first generation students

[chaospaladin]

On a given academic year on average, does anyone know what percent of PhD students in USA are first generation college students and what percent of PhD students are first generation PhD students?

[Bison_PhD]

I've been looking on GradCafe for 2 years and I just found this thread. It is easily the best one that I have read.

While I am not a first generation UG student (my dad has a BA), I did grow up on welfare and child support. I was lucky enough to live in a good public school district that gave me many opportunities that many other low-income students don't get. Unfortunately, this meant that I was surrounded by those who had life handed to them. I went to a state school that I could afford and worked 25hrs/week to keep my debt as low as possible, but I still accumulated +20k in debt. I got married at 19 and haven't looked back. While her family has a much more comfortable lifestyle, we chose to work for and earn everything that we own. She and I both now have our bachelors (3.8 and 3.5, respectively) and I have just been accepted to a fully-funded PhD program. I do envy those who have had it much easier than I, and I have the utmost respect for those of you in this thread. You have worked your asses off, many more than I have, to get where you are and no one deserves it more than you. I hope that those who find this thread find is half as inspiring as I have found it. Thank you for sharing your stories, they are awesome.

[one-time]

I wanted to share my story since the others here were so inspiring. I am a regular here at TGC. However, to protect my anonymity's anonymity, I am posting this under an assumed username.

I am a first-generation college student in my family. We were also quite low-income. I quit going to high school when I was a freshman. By the time I hit 20, I had already developed a significant heroin addiction. By the age of 23, I was literally sleeping on the sidewalk in Manhattan, even in the winter. I'd always been a heavy reader and I spent a lot of my time on the street reading whatever books I could find or "get." Ever met a homeless heroin addict that could discuss anything from Marxism, 19th-century French literature, Greek tragedy, continental philosophy, all kinds of history, the fine points of Judaism, etc...? That was me. At the age of 28, I got clean and within 2 years had the first of my two kids and began taking classes at the lowest community college in the city. My family supported me in more ways than one and made it possible for me to graduate this spring with a GPA of 3.9+ and some very nice essay awards and fellowships. I also developed fantastic relationships with very prominent professors. Now, this coming fall, I will be receiving full funding from my top choice, an Ivy League school that is ranked #2 in the country in my discipline. It's been an amazing journey and I can only hope it keeps going the way it has.

Anyway, the point of my story is that, truly, anything is possible. As first-generation students, we face many challenges, especially those of us going to so-called "elite" schools. However, if I can get to where I am from such a low point, any first-generation student issues should appear far less daunting. We get to where we are, largely, due to hard work and a bit of luck or serendipity. And the five years we may spend surrounded by people whose understanding of our issues is little to none is really a very short time. And after it's over, you will continue to have those things that allowed you to get to where you are in the first place. And that is something that no amount of money or class status can buy.

[Kurlee]

awesome thread.

[juilletmercredi]

This thread is great.

The best parts about a low-income upbringing is that living on a 1500 stipend isn't that much different than any other time in life, and when that 6 figure job drops we'll have the common sense to still live like we do on that 1500 stipend

Yep, this. I'm just thrilled with being able to replace things before they run out. The idea of *just my salary* being $60K+? That rocks my world, lol.

I'm a first-generation African American student. My father drove the bus in the city for 17 years, and my mom was a stay at home mother. I go to an Ivy League graduate school now, after winning a scholarship to study at a small historically black women's college for undergrad. The hardest thing for me is that I get jealous of the trips my colleagues take - most of them come from middle-class or upper-middle-class backgrounds (I'd call mine borderline working/lower-middle-class, I suppose). So taking trips is just built into their psyche whereas I didn't take any trips we couldn't drive to whem I was younger. They go across continents for their holidays and summer trips and I'm trying to figure out how they pay for this stuff! Unless I'm going to a conference or a wedding, I don't take trips. It leaves me the most bitter of anything else because I always dreamed of traveling as a child, and these are people who have and are going to all the places I've always wanted to visit. Oh well, I guess there's the future...

I also have the same issues with trying to explain to family members what I'm doing, why this is hard (they think it's like extended college) and that there is no bounded time frame that they can expect me to be done within. My father was actually unhappy when I decided to do a PhD, and he tried to convince me to quit with my master's when I went home for a visit this summer. Nobody in my family gets the point. OR they think that I'm going to be ridiculously rich with a PhD. They are generally supportive, but my mom recently began pressuring me to get married and have children (I'm turning 25 this year!!!) and my cousin keeps asking me when I'm going to have kids. She's the same age as me and she's got two. I'm not even sure I *want* to have kids, but I think my mom might faint if I tell her that. I was telling my fiance that I feel like I'm in a constant flux/conflict between the university world I inhabit that's got upper-middle-class values and my family's world with the working-class ones.

