FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS FACE STRUGGLES IN COLLEGE
First-generation students are usually defined as college students whose parents didn’t earn a bachelor’s degree. These students often deal with many challenges throughout college that other students don’t. First-gen students face issues that stem from a lack of knowledge about the college experience and a lack of family support. They are also more likely to struggle with financial problems.
Around 31 percent of Southern Miss students are first-generation students, which is on par with national statistics. Of those first-generation students, 20 percent of them graduate in four years from Southern Miss, compared with the 30 to 40 percent rate among the general student population.
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One of the biggest problems first-generation students have is figuring out how financial aid for college works, especially since most first-gen students come from lower-income families.
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For senior criminal justice major Jessica Barnett, her biggest challenge as a first-generation student was learning how to use FAFSA and other financial aid applications.
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“And this hasn’t really improved over time because USM consistently changes their financial aid policies,” Barnett said.
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Ari’Anna Magee, coordinator for first year programs under New Student and Retention Programs at Southern Miss said that financial literacy is also an issue some first-generation students face. Many may take out loans to pay for tuition without knowing how this might affect them after graduating.
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Magee said that another problem first-gen students face is imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy.
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“They get to these places and achieve these things, but once they get to operating in them, they don’t feel worthy of that. And that can inhibit your quality of work,” Magee said.
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Magee was a first-generation student when she began college at Alcorn State University in 2012. Then, she knew she was the first person in her family to attend a four-year college, but didn’t realize how being a first-gen student really affected her until she began working at NSRP.
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Magee said being a first-gen student even affects her in her current job and learning to navigate the professional world.
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“I go from graduating, being a student and learning these things to getting thrown into the field with no direct or familial professional support,” Magee said. “I’m seeking it basically from strangers as I go along and professionally grow and develop. So it’s not something I would say stops once you earn your degree. It’s something you learn to navigate and it affects you in every other phase of your life.”
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During her time at Southern Miss, Barnett said that she hasn’t always used the resources that were available to her.
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“I think USM has a great variety of resources available for first-gen students, but my main issue was feeling comfortable enough to ask for help,” Barnett said.
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Currently, NSRP has a few programs and services that benefit first-generation students, including TRIO- Student Support Services, which offers peer tutoring and free printing to first-gen students and other students in need, but there aren’t any services specifically dedicated to first-gen students.
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Now that she works in NSRP, Magee wants to use her experience as a first-generation student to help current first-gen students. She said NSRP is working now to develop programs dedicated to better help first-gen students at Southern Miss, including academic and social support to create a community of first-gen students.
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“If 30 percent of the institution is first-gen, we should be doing something officially for that group of students. There is definitely a lot of work that can be done,” Magee said.
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One thing NSRP recently has done is adopting to celebrate the National First-Generation Celebration Day.
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“The purpose of that was to highlight those students. Although you may experience challenges, although it may not be the easiest thing for you to persist throughout college, celebrate that,” Magee said. “With that celebration, we included our faculty and staff that identified as first-generation students. We wanted to be very visible and had them wear shirts, so our students can see they have support here and they can be successful.”
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Magee said that although her first-generation status has posed many challenges in her college and professional experience, she wouldn’t change it.
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“I think it makes me value school more,” Magee said. “Seeing the things that I’m experiencing so early on that my grandparents, my great-grandparents or even my mom were not fortunate enough to experience through their regular life and work opportunities, and I am. So I take pride in breaking that cycle and encouraging those younger than me.”