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Ayub Sharif Professor Dixon Sociology 457 March 2016

Pride in being First: Understanding the experience of First Generation, Low-Income students at Elite Colleges and Universities

Introduction

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of low-income students at elite

colleges who identify as “first generation” – students who will be among the first generation in

their families to receive a Bachelor’s Degree (Pappano 2015, “First-Generation Students Unite”).

It is important to note that through institutional scholarship, the demographics at elite institutions

have changed. Policies such as need-based financial aid, free tuition and no-loan financial aid

offers for students coming from families making $100,000 or less (Dartmouth College

Admissions and Financial Aid), has made elite institutions more accessible for low-income

students. For the most recent Dartmouth Class of 2019, 13% of students identify as “first

generation” and 47% of students receive some form of Financial Aid (Dartmouth College

Admissions and Financial Aid). The trend in demographics are shifting to include a greater

number of first-generation students from low-income backgrounds at highly ranked and even

elite, ivy league colleges.

The recent movement for support for first generation students and my own identity as a

first generation, low-income student at Dartmouth has made me interested in researching the

experience of first generation, low-income college students at elite institutions. This paper will

discuss the challenges of low-income, first generation students, institutional response (or lack

thereof) to these challenges, and varied perspectives on the issue. There will be a section that

provides a literary review of past scholarship, followed by a discussion divided into sections on

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emerging themes, compelling explanations, interesting thoughts, a look at how the campuses of

Harvard and Dartmouth are progressing, and finally I provide some concluding thoughts and

recommendations for institutions.

There are clear differences in cultural capital within student populations that start before

students even attend elite colleges. Students are raised in different environments that make their

transition into elite America easier. Although elite colleges have made great strides in improving

diversity within their student bodies, the environment that these students enter have not changed

in many ways. The sense of belonging at these prestigious grounds is still lacking for first-

generation students, as in the case for a then sophomore at Harvard, Ted White. “From the start,

the Harvard campus didn’t seem built for a kid from a background like his, he says. Classmates

came in freshman year having started businesses or nonprofits (usually with their parents’

resources, he says) that could make even a top student wonder if he belonged” (Foster 2015,

“What is it like to be poor at an Ivy League school?”). These institutions not only have the

resources to help these diverse students transition into their elite settings, but also the

responsibility to by opening their doors to people previously excluded. A growing number of

first generation college students are sharing their similar experiences at elite institutions. First

generation students have united to address issues pertaining to being a first generation college

student, inclusivity within their college settings, and lack of resources to support them

throughout their college experiences.

About a year ago, a few students from Brown university founded 1vyG, an organization

created to support the efforts of first generation students. Brown hosted the first Inter-Ivy League

First Generation Student Conference. Ana Barros, a first generation student at Harvard states

that, “This is a movement’, and she continues by saying ‘We are not ashamed of taking on this

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identity” (Pappano 2015, “First-Generation Students Unite”). This recent display of student

activism advocates for institutional change that supports first generation, low income students

beyond just getting admitted to these colleges, but feeling welcome when they arrive on campus.

Literature Review

The first generation, low income experience is amplified when students arrive on college

campuses. These students are more likely to deal with class-related struggles as they can’t afford

the resources that will ease their transition into college. When these class-related struggles are

combined with deficiencies in capital, first generation, low-income students are more likely to

feel inferior and uncomfortable. These students are also less likely to actively engage with

campus activities because they do not feel included in the campus culture. It is also important to

note that within these elite environments, students often conceal their first generation, low-

income backgrounds in an attempt to protect themselves from the stigmas associated with the

title or assimilate into the dominant elite culture on campus.

The experiences faced by low-income, first generation college students can be traced to a

sociological concept referred to as “cultural capital”. Pierre Bourdieu refers to cultural capital in

relation to academic success as an explanation for “the unequal scholastic achievement of

children originating from the different social classes” (Bourdieu 1986). Cultural capital can be

viewed in terms of a student’s ability to navigate institutions. Students who are better suited to

navigate elite institutions generally have a better experience than students who are not familiar to

these spaces. For first generation students, college is often viewed as a foreign land which comes

with its own difficulties. These students do not have parents who are able to give them advice on

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what classes to take, what to major in, who to seek help from, and other resources that would

help them in their college experiences.