[natsteel]

I was telling my fiance that I feel like I'm in a constant flux/conflict between the university world I inhabit that's got upper-middle-class values and my family's world with the working-class ones.

I'm anticipating something similar. My family background is solidly working-class and I am a first-generation college student. I'm now going to an Ivy program after doing my undergrad at an open admissions community college and then a regional commuter four-year school. Just the admitted students weekend provided a significant culture shock. Though I think I handled it as well as I could have, I can only hope that my constant awe and self-consciousness wasn't too obvious.

That said, I am already in my mid-30s and so I have a strong sense of self-identity. So, I don't see "the place" changing me much. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity and the resources of which I will be able to avail myself. Though, I can imagine that for someone in their early 20s coming from a similar background and with less life experience under their (ever-lengthening) belt having significant issues with such a drastic cultural change.

Just keep in mind... while it might be nice to go through life with things being quite easy, it's the challenges and struggles (and how you learn to deal with them) that have the greater impact in defining your identity. No trait truly worth having is hereditary. I don't have the family issues which many of you seem to have. Mine have been very supportive throughout my undergrad years and also of my decision to attend graduate school. Of course, getting such a good acceptance doesn't hurt. But, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't put a price tag on doing something you love for a living. Life is much too short and even more precious to not pursue YOUR OWN goals and dreams. (Sorry for the infomercial rhetoric!)

[Nurse Wretched]

This is an awesome thread.

I grew up working class. That's me, that's who my people are. I worked as a nurse, a profession split between largely working-class women and middle-class (and above) physicians, who set the tone and norms of culture and communication for the unit. I always worked in high-needs, low-resource hospitals with patients who were like me, like my family, like my friends, and I spent a lot of time explaining to their docs why prescribing a medication didn't mean they could afford it, or why it could be hard to be on time for tests when you're relying on the buses or a friend, or how bed rest isn't possible for someone with three kids and a job. The further I moved in school, the more I realized I was distancing myself from my past and myself. I sound middle class. I look middle class, your average woman in her mid-30s with kids and not enough time. I have two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree, and start a doctorate at a public ivy this summer. No one in my family has a bachelor's degree. My parents are financially secure, but there's a vast amount of cultural capital I don't have, and won't have. It makes a difference. And after all these years, I still feel a distance between me and my cohort, between me and my patients, between me and my past. All of those are painful. I don't want to lose my past. I don't think that drifting into the middle class is an inherently desirable thing. But the thing I struggle with is how to use and incorporate the aspects of my new class I need, while holding onto my working-class roots. Because in this country, being working class is not considered to be as valuable, as nuanced, as intelligent as being middle class. Capitalism creates both the myth of the meritocracy and the equation of wealth with value. I'm not sure how to hold onto that part of myself when everything about academia tells me it's something to flee.

[Christina Brown]

This thread is great.

The best parts about a low-income upbringing is that living on a 1500 stipend isn't that much different than any other time in life, and when that 6 figure job drops we'll have the common sense to still live like we do on that 1500 stipend

Now you have to because you have save in during these uncertain times.

[Christina Brown]

You should be really proud of yourself, for what you have already accomplished, and if you end up in a program with a bunch of snooty rich kids, you will be safe in the knowledge that unlike some of them, you earned the right to be there!

Congratulations and good luck!

Tiger Mother, we need to talk.

[Christina Brown]

Being first generation and minority, it's annoying to be around relatives who simply cannot fathom why a Ph.D. takes so long! I am only in my second year, but keeping getting asked "Are you done yet?" by family members. I then have to patiently explain that a Ph.D. takes a minimum of 4 years and involves a dissertation at which point I get a blank stare. The other problem is that amongst my working class family members, being an academic is regarded as lazy,effortless work with summers off (what a joke!). Holding down a full-time manufacturing job represents real work to them and I just seem to be lazy in their eyes!

Tell them a Ph.D is like going to medical school to become a physician, many many many many years.

