Unprepared for Higher Education

Now that we have looked into some of the individual factors that FGCS may encounter on their journey to higher education let’s take a look at structural factors that can cause FGCS to have a difficult getting to and staying in college.
  
Structural factors are defined as environmental and material resources that can guide a student’s behavior” (Stephens, Brannon, Markus, & Nelson (2015)
 
As discussed in individual factors, having strong social and cultural capital connects students to a network of individuals that provide insight into to the college experience. The insight given to non-FGCS from college-educated families provides them with access to information and an understanding of the college system (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, and Terenzini (2004) Their parents or immediate family provides cultural capital, which familiarizes the student with the system and creates a space of comfort and a place they can succeed easily (Bourdieu, 1986). The confidence non-first generation college students inherit through familial and community knowledge allows students to manage unfamiliar territory because they are aware of the expectations associated with the college experience. The level of knowledge and encouragement allows for non-FGCS to experience the college process and overall experience differently  in comparison to their first generation counterparts (Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996). The access to human, cultural, economic and social capital is limited for students who are FGCS or from low-income communities. This limited capital can impact their ability to navigate their post secondary educational experience.
As addressed by Bradbury and Mather (2009), issues pertaining to access to knowledge of higher education, belongingness, and academic adjustment as well as disconnect from family deter students from persevering in college.