...From my experience as a first-generation college student, I have deeply rooted respect for hard work, meritocracy, and perseverance. I met first hand the challenges of navigating academic bureaucracies, networking among faculty, integrating socially, and grappling with identity shifts from my home community. As a result, I grew self-sufficient and can better empathize and discern the needs of others who are not unaware of available resources and/or feel guilt towards using government-provided support services. More importantly, I feel obligated and humble towards those who have helped me along my path to higher education and in return, I seek to increase veteran health literacy by elevating health services knowledge, encouraging active communication...
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...Needs of First-Generation College Students Hank R. Austin Arkansas Tech University Examining the Needs of First-Generation College Students Choosing first-generation college students as my sub-population to focus on was an easy decision. I was a first-generation college student. My father never attended high school and my mother never attended school beyond graduation from high school. Considering some of my own personal struggles and experiences, my research, introduced here, will serve to assist me further in reaching out to those students with similar backgrounds. First-generation students are defined as students whose parents have not completed a bachelor’s or an associate degree (Glenn, 2008). Roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the USA are first-generation college students, and 24% (4.5 million) are both first-gens and low income. Nationally, 89% of low-income first-gens leave college within six years without a degree. More than a quarter leave after their first year; four times the dropout rate of higher-income second-generation students (Ramsey & Peale, 2010). Much research has been conducted in the last decade on the issues facing first-generation students. I found that the major issues which have prompted this research are retention and graduation rates. Among students who enrolled in four-year colleges, for example, the first-generation students had a graduation rate of 44.9%, while the rate for non-first-generation students was 59%. Among students who enrolled...
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...The Concern of College Dropout rates in The United States RES/351 October 31, 2013 Dr. Albert Smothers The Concern of College Dropout rates in The United States The United States is known for spending a great deal of funds on higher education. However in recent years statistics have revealed a high rate of college students fail to obtain their bachelor’s degrees. Currently 42% of college enrolled students fail to complete their education for bachelor’s degrees. Both educators and economists see this as an issue that can impact the country economically and the overall quality of life (Dunn, W. 2013). Purpose of the Research The purpose of our organizations study is to determine the correlation between a student’s level of preparation for higher education and the national dropout rate of colleges in the United States. Specifically, this study will focus on students that attended four year universities with intentions of obtaining their bachelor’s degree, however, they ended up leaving school without this degree. Many people pursue college degrees to obtain specific disciplines and higher education in order to become successful and contributing members of society. However, many of these students are exposed for the first time to environments or challenges that college may present with no preparation or ability to adapt and complete their degree programs. Dropping out of college could potentially impact ones future income earnings and quality of life (Dunn, W. 2013). The...
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...In Kenneth Oldfield's article "Humble and Hopeful: Welcoming First Generation Poor and Working Class Students to College," he discusses the situation he faced when he had no role models who have experienced college. He argues that there should be more done for first generation students. He wished he had known more about college. Oldfield discusses six specific lessons that he wishes he knew before he started college as a first generation student. I relate most to the second lesson—“I wish I had known the real purpose of college before I started.” I relate most to the second lesson because I am a first generation student and I didn’t have anyone to tell me what the real purpose of college is. Like the author, I assumed that the purpose of...
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...November 19, 2012 Final Project: First-Generation College Students First for Everything No two people have the same experiences due to the fact that every person is different, whether it be a difference in background, education, or skin color, something separates everyone. When attending college, you become exposed to to even more differences between everyone. Students come from various backgrounds, including some students being the first in their family to attend college. These particular students are also known as first-generation college students. The hard-work and dedication of these students should not go unnoticed because they struggle differently due to them going into college blind in a sense. They do not know what to expect when going into college because proper guidance is lacked which leaves them at a disadvantage opposed to their counterparts who have family that are experiencing or have experienced the college life. However, a negativity or positivity of a person background does not determine their future, but rather the hardworking ethic and dedication it takes to succeed. “Fischer (2007) reported that black and Hispanic students are more often FGS than their white or Asian counterparts, and they also tend to have lower socioeconomic status backgrounds. Fischer added that the students also experience another disadvantage of being minorities on predominantly white campuses.” (Confronting First-Generation College Students) Researchers argue that family...