[notgoingwell]

Even I am first generation. Went to an inner city school. I started at a community college. I lived in somebody's garage back then, no heat, no lights, just had me and my dog. I used to walk a mile to the school every day, rain or shine. I was actually living in the projects when I got my first scholarship for undergrad. I can't believe that is so far behind me now (I'm finishing my masters degree this semester, and on to PhD!)

Congrats to other low income students and to all students in general! Education is the key to change in society, I truly believe that now

[spctle342]

I had to resurrect this thread if for no other reason than to thank those who shared their experiences and bring it to the attention of others in similar situations. I’ll be graduating from a mediocre state college at the age of 26, after having spent several years in the real world following a humbling two-year stint at a community college. I’ll spare you the specifics and provide the abridged version of my life story:

Poor family. High school drop-out parents. Rampant drug addiction, alcoholism. Perfectionist. Squandered scholarships. No longer special. The real world. An existential crisis or two. Present time.

In my research into graduate programs, I’ve come across numerous articles authored by bitter, self-hating PhDs who advise no one but the independently wealthy to so much as entertain the idea of attending graduate school. I think that’s ridiculous. Is a privileged 22-year-old any better equipped for the task than a seasoned quasi-professional in his/her late-twenties with years of real world experience and a stellar academic record? If anything, I believe that my economic challenges are precisely what have made me an ideal candidate for graduate school. I’m idealistic, but not naively so. I’ve been around enough to have formulated solid educational and career objectives. I can balance a budget and I can juggle responsibilities to a degree that should be considered insane. I can also count on one hand the number of times I’ve felt sorry for myself (this being one).

Adcomms don’t want to hear my sob story, and I don’t want to tell it. There are times when I would like nothing more than to explain how working 60+ hours a week and attending school full-time has given me the time management skills necessary to succeed in graduate school. I’d love to explain how I wasn’t able to prepare for the GRE because I spent every night fielding crisis calls from clients and writing incident reports, but I know better. My hope is that I will be able to write a statement of purpose that reflects my potential—without offering excuses—and still showcases exactly who I am. I know that if I’m able to do that, I will have no problem navigating the journey ahead.

I have no doubts about my plans. I know my decision has nothing to do with extending my youth, escaping reality, maintaining a fragile ego, or earning a six-figure salary. I would love for my family to one day embrace the choices I’ve made with my education and my life, but I know I have to be prepared for the possibility that they will never fully understand why this was right for me.

[Zouzax]

I have no doubts about my plans. I know my decision has nothing to do with extending my youth, escaping reality, maintaining a fragile ego, or earning a six-figure salary. I would love for my family to one day embrace the choices I’ve made with my education and my life, but I know I have to be prepared for the possibility that they will never fully understand why this was right for me.

This this this!

Ive mentioned it in other threads too. My parents came to the States when they were teenagers. Both graduated from high school, but the quality of their education is a bit suspect. I remember helping my mom balance her checkbook when I was 8 or 9 years old, and proofreading my dad's letters when I was in middle school. The one advantage I had was that my father made a decent enough living for us to be middle-class. I don't remember money for necessities ever being an issue, but once I got into college it was made quite clear that I was on my own.

Because of this, Ive been working non-stop since I was 16. I mean, the day I turned 16 I went to the local Burger King & asked for a job (I hated that job. I always smelled like Cini-Minis). It's a running joke among my friends that I've literally worked in every industry. At this point, Ive been working non-stop for 12 years and I'm already burned out lol.

I didn't consider my first-generation status to be a disadvantage until I entered graduate school. Here I have met people from all over the world that knew things I couldn't even grasp. They had read books by authors such as Dostoevsky, Kafka, and Cummings in high school. We never had books in my house growing up. My father always said, "if you're not working or cleaning, you're wasting time." My fellow students also had such an amazing command of the English language -- honestly, I didn't realize how poor my English skills were until this point. Suddenly, I realized how terrible my family's English was, and how that had affected my English, too. It had to start all over again. At 28 years old, I was learning proper English! I felt so behind.

Sometimes I get a little jealous when my classmates talk about the trips they're going to take, or the things they're going to do over the weekend, or (I'm ashamed to say) the things they're going to buy etc. I have 3 jobs (1 full time, one freelance, and one seasonal) so I'm constantly going to one job or another. With all these jobs, I'm still just making enough to pay my bills, keep food in the house, and pay for other incidentals. I'm just managing to keep up with my schoolwork and my thesis. I complained about not having time to finish all my work to one of my peers and she responded, "Just call your parents & tell them you can't work anywmore!" I thought, "WOW. Why didn't I think of that!"

