One of the struggles I've faced as a first generation college student* is feeling "behind" the majority of my classmates. I am not behind because they are more intelligent; I am behind because they have had more guidance than I did. Many are the offspring of professionals who have been advising them since high school about the ins and outs of white collar careers. Moreover, these classmates had ready-to-use contacts through their parents. This reality can be disheartening as it lowers self-confidence and self-esteem.
In this environment it is easy to assume the identity of a victim of circumstances but doing so is worse than the situation itself. In college, there are many resources and people available to offer guidance and become mentors. Unlike our classmates whose mentors, i.e. parents, are a part of a packaged deal, first generation college students have to actively seek out advisors. Great places to look include official mentoring programs and college classroom; professors like to help.
Being unguided should not impede success, especially when it is easily corrected. In comparison to attending college, finding a mentor is a pint-sized hurdle. So jump over it and move on to the next one.
* "Undergraduates whose parents never enrolled in post-secondary education."
United States. Department of Education. Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Reports. N.p.: n.p., 1998. National Center for Education Statistics. Web. 26 July 2011. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98082.pdf
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