In the transition from high school to college, first-generation students require specific resources and considerations.
Dr. Phillip Wood is a professor in MU’s Psychological Sciences Department
When you filled out the application to come to MU, you may have been puzzled to see that it asked you to identify if you were the first person in your family to attend college (i.e., a first-generation college student). This isn’t idle curiosity. Research — both nationally and at MU — has shown that the college experience is different for first-generation students. If you are at all like me (a first-generation student myself) you might switch back and forth between thinking that MU is a strange place, not like anything you’ve known before and thinking that you’re really not much different than any other students you know. Reality is probably a mix of both.
First off, it might surprise you that many of the graduate students, instructors, and professors at MU are first-generation students as well. This is especially true in the Midwest, where many of us took a job here to be close to family.
That said, though, first-generation students are more at risk for academic failure than other students in a variety of ways. It’s important to be aware of all the resources on campus that students have access to, the ways university classes are different from high school classes, and how instructors or professors play a different role than the teachers you had in high school. In addition, many first-generation students come from smaller, more rural high schools or more urban-disadvantaged city schools. These schools often don’t have the honors courses, teacher training, and educational resources of non-first-generation students, making it quite natural to feel that other students have some kind of special sauce for success. In reality, it was the educational opportunities that were different for them. Although family members who have attended college can pass down advice to others, I think I can provide a little “avuncular advice” as to how you can succeed at MU.
It’s normal to be stressed.
The last time we did a census of the MU freshman class, about half of the students qualified for the designation of being psychologically distressed. You aren’t alone in these feelings, and they aren’t limited to first-generation students. Most of us recover from this stress across the college years, so there’s hope.
Your time and your schedule are a lot more up to you in college.
A lot of students I knew in college were amazed at all the free time they now had. No study halls, only a few hours of class each day. At first, my friends thought this meant the rest of the time was free and didn’t understand that the rest of that time was really for reading the books and doing the assignments. If you can at all swing it (and I realize that many first-gen students need to work in order to attend MU), try to not take on a heavy workload until you have the lay of the land with respect to what time demands you really have.
The books are different
Even reading the books in college is different from reading them in high school. I have to admit, I only read things once in high school. I pretty much had it. In some classes, though, I found I needed to read a chapter more than once and maybe even make an outline. Reading over PowerPoints is not enough, and listening to lectures is certainly not enough.
Fitting in at MU
It’s pretty easy to feel like you don’t fit in, and for this reason, some of us do a lot of regrettable things in an effort to do so. This involves things like pranks on other students, doing things on a dare, or doing risky behaviors as a way to be “one of the gang.” Alcohol use is an example of this. The last time we did a complete census of the freshman class at MU, one of our questions concerned whether a person had consumed 20 or more drinks in one sitting. I was surprised to see that all people who reported partaking in this were male, first-generation students, and participated frequently in Greek events on campus. I realize there is a party culture in our Greek system, but I can’t help but wonder if these young men are doing these behaviors also in an attempt to fit in with other students who are obviously different from themselves in terms of family affluence and lifestyle. Overconsumption may give you something to regale people with, but it doesn’t often lead to close ties.
We offer accommodations for learning disabilities.
Did you have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) in high school? Do you have a disability? If so, MU has resources for you.
One thing that stands out is the dramatic difference in the proportion of students in Missouri high schools who have an IEP or other disability accommodations and the number of students who use our Disability Center. Some people seem to think the Disability Center is just for students with physical disabilities. This is not the case. I can also certainly understand that if you’re coming out of high school with negative experiences surrounding your disability, you might come to MU hoping to start over
Let’s be honest, there is a lot of bullying that goes on in high school. Coming to a new place, the last thing you may want to do is self-identify with what previously gave you so much grief in this new environment. At MU, the Disability Center accommodates all kinds of disabilities. We deal with developmental, health, hearing, physical, psychological, and vision problems. You can go to the center, and when accommodations are made, those accommodations stay between you and your instructors. Your transcript won’t show that you had an IEP for any given class. Even if you didn’t (or don’t) have an IEP, you can still contact the Disability Office if you are having any concerns. This is especially true for first-gen students from rural areas. IEPs are often rare in rural Missouri public schools because they cost the school district so much.
We provide even more support.
We have tutoring for students. Even if you are doing well, these tutors can often help you do even better. Professors, instructors and TAs have office hours. Use them. Personally, I’m overjoyed when someone comes by to ask questions or even just to chat. Most often these are happening on Zoom, so they’re super convenient for you. Get to know the other people in your class. If you can figure it out, get together with other people in your class. For a lot of assignments, instructors are happy to have people help each other out. And, along the way, you’ll also get to know more people.
I could go on, but I’ll put a pin in this for now. Do let me know your thoughts. Phil Wood woodph@missouri.edu