Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

College Experience

Our Counselors Answered:

Nancy MilneOwnerMilne Collegiate Consulting

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

The only way someone is going to know you are a first gen student is if you choose to share that information. You might get preferential treatment if you do share it, simply because everyone wants to see you succeed. There is nothing negative about being a first gen student, so cut yourself some slack.

Reecy ArestyCollege Admissions/Financial Aid Expert & AuthorPayless For College, Inc.

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Like anywhere in life, some will & some won’t.

Kristina DooleyIndependent Educational ConsultantEstrela Consulting

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

No way! The great thing about college is that it is a fresh start for many students…no preconceived notions about who you should be or what you should do. Regardless of where you’re from or who your family is (or isn’t), you’ll make friends with people who are totally different than you and some that are exactly like you. Your professors won’t know that you’re a first generation college student unless you tell them, and even then they’ll think of you the same as your classmates.

Kristina DooleyIndependent Educational ConsultantEstrela Consulting

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Karen Ekman-BaurDirector of College CounselingLeysin American School

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Although information about whether a student is a first-generation college/university attendee may appear in some form on the student’s application to an institution and may be weighed by the institution in making its admissions offers, there is really no reason that anyone else – students/professors, etc. – would need to be aware of whether a student is first-generation or not. If others are aware of the student’s first-generation status, that should not be a factor in how a student is treated, and to my knowledge, it is not. Students establish their own places on a campus by doing well in their classes, becoming intellectually and socially involved, and contributing to the campus environment. The education levels of the student’s parents and grandparents is essentially irrelevant. Having said that, I have visited several institutions which had developed programs intended to meet the needs of first generation students should additional assistance be required in developing various study skills or in supporting certain basic areas of learning – Math, English, etc.. Many schools offer the possibility of this kind of additional assistance to all of their students, however, since it is not just first-generation students who may need this kind of extra help.

Kenneth HutchinsonDirector of College Counseling

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Of course not my child! No one will know that you are a first generation student unless you tell them. If you are a first generation student to college you should definitely make sure you know the resources that are available on your campus so you are not walking around like your on a distant planet. In general, no one will no that you are first generation unless you start wearing a t-shirt or something that actually reads, “Hi I’m a 1st Gen Kid”.

Megan DorseySAT Prep & College AdvisorCollege Prep LLC

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

How would they know? And why would it matter that your parents hadn’t graduated from college? If you’ve been worrying about this, don’t. There are more people going to college than ever before and plenty are the first in their family to attend or graduate. Students and professors will only know this if you choose to tell them. Honestly, people are much more interested in you and your achievements than you family background. I have never had a student come back and tell me they were treated differently. It just isn’t an issue.

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

College Experience

Our Counselors Answered:

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

Do other students or professors treat first gen students differently?

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