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...For many, going to college is seen as normal and unimportant. They just see it as a few more years of schooling. They don’t realize how great of an opportunity it is to be able to go to a college. For others, it is a privilege to get to go to a university. First generation students are defined as people who come from a family that has not been to college. They are brought up being constantly told the importance of attending college and receiving a degree. Some of the difficulties faced with being a first generation college student are the fact that no one in their family has any real background knowledge on it; the struggle of finances; trying to fit into the college life; and the overwhelming pressure to graduate. First generation college...
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...African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Rheon Gibson Northern Illinois University Abstract In this report, I discuss the importance of African-American college students in higher education realms and why the topic appeals to my interests. I will also identify trends in research questions, methodology, and research findings; regarding three identified themes; Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation. In addition, I will provide the reader with an evaluation/critique of the existing literature, including; 1) contributions of literature to the field, 2) overall strengths, 3) overall weaknesses, 4) missing elements, and 5) what are the next steps for research. African-American College Students: Personal History, Struggles, and Graduation Introduction Importance to the Field Educational attainment amongst African-Americans is a crucial concept that not only affects African-American communities but it also affects society as a whole. Education provides a solid foundation for individuals to experience personal growth, increase one’s socioeconomic status, and obtain professional careers and licensures. Obtaining higher education does not begin upon admission to an accredited college or university; instead, it begins when one is first introduced to the educational system. This introduction can be in Kindergarten, Pre-K, the first year of home school, or wherever the first fundamental steps of acquiring a higher knowledge of comprehension...
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...long-term goals? Additional questions I would hope that all of the hard work I have put into my education over the past years have helped prepare me for this moment, the moment where I move from a community college to a university. My readiness for upper division courses in my major, which is Sociology, include me taking all of my general requirements, of course, but also being very focused...
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...control to choose my actions and accept the consequences that come from these actions. These actions can be as simple as determining what my attitude will be for the day all the way to choosing to have a great, motivating, and inspirational life. Covey (1989) explained, making the choice to choose our response we powerfully could affect the results. Personal responsibility links to everything in my life, my family success, my professional success, and my educational success. In this instance, personal responsibility’s associations with the actions I must take to be successful in college are show initiative, be proactive, manage my time effectively, and create effective habits. Initiative There are multiple methods and attributes to ensure my educational success, taking the initiative to choose to be a successful student seems to be the first key point. A study performed by Zimmerman and Martinez-Pons (1986), comparing advanced students and lower performing students found that the lower performing students often give reactive statements such as “I just do what my teacher tells me,” compared to the academically achievers that use statements such as, “If I’m having difficulty motivating myself to complete my homework, I just work harder.” The findings indicated a lack of personal initiative in the lower performing students whereas the over achievers show initiative in every aspect of their learning endeavors. By choosing to apply initiative to my college achievement and doing...
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...SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND COLLEGE STUDENTS 1 Introduction Social health is the key to success, having the ability to have healthy relationships and interactions with people; it will be beneficial not only in your social life but also in your workplace. When it comes to thinking about your future having the capacity of adapting easily to new social situations and having appropriate daily behaviors will open many doors for you. It is important that each and every one of us is able to have a healthy and positive social health for the following reasons; Social health does not only create the ability to relate and network with people but also to express your feelings to others instead of just keeping it to yourself. It sustains health and wellness with positive reinforcement from family, friends, and even your neighbors. It is very important that as a community we build confidence and great self-esteem since it will give all of us the strength and guidance to be able to rely on each other and provide encouragement to live your lives in a healthy and happy manner. Problem Statement The lack of inequality with underrepresented students seems to be an issue for many years. We the underrepresented many times just let it go by, but it should not be that way. Being able to be successful in college also means good social integration. In a study done in the University of California Santa Cruz and University of Minnesota they mention in...
