By Maddie McGibbony

First-generation students face many challenges upon entering college, especially those who come from Arkansas, the second poorest state in the nation, according to 2012 U.S. income and poverty data. Their lack of experience dealing with the bureaucracy that is the higher education system and financial constraints creates a recipe for confusion.

According to the Education Advisory Board, first-generation students have a higher likelihood that they will not complete their degrees within four, or even six years.

However, a University of Arkansas junior, Cailee Stone, was prepared to face these challenges head on. She knew when she approached her parents during her freshman year of high school to tell them she planned to attend college, that the conversation would be tough. Neither of Stone’s parents had completed high school and were convinced that college was a waste of time and money. Stone had never even considered college until she transferred to Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, where she was surrounded by peers who were taking AP classes and planning for the future. Stone decided to try out AP chemistry and excelled in the course. Her teacher and her advisor both pushed her to pursue an education and Stone soon realized she wanted to be the first in her family to attend college.

“Eventually once I found that, like, I am capable of more than just basic level classes, I really decided to … show myself what I’m truly capable of and just challenge myself,” Stone said. 

Stone knew that she would be alone in this endeavor. Her mother was unemployed, and her dad made do with odd jobs throughout her childhood. There was simply no support, financially or emotionally, to help Stone through this journey that her parents deemed unnecessary. 

“That also was one of those situations where I was like, ‘I know what I don’t want to be because of this,’” Stone said.

Stone was determined to accomplish her goal on her own. She took a job at Kroger when she was 16 and has been working to support herself ever since. 

“For a lot of people, the legal age for being grown up, I guess, is 18,” said Stone. “Usually that doesn’t mean you’re getting kicked out of your house, usually that doesn’t mean your parents are going to stop helping you all together, but for me it really did.” 

She earned enough in student loans, scholarships, and work study funding to continue her education at the University of Arkansas despite the lack of support from her family. Stone was beating all odds. For students like Stone whose parents did not complete high school, only 36% enroll in college immediately after receiving their diploma, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Thanks to her strong work ethic and firm belief in her own abilities, Stone, now 20, is in a senior standing at the university. She works as a lab technician and has only accrued $5,000 in student loan debt, putting her well below the average of at least $25,000 for 65% of first-gen students according to Pew Research Center.

Stone’s success story is one that shocked Dr. Mary Margaret Cunningham. Cunningham has studied and worked with the UofA for over 12 years. She spent almost three of them working as the assistant director for first-generation student support and led the 360 Program. 

The program is a resource that invites certain first-gen and low-income students whose admission data indicates they may need more tailored guidance during their first semester in higher education. The program offers one-on-one academic advising and a peer mentor to help make the transition as smooth as possible for students who may not know what to expect. Cunningham’s main objective within the position was to keep these students enrolled due to the elevated risk of first-generation students dropping out before earning their degree.

According to the First Generation Foundation, the dropout rate of first-gen students is four times that of second-gen college attendees. 89% leave college within six years with no degree, and over a quarter leave within the first year. The most prominent obstacle that consistently comes up for why first-gen students are so likely to drop out is the financial burden. The median family income of a continuing-generation college student nearly triples that of first-gen, according to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute. More issues arise when it comes to conquering the often confusing administrative processes and mastering study skills according to the EAB. 

Cunningham noted that she saw that lack of what she calls “college literacy” often in her work with first-gen students. She provided the example of a first-generation student who does not perform well in math and doesn’t realize that they should not be in the math course that only meets once a week, but rather three times a week.

“Whenever I saw first-generation students struggle so much, that’s when I really started to feel disenchanted from higher education,” said Cunningham.

Financial insecurity and an unfamiliarity with the system often lead first-gen students to seek out financial aid. With no immediate connection to someone who has experience with it, it can be a daunting challenge to handle. 