This discrepancy in cultural capital can be observed within Annette Lareau’s study of the

detrimental effects of poverty on children’s lives. Lareau analyzes the differences in cultural

capital between different social classes. Middle class parents tend to follow a cultural logic that

Lareau refers to as “concerted cultivation” – these parents enroll their children in numerous age-

specific organized activities, transmitting important life skills to children (Lareau, “Unequal

Childhoods”). Lareau goes on to say that among working-class and poor families, childrearing

strategies emphasize the “accomplishment of natural growth” – these parents believe that as long

as they provide love, food, and safety, their children will grow and thrive (Lareau, “Unequal

Childhoods”).

There is a clear distinction between these two childrearing practices. Middle class parents

have the luxury of having enough capital, financial and cultural, to enroll their children in

organized activities. These activities transfer intergenerational social capital in the form of access

to membership in networks and institutions. Access to these networks and institutions converts

this social capital into other forms of capital such as human and cultural capital to improve or

maintain their positions in society. Working class and poor families, on the other hand, do not

have the resources and connections to transmit forms of capitals from one generation to the next.

Poor parents spend the majority of their time working to provide food on the table for their

children, and believe that this is enough for them to thrive. These parents are not in the financial

positions to enroll their children in activities that stimulate their intellectual, social, or personal

growth. As a result, there is a growing gap between the future successes of middle class and

working families. Lareau comes to the conclusion that minor differences in childrearing have a

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monumental impact on a child’s life. We should note that in Lareau’s research, the data is limited

because her methodology states that about half of the children are white and about half are black,

and there is one child who is interracial. Her research does not analyze the childrearing practices

of Hispanics, Asians, and other ethnic minorities within the United States. Racial groups have

different childrearing practices that are independent of class, so it would be interesting to see

how other groups are raised and how their upbringing affects their life outcomes.

As Lareau focuses on capital differences between social classes, Shamus Khan attempts

to deconstruct America’s elite in his book, Privilege. Khan wanted to answer the question as to

why some of the most elite institutions, which have become more inclusive to groups previously

excluded, but yet the overall levels of inequality have increased dramatically. Khan believes that

St. Paul’s is teaching a style of living that emphasizes on relating and making connections rather

than deeply engaging with texts and ideas. He views the recent generation of St. Paul’s students

as the New Elite. These are students who put value in experiences, are at ease in any context, and

are versatile members of society (Khan, “Privilege”). We do not see an escape from this new

elite class as they seem to be dominating geopolitical influence, status, and power, so Khan could

offer solutions to counter the new elite rather than analysis of who they are and how they came to

be. Khan limits his research to St. Paul’s School, and uses it as the main source of evidence for

his ethnography. We should keep in mind that this could be an isolated instance of the New Elite,

and that similar experiences may not be present within other elite institutions. Khan could also

expand on his research by doing an ethnography on a few other elite institutions and analyze how

they are also perpetuating characteristics of a new elite class.

A gap in cultural capital can be seen between the New Elite and the disadvantaged, but

this gap can also be seen within low-income students. Low-income students are more often than

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not seen as a homogenous group, but there is heterogeneity within this population. Anthony Jack,

a sociologist at Harvard, has devoted much of his research to analyzing the experience of low

income students at elite institutions. Existing literature on class marginality predict similar social

experiences for all low income undergraduates. Jack contrasts the different experiences of two

groups of low-income, black undergraduates – the Doubly Disadvantaged and the Privileged

Poor. Although these two groups come from similar disadvantaged households and communities,

their paths to college diverge (Anthony Jack, “Culture Shock Revisited: The Social and Cultural

Contingencies to Class Marginality”). In Jack’s eyes, the Doubly Disadvantaged have precollege

experiences that are localized, report negative interactions with peers and professors, and adopt

isolationist strategies. The Privileged Poor, on the other hand, have precollege experiences that

cross social boundaries for school, report positive interactions with peers and professors, and

adopt integrationist strategies. These two different groups within the low-income population

have substantially different college experiences which in turn leads to post-college successes.

One could also compare the integration of low-income, first generation students at elite

institutions to the integration of African Americans and other racial, ethnic minorities into the

world of higher education. Douglas Massey et. al attempt to shed light on the controversial topic

of the legacy of race and class in higher education. Massey argues that prior to the civil rights

movement, racial and ethnic minorities were excluded from higher education by a combination

of de jure and de facto practices. These groups also faced severe barriers particularly at the most

elite institutions. The legacy of race and class still has a significant impact on minority

underachievement in higher education which is seen in the National Longitudinal Survey of

Freshmen. The results of the NLSF show that family origins, neighborhood backgrounds, prior

educational experiences, the social world of high school, racial identity and attitudes, pathways

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to preparation, and the first semester of college are the most compelling theoretical explanations

for minority underachievement within U.S higher education (Massey, The Source of the River).

