because it’s difficult to be motivated, even with people trying to help you.”
Jessica Samuels, an Academic Success Counselor with the TRIO program, thinks part of the reason students don’t reach out for help may have to do with the onslaught of information they receive when stepping on to campus for the first time.
“It takes students a while to see if they need help, and at that point it might be hard to asses,” Samuels said.
The Vandal Success Center, where the TRIO office is housed, also offers academic coaching, drop-in tutoring and houses career services and the Writing Center among other services, all of which are open to all students across campus.
In her research, Dirks found that many first generation students did not have financial support or guidance from their families, but the emotional support they received became a very positive factor in their attendance.
UI Admission Specialist Matthew Barber said the main questions he receives don’t usually tackle these kinds of subjects. Students often call the Office of Admissions with more broad matters, such as how to send in transcripts or when a deadline is, he said.
“It’s hard to know what first generation students are asking the most,” Barber said. “They don’t usually self-identify themselves.”
For Logan Little, a sophomore at UI, not being prepared was never something he was worried about. Both his parents have Ph.D’s and going to college after high school was just what you do.
Little said he came to college knowing what to expect.
He often turns to his parents for advice but, he said, they taught Little the importance of time management before he stepped foot on a college campus. He doesn’t perceive himself as any different than a first-generation student though.
“From what I’ve seen, they generally seem very hard-working and seem to have a chip on their shoulder, maybe it’s that they appreciate the opportunity more,” Little said.
Dirks, Field and San Pedro all agree on one thing — that while the University of Idaho has programs in place to help students succeed, first-generation students may need more of a push toward one-on-one support.
“I think that strengthening student involvement at all ages is imperative and getting students of all ages connected to the university would strengthen retention rates and graduation rates,” Dirks said.
Editor’s note: This article was produced as part of a media writing course in the spring semester. The reporter became employed at the university after its production.
Ellamae Burnell can be reached at [email protected]