Besides financial and education issues, it's difficult to convince my parents that what I'm doing is worth it. They still don't understand what it is to be a graduate student. As I said before, my father values working or cleaning -- but studying?? My goal is to study as a career? I thought his head was going to explode when I tried to explain to him what a Ph.D entails. My mother, too. As the previous poster said, Im going to have to pursue this dream with or without my family's support. I think it is a big obstacle for first-generation students especially -- my parents see success in terms of money, not knowledge.

On a positive note:

The best parts about a low-income upbringing is that living on a 1500 stipend isn't that much different than any other time in life, and when that 6 figure job drops we'll have the common sense to still live like we do on that 1500 stipend

a 1500$ stipend!! Thats way more than I'm living off now. I won't even know what to do with all that money .

Edited May 10, 2011 by Zouzax

[far_to_go]

Just want to give props to everyone posting their stories on this thread! I think it's soooo important for academics to be able to recognize and bridge the ivory tower/real world divide, and I think first-generation college students are uniquely situated to do just that. Let's rise to the challenge.

I'm also a first-generation student. My dad is actually now working on his bachelor's degree, though- one class at a time, while working full-time and helping to raise my younger siblings. I'm proud of him. We sometimes joke that we're 'racing' to see who can finish first- him for his BA, me for my PhD!

[neuropsych76]

It's great to see how many inspiring stories there are on here

Mine isn't quite as inspirational but I'm also a first generation grad student. Mom only had high school, dad worked during day and went to school at night to support the family. So, just me wanting to go to grad school got some resistance from my parents ( i was focused on getting a phd since I was a freshman) because they were worried about money and if it was worth it.

I guess the part of my story that makes me somewhat unique is that I was an awful student in high school. I almost failed out of school, was a trouble maker, and did not care about academics one bit. (no one believes me now that i'm a super nerd )

I was actually determined that I would be a pro athlete (lol) until I broke my ankle and could not play baseball my junior year. My senior year I decided to be more serious about school and stop getting involved in mischeif. I was lucky enough to be accepted into a solid liberal arts school and then I took off academically.

It still hasn't sunk in that I was accepted into a cognitive neuroscience PhD program right out of undergrad considering how different of a person I was just a few years ago.

If you're determined enough, you can accomplish anything, I'm proof.

[Two Espressos]

What a wonderful and uplifting thread! I too am a first-generation, low-income student (but I'm still an undergrad--graduate school is still two years away), though my struggles pale in comparison to many of those previously listed.

Much of what has been said has resonated with me--family members who do not understand my academic choices, etc.

I realize that much of this thread is old. Nonetheless, I want to thank everyone who has shared their experiences: your motivation is inspiring!

[Guimauvaise]

I'm a first generation on two counts: I'm first-generation American on my mom's side (she's Scottish) and the first person in recent memory to pursue anything higher than a BA. My parents both have nursing degrees, but neither went to graduate school. Of my dozen or so cousins, only one other person has a BA; the rest have associate's degrees at best. I don't know why, but I'm really the only person among my cousins who has had the drive to pursue an advanced education. I've wanted the word "doctor" in front of my name since I was about four years old, and I was scouting out colleges and degree options before I got into junior high (of course, I didn't go to those schools, nor did I pursue those fields, but the drive was still there).

What's interesting to me, though, is that my boyfriend is essentially in the same boat. None of his cousins have attended college; some didn't even get out of high school. He's also from a low-income background. He jokingly refers to himself as the "black sheep" in that he's educated (BS in computer science) and hasn't already married, divorced, and had a handful of kids.

I don't feel like an outsider in the program because I'm a first-gen. If I feel like an outsider, it's because my BA isn't in English, so I feel woefully behind on things that other PhD students have covered. I panicked when I first started my MFA four years ago and saw the exhaustive reading list: knowledge of Shakespeare (his entire body of work) was expected as a given, and there were writers I'd never even heard of on the list. How do you cope with that?

[psyched for psych]

A lot of these stories hit home for me. I am glad someone came up with this thread.

[Sarahmarie]

Poor family. High school drop-out parents. Rampant drug addiction, alcoholism. Perfectionist. Squandered scholarships. No longer special. The real world. An existential crisis or two. Present time.

Sounds like my life! This may be my fave thread so far on this forum...keep the stories coming *bump*

[koolherc]

In my research into graduate programs, I’ve come across numerous articles authored by bitter, self-hating PhDs who advise no one but the independently wealthy to so much as entertain the idea of attending graduate school. I think that’s ridiculous.

