Knowledge Bank

There are large inequalities in who successfully navigates higher education. In this undergraduate thesis project, I explore the ways in which gender may mitigate or exacerbate first-generation student familial background inequalities by examining student help-seeking behavior. What specifically are the vulnerabilities first-generation students experience, and how, if at all, do gendered dynamics shape first-generation response strategies in higher education? My data were collected and are drawn from a longitudinal and semi-structured interviewing across four years with 62 first-generation college students at Midwestern University. The results point to academic, social and financial challenges faced by first-generation students across their college years and a few key differences in help-seeking. First, female first-generation students are more likely to communicate mental health issues and family tension as challenges in college. And secondly, female first-generation students help-seeked sooner when confronted with a challenge, in contrast to male students, who waited longer. However, female first-generation students also describe difficulty in finding successful help-seeking strategies. Finally, I discuss implications for first-generation integration and success in higher education.