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...Running Head: RESEARCH REPORT: OBSTACLES OF UT TYLER STUDENTS. Research Report: Obstacles of UT Tyler Students Lisa Womack University of Texas—Tyler In partial fulfillment of the requirements for (CRIJ 4322) Dr. Barbara Hart November 15, 2010 Research Report: Obstacles of UT Tyler Students Introduction Throughout a student’s education, progression is measured by representative grade point average (GPA). Furthermore, one may question whether economic status affects a first time student’s success, and one may speculate if age directly relates to GPA. First time generation college students may struggle with the decision to attend college due to family pressures, which relates to the required necessity of needing a job due to their limited finances. Likewise, the non-traditional student may have greater responsibility; such as, child care expenses and other financial responsibilities; whereas, the traditional student may have minimal expenses with the exception of childcare, which relates to effecting his or hers GPA based on priorities. My personal interests in choosing the following two hypotheses derive from my perception and background. Growing up, I felt college was something I could never achieve because no one else in my family had ever attained a college degree; nevertheless, I was not aware of how a college degree could benefit me or what procedures to take to see if acceptance into a college was possible with only a General Education Degree. As well,...
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...Hispanic Immigrants and Educational Achievement in The United States Lesly Cabrera City College of New York Various studies have been conducted to measure college readiness on many levels amongst many populations, and have ultimately found factors influencing such statistics (Jasinski, 2000). However, the issue of specifically the population of Hispanic immigrant youth and the lack of education achievement can be further analyzed to measure the effects of individual factors. In my research, I intend to find and list the main factors that influence my target population in regards to educational attainment. This research hopes to answer: which type of factors have the greatest impact on Hispanic immigrants that can guide or...
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...In my early education, my parents always made a point to tell me how smart I was, no matter the circumstance. Telling someone, especially a young impressionable child, something like that over and over again often results in them believing it. Words like those remain in the back of our minds and, whether or not we want to believe it, influence us into adulthood. It is because of these words stored in my subconscious education remained my constant throughout my parents’ divorce, even when it seemed like everything in my life was changing. As a young child, I channeled the stress that had been indirectly put upon me into energy and diligence in my school work. Without realizing it, I was using the achievements and praise I obtained in school as a coping mechanism for my emotional instability. Though the divorce of my parents provided me with other kinds of hardships, such as my need to grow independent sooner than I expected, it’s occurrence allowed me to see the importance of my education as a juvenile. Soon after I had begun to take my academic achievement into my own hands, always doing what was required of me and much more, my...
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...Professor Rowe ENGL-1302-15 10 December 2012 Is college a good idea for some exceptional students? College education is a life experience that provides students with knowledge and skills to face challenges ahead in life. It is an extremely important form of education though it may seem as though college is not worth the stress and difficulty because several college dropouts such as Joel Osteen, LeBron James, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs were successful in their endeavors to achieve their goals. In the article Is College worth it?, Robert Hoggard states: College prepares students for determination and responsibility although one can never truly understand the definition of determination without finishing college because studying and finishing assignments on time takes innate will power that many people who opt-out of college do not possess (Hoggard). His views on college are extremely appropriate as by attending college, students learn to develop their will power to help them focus on their perspectives and goals. Emily Wamstker shares her views on college in her article, College Is Very Much Worth It, by saying, “The data make clear that getting a college education is still a good idea -- college graduates earn more, and are more likely to have a job in the first place -- and is especially important for some Americans” (Wamstker). By attending college, students can be confident of acquiring a job. Many college dropouts struggle making low wages because they...
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...Personal Responsibility Kathleen Donovan Gen/200 October 13,2014 Kristine Faultner Personal Responsibility Personal responsibility is the ideal that a structure of set behaviors should be employed by one’s volition to hold one’s self accountable in daily life to meet personal, fiscal and educational tasks to successful completion. These behaviors have a rule governing the consequences due to action or inaction by the individual. Consequences are either positive or negative in nature regardless of being personal, educational or work related. Throughout daily life, we all have obligatory responsibilities as well as self-imposed responsibilities. It is often heard that someone would rather point the proverbial finger for their failures toward someone else or some outside cause. In truth, as individuals, personal responsibility is accepting the outcome of either a good or bad decision and learning from it. In matters of business and family, issues arise, and decisions are sometimes unclear. These may be due to an unhealthy family bond or strained relationship. At times, people tend to make poor decisions with their emotions rather than facts or the weighted measures for outcome. As people, we at times tend to fail to see the long projected outcome over a short term goal. In matters of finance, one must not take on a greater financial burden than one can bear. Dr. Muir’s article sites an excellent demonstration of a person that had great examples of personal responsibility...
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