Nearly one-third of students at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton are the very first in their families to go to college — they’re first generation. For them, walking on to FAU’s campus can feel like crossing over into a whole other world. “When I got here, I had no clue what I was doing,” said Maisha Daley, a senior and a political science major at FAU.“I registered for classes at the end of July. And college started like two we ...
When I first started at Stanford this fall as a first-generation college student, I automatically felt a sense of immense pressure. I felt a need to prove that I deserved my spot — especially as I looked at my peers, many of whom came from affluent backgrounds and already had impressive internships lined up for the summer and national awards listed on their LinkedIn profiles.
Findings from a recent Student Voice survey of 1,073 first-generation college students reveal feelings of isolation and sources of worry for many students whose parents didn't graduate from college, as well as how particular supports from professors and other areas of campus have helped, or would help.