Recognizing the need to continue to develop an infrastructure that supports the needs of first-generation college students, Campbell University announced in February that it will launch a one-year pilot mentoring program designed to provide mentor relationships for first-generation students with university faculty, staff and alumni who were also the first in their families to earn a degree.
Michelle Perez, assistant vice president for student success and herself a first-generation student, is leading the initiative with hopes of making the college experience for these students better and more successful.
“The feedback I received throughout the campus from students, faculty and staff alike has been so positive and filled with optimism about this initiative,” Perez says.
Who are first-generation college students?
While there is no universal definition for “first-generation college student“ and much of the research uses the definition “student with neither parent having any education beyond high school,” we choose to define a first-generation college student as “neither parent having received a four-year college degree.”
It is estimated that 30 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions today are low income, first-generation college students. But 89 percent of these students will not earn a bachelor’s degree six years out from high school. They drop out of college at four times the rate of their peers whose parents have a postsecondary education.
— ImFirst.org
The CUFS program
Now in its sixth year, the Campbell University Freshman Seminar (CUFS) helps all first-year students (not just first-generation) learn about Campbell, the community and themselves.
The freshman seminar provides students with a supportive classroom environment and helps them develop the skills they need to be successful in college. The one-credit course groups first-year students into sections that meet once a week, typically during their first semester. Each section is taught by both a faculty or staff member and an upperclassman, called a peer mentor.
“While the CUFS 100 course was not designed specifically to address the needs of first-generation students, the characteristics of a first-year seminar are aimed to support all students,” says Jennifer Latino, former assistant vice president of student success who launched the program in 2011. “The course gives students a small cadre of peers to connect with as well as a caring faculty or staff member and a peer mentor. These connections are often more impactful than the course content.”
For Parents
Jamala Harrison, an academic adviser for the TRiO Opportunity Scholars Program at the University of South Carolina, says first-generation parents fall into one of three groups:
- The Hand Holder: These parents want so badly for their children to have more or live better than they do. As a result, they make every decision for their students. Some of these live vicariously through their children, while others make their children’s decisions because they do not want them to fail.
- The Unavailable Parent: These parents can either be physically or emotionally unavailable. Some of these parents are simply not in the picture; others do not understand why their children need a college education and are therefore unsupportive. Some simply do not understand how to support their students and, therefore, withdraw from the process completely.
- The Happy Medium: These parents provide the perfect balance of support and detachment. They recognize their lack of knowledge about their children’s college education and take steps to acquire the skills necessary to support their students while still giving them the appropriate amount of independence and autonomy.
— University of South Carolina TRiO Opportunity Scholars Program
Keys to Success
- Get Involved: Join clubs, make friends, align yourself with other first-generation college students who can share in your struggles and successes.
- Self-advocate: If you need things, ask for them. The worst that can happen is someone telling you “no.”
- Be an ambassador: Show you family that college was the right choice, not just for you, but for others in your family.
- Go out on a limb: Raise your hand in class, speak up even if you think you’re wrong. Don’t fear failure. Learn from it.
- Have a five-year plan: Don’t forget why you’re in college. Make sure the next four years have a purpose, and have that fifth year in mind the whole time. “The real world is coming, and if you’re not ready for it, you can believe that someone else will be.”
— USA Today, “5 tips for first-generation college students”