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the Way Paving First Gen College Students

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THE END OF ART?

THE END OF ART?

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WRITTEN BY AJ JEROME

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DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD

College is a time in a young adult's life when one learns how to become independent, but still can lean on family members and trusted loved ones to help them know what to expect during college. For students who have parents that went to college, it can be easier for them to know how to navigate certain situations such as choosing a college and financial aid. But for first-generation students, choosing to go to college can feel a little overwhelming at times.

Students who have parents that never attended college may have a different sort of pressure placed on them, either externally or internally. Sophomore Early Education major Sydney Momot felt pressure to attend college because of the way it was talked about in her family.

“It felt like it was the only option that I really had after going to high school,” Momot said. “There was some pressure to be better than my parents were and to do more than they did.”

For sophomore Psychology major Chrislin Daniel, the pressure to attend college was more internal.

“I did face a little pressure,” Daniel said. “But it was also something that I wanted and needed to do for my career path.”

Picking a school and knowing what to look for can also be a challenge for first-generation students. Some, like sophomore Film and Media Arts major Ladai Dansen, turn to recommendations from friends and family, while others choose schools based on programs.

“I chose Messiah because I had friends who went here and they told me how much they loved it,” Dansen said. “I had also never gone to a private Christian school. My deciding factor was the campus itself.”

“I heard good things about their psych program and all the professors I met with seemed like they were very knowledgeable about the subject but also cared about their students enough to work with them and pray for them,” Daniel said. “I also had the chance to attend some multicultural events for prospective students and I could see how tight-knit and familial the program was, which was also something that drew me to Messiah.”

Financial aid is a process that is overwhelming and frustrating for any student. Messiah has multiple offices devoted to financial aid and tries to make applying for aid as easy as possible. However, this process can still be confusing for families who have never gone through the process before.

“My family had some questions and were a bit confused but we either figured it out eventually, asked people we knew, and eventually had to email the financial aid office so that we could get some more clarity,” Momot said.

“Sometimes my family was a little confused on the responses we got to questions, but if we asked another person in the financial aid department we would get a clearer answer,” Daniel said.

Being a first-generation student comes with a different set of challenges for college students. But do these challenges mean that being a first-gen student is a disadvantage?

“To an extent, yes, because the whole process of college applications in the states was so new to my family, and we felt like we were expected to just already know how everything works,” Daniel said. “It was a little frustrating navigating the process without feeling like people were being condescending or judgemental with their answers.”

“I think it definitely can be,” Momot said. “Going through the application process and financial aid with people who have never gone through it was stressful at times because we didn't know what to expect, what the process was like, or who to go to if we needed answers. There is also just a lot of pressure from family to keep going and to get good grades that it can cause a lot of stress on top of the normal college student stress.”

At the end of the day, students want to make those closest to them proud, first-gen or not.

“I felt a sort of pressure once I got to college and started thinking of my younger siblings,” Dansen said. “I wanted them to know it’s okay to want higher education.”

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