Massey et al discuss many ways in which they could improve their research. They

mention how they focused on just the traits and characteristics that respondents brought with

them when they arrived on campus. The performance of the students was only documented for

their first term of college. One very important point is that researchers didn’t consider how

students actually behaved on campus, which has a huge influence on how well they perform.

Although there are not de jure mechanisms that hinder the integration of low-income, first

generation students from successful integration into the world of higher education, there are still

de facto mechanisms that have an impact on the experiences of first generation, low-income

students which I will go into more detail in the next section of this paper.

Discussion

The themes from the literature that I have analyzed suggest that the experience of first

generation, low-income students is unique, disadvantaged, and one that should be the topic of

future research and reform. For a first generation, low-income college student, their college

experience begins years before they even enter this world. It begins with their parents. If their

parents do not have the resources and capital to attend college, this will have a significant impact

on their lives. Their parents will obtain temporary, lower paying jobs because most of the

sustainable jobs require a college education. These parents will start families and spend all of

their earnings to support their children. Since these families do not have the surplus financial

capital to enroll their children in age specific activities and programs (Lareau, “Unequal

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Childhoods”), first generation, low-income students will not have access to these different forms

of capital that will enrich their college and personal experiences.

One compelling reason I believe for the experiences of first generation, low-income

students at elite institutions is lack of integration within higher education. Massey et al analyze

the lack of integration of racial minorities into higher education, and I believe that this

framework can be applicable to first generation, low-income students. First generation students

are disadvantaged by birth since college is a foreign land for their families and them. First

generation parents do not have the resources to prepare their children with pathways to higher

education, so it is extremely remarkable when these children get accepted into elite institutions.

These students beat the odds, but when they arrive on their college campuses, they are not

celebrated, but rather isolated. Their peers implement de facto practices of exclusion with

opportunity hoarding and self segregation. Students generally gravitate to those who look like

them or share similar experiences. Since the percentage of first generation, low-income students

are extremely low at these institutions, these students do not have people to relate to and people

that support them. First generation, low-income students often feel like visitors at their respective

higher education institutions, and they do not feel at home at their colleges and universities.

I find it interesting how within Khan’s ethnography of St. Paul’s School, he comes to the

conclusion that there is the emergence of a New Elite class. Khan acknowledges that although

elite institutions have become more open to diverse people with different life experiences, the

level of inequality between the privileged and disadvantaged is also increasing at a high rate. He

also describes the New Elite class as one that values empathy. Assuming that this New Elite

class is filling the doors of elite institutions such as Dartmouth and Harvard, why is it that low-

income, first generation students still feel isolated within these places. The New Elite class is

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able to be comfortable within any social and intellectual setting, but yet, they do not create social

environments in which other students, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to

thrive.

Lack of integration within these hallmark privileged settings has led to recent student

activism by first generation, low-income students. At Harvard, students created a First

Generation Student Union to deal with issues pertaining to first generation identity. This group is

student run with three main objectives: to facilitate the transition to college for first generation

students, to build a community among first generation students, and to provide a platform to

express the first gen voice through student activism (Harvard College First Generation Student

Union). The Harvard College First Generation Student Union hosted the second annual 1vyG

conference, which was held on February 19-21, 2016. This conference built off of the inaugural

conference and challenged students to hold their respective institutions accountable for making

them feel valued and welcomed.

Through student activism, Harvard created a First Generation Program in the Office of

Admissions and Financial Aid. The goal of this program is to direct college awareness to future

first generation college students. Coordinators will provide support and information as students

begin to navigate the college application process (Harvard College Admissions and Financial

Aid). This First Generation Program gives support and resources to students from first generation

families when it comes to the college process. These families don’t necessarily have knowledge

about the college process, so programs like this helps level the playing field more with the

capital of their more privileged counterparts.