THANK YOU.

It took me a while to get past this and convince myself that I had to ignore those people. Their motivations are different than mine. To them, not getting tenure would be failure. To them, teaching in community college would be a disgrace. Listening to them, I kept putting off applying to the kinds of programs I wanted to. The fact that I kept nonetheless thinking about it year after year made me realize that I HAD to pursue my academic interests. Ironic that being poor made me more able to say "I DON'T CARE" that getting a PhD in some interdisciplinary program might make me unlikely to get a good professorial position later. I'm doing it because I want to, not because it's convenient or easy. ---Just like the rest of what I've done.

The way I see it, the less financially self-sustaining academia becomes, the more likely it'll start to weed out those people who are only in it for the status/money. The true thinkers and hardworkers would be left.

Thanks to all who've posted in here for their motivating words and stories. Good luck to you all in all your endeavors.

Edited January 26, 2012 by koolherc

[LadyRara]

I love this thread! Growing up on the lower end of working class definitely gives you the ability to identify 'necessities,' a trait I find lacking in most students, which in turn helps you realize that you can live off of that "$1500 stipend." I'm thinking, that's what my dad made at his best job working 8 hours a day, five to six days a week! lol

[TropicalCharlie]

Like others who have visited this thread, I'm thankful to have come across it. I'm a first generation grad student-to-be. I've been accepted to a MS program starting this fall. My divorced parents completed their undergrad in another country. Mom moved my sisters and I to the US on her own. We actually came on tourist visas and roughed it out. Because mom doesn't have highly sought after skills of an engineer or the like, she took on multiple minimum wage jobs. Money was definitely always an issue but mom always made sure that we had a stable home life, even when she worked 12-14 hour-days.

I started working at age 13 and have always had a job since then. It took my sisters and I a couple of extra years to complete our ug degree while working full-time, but it was worth it. One sister is already in grad school, and another will be applying in a couple of years. Hard work is something our mother instilled in us from a young age, and for that I'm thankful. We all got to where we are today because of it. Not bad for tourists who overstayed their visas.

Edited March 21, 2012 by TropicalCharlie

[MashaMashaMasha]

I am also a first-gen and my generation of cousins were the first in my family to get college degrees. For most of my childhood, my single mother was making just above minimum wage. I'll agree with a post from the first page that for me it's not about lacking support, or networking skills, but about my family not really understanding what I'm doing and not being nearly excited enough. Don't get me wrong, my mother has been beaming with pride, but she is not familiar with the whole academic world, and I've had to explain a lot (a PhD doesn't take two years, etc.) But, god love her, she's supportive nonetheless.

[Hillary Emick]

As I shared in another forum, I come from old New England farm families on both sides. My mom was a first generation college student, and my dad's sis was a first generation college student in his family. I'm a first generation graduate student. Most of my family is really happy for me and proud of me. There are definitely a few who just don't get it.

I don't feel at a disadvantage. I've cultivated my own professional and networking skills. A lot of my professors (undergrad and grad alike) did not come from wealthy families and worked hard to get where they are at, as I am working hard basically to get where they are at.

[Dee Dee]

Any first generation/low income students out there?

I'm first generation and low income as well. My family is just extraordinarily proud I completed one degree and working on another. Frankly, once I got in my program I knew I'd made a bad decision but since I'm funded and it's only 36 hours, I'm going to finish it (though I'm pursuing law school after, which in hindsight I should've done first. Ah well).

Do you feel like you face extra hurdles?

Yes, in the sense that I have no immediate family to share the experience with. While they empathize, they don't completely understand and I don't blame them. Also, as a MPP Social Policy student, I've struggled with relatability to faculty and some students. I know that my views on certain policy issues is colored by my experience and upbringing, something that others don't always understand. But it is those experiences that drove me to Social Policy in the first place. I also feel like, I'm in a constant state of trial and error academically and since I don't have a model to work from, I am the model.

Mostly, do you feel that it will be difficult for you to connect with other students in your cohort or even with faculty?

It has been difficult, I'm one of a handful of Social Policy students and the courses for social policy from my department number in the low single digits. Essentially, with the exception of two course, all of my social policy courses are in other disciplines. So I have no real cohort to experience grad school with. However, I've taken solace in having an undergrad cohort that is now in grad school as well so it works.