For most students, Mom and Dad have been able to provide a support system based on their own personal experiences with the college system. Every step of the way, their parents seem to know exactly what to do and when to do it. Even when their parents are at home, miles away, they know that they can make a simple phone call to ask questions about how to file certain paperwork or about which clubs seem like the most fun. When you are a first-generation college student, you most likely do not have that luxury. You experience the transition from high school to college in a completely different way than the majority of your peers, and for the most part, they will never know what it is like to be in your place. The significance of being a first generation college student is often unknown to students who have parents who graduated from college. Many times it is not realized by many first-generation college students themselves. This leaves me to ask a rarely heard question: What does it even mean to be a first- generation college student?
Being a first-generation college student is knowing that you are the first in your family to get to this point of higher education. Sometimes, it may feel like you are going through everything completely alone. Without someone close who has experienced these drastic changes themselves, the transition can be excruciatingly lonely. It is knowing that you not only have to figure out what complicated forms like FAFSA and CSS Profile even are, but you must figure out exactly how and when to file them, what information to report, and what the benefits of doing so are. It is knowing that even with whatever support your parents can provide during the application process, the majority of the pressure rests on your shoulders.
Being a first-generation college student is having to figure out the ins and outs of college life on your own. It is figuring out how to find your place in your school’s society as well finding your true friends without having someone to go to for advice. It is knowing that your parents don’t have any experience with Greek life, joining clubs, or how to respond when that cute upperclassman invites you to their apartment to study. It is knowing that even if you wanted to ask your parents for help in social situations, their advice would most likely not apply to the unique microcosm that is a college campus.
Being a first-generation college student doubles the pressure felt to succeed. You are seen as an inspiration and a trailblazer in your family. It is knowing that your degree is so much more than a piece of paper with a signature. Instead, it is a precedent and a symbol of success for your family. It is knowing that your grade point average means so much more to your family simply because you were given the opportunity to even earn a GPA in the first place. Your countless hours with your nose in a textbook are accompanied by numerous sleepless nights in an attempt to ace your next test. It is knowing the importance of taking advantage of the opportunity you were given to study at this level of education.
Most importantly, being a first-generation college student is knowing that the moment you receive your diploma you will have set a new standard for the future generations of your family to come. It is knowing that you are giving your family a monumental reason to be proud of everything you have achieved. In the end, you know that the hard work and effort you put into simply getting by was worth every second of stress. It is knowing that despite the odds, you can achieve greatness.
