First-generation student: ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help’

From Shelby Morrison’s tiny Illinois hometown, she didn’t have a road map for how to get to college.

Many of her classmates were going to work. Her parents were supportive but didn’t have any answers.

Morrison, now a freshman at Missouri State University, had to find her own way.

“It was pretty scary at first, and it still is,” said Morrison, 19. “I feel like I am the only one in my family who knows what is going on.”

She isn’t alone on campus, however.

Nearly 7,000, or just under 40 percent, of Missouri State’s undergraduate students are “first generation” — meaning neither parent earned a bachelor’s degree. There are many individual success stories but, as a group, the first children in a family to strive for a college degree are less likely to remain in college and graduate on time.

University officials understand the challenge and have, in recent years, stepped up efforts to support those students. They understand how overwhelming it can be to try and navigate admissions, housing and financial aid — all while trying to fit into a new environment.

For the first time this year, incoming first-generation students were grouped, by major, when they enrolled in a mandatory introductory course designed to help students understand the expectations of college life and thrive in new surroundings. In addition to accessing support — such as financial aid or career counseling — that is available to all students, officials are also talking about ways to provide more targeted help to first-generation students.

“This is a group of students that need information they don’t really have and need to be celebrated as the first in their family to enter college,” said Mark Biggs, associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters. “They need a little more intentional support.”

Biggs recently organized a screening of the documentary film “First Generation” on campus that was followed by a panel discussion attended by community leaders. He said involving others in the discussion is important.

“This is a subject that affects the community, not just the university,” he said. “Especially in the Springfield community, with such a poverty rate, education is one of those things that can have a profound difference in the community.”

First-generation freshman Morrison, who is majoring in cell and molecular biology with the goal of becoming an oral surgeon, said she is paying for college on her own. She said they her parents became overwhelmed when they tried to help her get ready for college.

“They didn’t know how because they’ve never been in this position before,” she said. “My parents had no idea what was going on when I started.”

In high school, she reached out to a counselor and English teacher for college advice. She arrived at MSU without really knowing anyone and decided quickly to get involved in campus groups.

“I joined a sorority and put myself out there and found where I belong,” she said.

At Alpha Delta Pi, she met Marli Coonrod, a freshman from Nevada, Missouri, who is studying public relations. They became friends but didn’t realize, until they met with Biggs, that both were the first in their families to go to college. They were invited to share their stories recently as part of a panel discussion on first-generation students.

Coonrod said she worked during the summer between high school and college to save money and went after scholarships. She also filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.

“My parents didn’t know about the admissions process. They didn’t know what a FAFSA was,” she said. “A lot of the weight was on me, but it helped me grow and learn.”

Coonrod said joining different organizations and making friends has helped her adjust to college life. She also figured out she wasn’t alone.

“The advice I’d give to first-generation students is ‘Don’t be afraid to ask for help because there are so many people out there who want you to succeed,” she said. “You are not the only first-generation student out there.”

How colleges can help

Missouri State University’s College of Arts and Letters, citing a University Business Journal article, suggested ways that colleges can help first-generation students. Here are five:

•Facilitate free campus visits and help students with the application and financial aid processes as much as possible.

•Develop stronger partnerships with high schools to identify highly motivated students and ensure they have personal interactions with college personnel.

•Create a first-generation living or learning environment that fosters supportive relationships and benefits from faculty guidance.

•Create summer “bridge” programs and “boot camps” to help with transition between high school and college.

•Offer micro-grants to prevent dropouts. This would help retain students who are on track to graduate but experience financial trouble paying for college.

By the numbers

30

Percent of U.S. students who are first in family to go to college

25

Percent of first-generation students who earn bachelor’s degrees

24

Percent of U.S. college students who are both first-generation and low-income

11

Percent of first-generation, low-income students who graduate within six years