Choosing first-generation college students as my sub-population to focus on was an easy decision. I was a first-generation college student. My father never attended high school and my mother never attended school beyond graduation from high school. Considering some of my own personal struggles and experiences, my research, introduced here, will serve to assist me further in reaching out to those students with similar backgrounds. First-generation students are defined as students whose parents have not completed a bachelor's or an associate degree (Glenn, 2008). Roughly 30% of entering freshmen in the USA are first-generation college students, and 24% (4.5 million) are both first-gens and low income. Nationally, 89% of low-income first-gens leave college within six years without a degree. More than a quarter leave after their first year; four times the dropout rate of higher-income second-generation students (Ramsey & Peale, 2010).
Much research has been conducted in the last decade on the issues facing first-generation students. I found that the major issues which have prompted this research are retention and graduation rates. Among students who enrolled in four-year colleges, for example, the first-generation students had a graduation rate of 44.9%, while the rate for non-first-generation students was 59%. Among students who enrolled in two-year institutions, first-generation students were significantly less likely to persist into a second year (Glenn, 2008). I found the last statistic to be surprising. Prior to my research into this area, I would have assumed that those students attending a two-year college would have more success due to the fact that two-year colleges are usually smaller and students get more attention from instructors and staff. After I began to think about this more, the statistics make sense. Most students at two-years are more than likely from lower income families and/or non-traditional students who are working and providing for their families.