This problem is what caused Debbie Garcia, 21, to abandon her studies at the UofA. Unlike Stone, Garcia’s parents strongly encouraged their children to attend college. They worked tirelessly to ensure that she went to a private, Catholic high school, and firmly believe that better education leads to better opportunities. A native of Waco, Texas, Garcia not only loved the University of Arkansas during her visit in high school, but she knew she could benefit from the scholarship that covers much of the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition.  

Garcia felt prepared to take on the load of college courses, but unprepared for the convoluted process that is financing higher education. She recalls how overwhelmed she felt when having to fill out her Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, something she was completely unfamiliar with. Her parents were at a loss as well. Garcia was a work-study student during her first semester, which also led to a feeling of isolation among her friends who were free to go out and experience the fun of a typical first-year college student. 

“I love the school so much, but I honestly didn’t feel like they had that many options to help students,” Garcia said. “It’s really hard paying out of pocket, and no one ever talks about it.” 

Garcia chose to take a year off from school to find a better-paying job in order to save money and return. Originally a nursing major, she made the switch to education before taking time off and becoming a waitress. She wishes she had gone to a community college for at least her first year, rather than succumbing to the pressure of her private high school to immediately enroll in a four-year university.  

First-generation students have consistently made up 18-20% of entering freshmen classes at the UofA for as long as Suzanne McCray, the vice provost of enrollment management, can remember. Many first-gen students at the university are from rural areas as well. According to McCray, first-gen students often find it difficult to ask questions or reach out to faculty for help. She said the university is working diligently to introduce them to resources that can provide any necessary guidance as well as encouraging them to seek advice from faculty. 

“We’re trying to create a sense of belonging,” McCray said. The university created a program called “Pick One” within the last few years that provides a lengthy list of different organizations and programs on campus that can help first-gen students create a network. Those students will automatically receive a reserved spot in the organization they choose to participate in. 

“If we can just get a kid working on campus or engaged on campus, they’re more likely to retain because they feel like, ‘Oh yeah, I do belong here,’” McCray said.

Programs like the 360 Program are also vital resources to keep first-generation students on campus. Don Nix, the program’s current director, claims that one of the greatest tools a first-generation student can have is just one person within their network who is rooting for them.

 “More often than not, especially among first-generation college students, there is a need at some point to know somebody, and to know that somebody here knows who you are, and is on your team,” Nix said.

Nix possesses an optimism that allows him to focus on the strengths of first-generation college students rather than the systemic issues that may be holding them back. 

He notes that one of the primary issues that the university is working on to benefit first-generation students is simplifying as many processes as possible. It has become apparent that there is a need to demystify many complicated requirements and procedures when it comes to higher education, especially for those who have no one to walk them through it. 

The UofA also offers the federally funded program, TRIO Student Support Services. TRIO provides in-depth and consistent guidance to first-generation, low-income, and disabled students. The program’s director, as well as the Director of the Multicultural Center Retention Program, C.J. Mathis, said that two-thirds of his students are both first-generation and low-income. TRIO SSS provides specialized advising with the same advisor throughout the entirety of a student’s time at the UofA. They also offer career workshops, financial literacy advising, and career development connections. Mathis confirmed that the biggest difficulties his students face are navigating the financial aspect of college as well as being aware of all their career and degree options.

“A lot of first-gen students, particularly if they’re first-gen and low-income, come to college because they want a better life and a better life typically means a better job,” Mathis said. “If you don’t come from a culture of people who, you know, have studied a variety of things, there are few fields that [first-generation students] know about that make money.”

Many experts agree that first-generation students often get tunnel vision when it comes to choosing a career that will be lucrative. Often, they pursue the fields that they have heard make the most money, such as being a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. However, those paths may not be the best fit for them, and they may be unaware of more specialized degree programs that will still lead them to great career opportunities. 

The systemic disadvantages such as poverty and lack of social capital all stack against first-generation student success, and they still typically must work harder to stay in school, but more and more is becoming available to them to make that a reality.