Surrounding first-generation students with support is the key to college success

This fall, residence halls and classrooms are filling with new students eager to start their academic journey. Many of them are “first generation” students — the first in their family to be able to pursue higher education. The thrilling feeling of accomplishment and pride these students feel upon entering college, however, is often accompanied by less helpful emotions like anxiety and self-doubt. And, unlike students for whom college-going is a family tradition, first-generation students often lack the structural and emotional supports to overcome the real and perceived barriers they face as they enter academia.