At Dartmouth, the First Year Student Enrichment Program (FYSEP) helps first

generation freshmen students navigate Dartmouth. Through a pre-Orientation program and

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ongoing support throughout their first year, including one-to-one mentoring from upper-class

students, FYSEP students gain a broad array of understandings and skills designed to help them

make the most of their college experience (Dartmouth College, FYSEP). Programs like FYSEP

help first generation students become more acclimated to Dartmouth’s elite setting. Students are

also able to build community within their peers that also participate within the program, and this

helps students have a greater sense of belonging because they have others to relate to. Students

also can access social capital from this network and through their mentors, administrative allies,

and peers. Although FYSEP is a wonderful program, we should also note that only 35 students

are accepted into this program each year. As mentioned earlier, 13% of students in the recent

Class of 2019 identify as “first generation”, and only 35 of those roughly 145 students

successfully complete FYSEP. There are over 100 students who are not able to access the

resources provided by FYSEP, and now not only feel isolated from Dartmouth as a whole, but

also the First Generation student community at Dartmouth because until the recent emergence of

the First Generation Network that is independent from FYSEP, a first generation student

community did not exist outside of FYSEP.

Dartmouth is also working on making the institution as a whole to become more inclusive

to diverse sets of groups and experiences. There will be three working groups that will study

existing data on diversity and inclusion at Dartmouth, define goals to measure progress, and

establish mechanisms to ensure accountability and transparency (Dartmouth College, Diversity).

Although this is a step in the right direction, there are questions regarding how effective these

working groups will be to have a positive as well as substantial impact on diversity and inclusion

at Dartmouth.

Conclusion

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It is important that we understand the experience of first generation, low-income students

so that colleges can bridge the capital gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged that

negatively impacts the college experience of first generation, low-income students. This will

shift the discourse to one that focuses on the institution reforming to become more inclusive to

this diverse group of people rather than students adapting to the dominant forms of capital at the

college.

Although institutions such as Dartmouth and Harvard are making strides to cater to the

needs of first generation, low-income students, more can be done. These institutions have made

claims to open their doors to the first generation, low-income community, so they should be held

accountable for their promises. I have come up with a few recommendations that colleges and

universities can begin to implement on their campuses.

These recommendations can be placed in two categories: institutional support and social support

Institutional support:

Financial Aid support for first generation, low-income students.

Many of students come from families that there are not familiar with

FAFSA or IDOC. Administrators should hold workshops that help students

become more familiar with these documents.

Programs that specifically cater to the needs of first generation, low-income

students

Dining halls should be open during vacations.

These institutions are under the assumption that students can afford to go

home during breaks. Low-income students do not have the luxury and resources

to make trips outside of moving in and moving out. Students who stay on campus

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over breaks cannot access the dinning halls because they are closed. Those who

are on campus are forced to starve which is extremely distasting.

College should have a budget for winter clothing

There are some schools, such as Dartmouth, that are located in extremely

cold areas. Some students cannot afford to buy winter clothes, so they

default to freezing as the temperature plummets.

Social support:

Students should be connected with first generation alumni that have attended their

schools

They can see the diverse paths that people who were in similar situations

as they are in have taken to get to become successful.

Professors should be sensitive to the struggles faced by first generation, low-

income students.

There should be a moving group that helps first generation, low-income students

move into college.

These students often arrive on campus alone, lost, and confuse because

their parents don’t have enough money to go with them. These problem

could be avoided if there was a moving group available to help them

which would also create a more welcoming environment.

I believe that with the appropriate motivation and allocation of resources, elite institutions can

become much more inclusive to the needs of one of the most disadvantaged communities on

campus.

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Works Cited

Bourdieu, Pierre. The Forms of Capital. S.l. Print.

"Admissions Facts & Advice." Class Profile. Dartmouth, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

"First Generation Students." First Generation Students. Harvard College Admissions and

Financial Aid. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

"Welcome." First Year Student Enrichment Program. Dartmouth. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

Foster, Brooke Lea. "What Is It like to Be Poor at an Ivy League School? - The Boston Globe."

BostonGlobe.com. Boston Globe, 9 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

"Harvard College First Gen Student Union." Harvard College First Gen Student Union. Harvard

College. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

"Inclusive Excellence at Dartmouth." Inclusive Excellence at Dartmouth. Dartmouth. Web. 29

Feb. 2016.

Jack, Anthony Abraham. "Culture Shock Revisited: The Social and Cultural Contingencies to

Class Marginality." Sociol Forum Sociological Forum 29.2 (2014): 453-75. Web.

Khan, Shamus Rahman. Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul's School.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2011. Print.

Lareau, Annette. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Berkeley: U of California,

2003. Print.

Massey, Douglas S. The Source of the River: The Social Origins of Freshmen at America's

Selective Colleges and Universities. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2003. Print

Pappano, Laura. "First-Generation Students Unite." The New York Times. The New York Times,

8 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.

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