First Generation College Student Success Guide
What is a First Generation Student?
A first generation student or “first gen” for short is (a) an individual whose parents did not complete a bachelor’s degree or (b) in the case of an individual who lives with and receives support from only 1 parent and that parent did not complete a bachelor’s degree.
If you fall into any of these categories; congratulations! You are the first in your family to pursue a Bachelors! Remember to take a moment to celebrate this milestone in your family’s history.
In this article, we will review resources that can help you along your academic journey.
Build a Professional Network
Being the first in your family to go to college may mean you need to be a little more intentional about building a professional network. Networking involves the exchange of information, advice, or support for your career journey. Your network can consist of family members, friends, classmates, professors, or individuals in industries or occupations that interest you. Your network may support you to explore careers, find an internship, or secure a job after graduation. Below are a few opportunities to build your network:
Linked in is a global networking platform that allows you to connect with individuals from any industry or professions that you may want to learn more about. Use this LinkedIn Job Seeker Checklist when creating or updating your LinkedIn account.
Use this step-by-step Informational Interview Guide to learn how to build your professional network with LinkedIn and how to request an information interview. An information interview is your opportunity to ask an individual questions about their work and advice for getting started.
You can seek advice from student leaders or peers that are ahead of you in your program; they can offer valuable insights, tips, and support as you build your professional network. The Center for Equity and Belonging has a peer mentorship program that invites students to join and connect.
Many faculty have dedicated office hours to support students with academics and can also be a great resource for job trends or gaining early experience in a given field. If you can’t make office hours, don’t hesitate to send an email. You can find contact information on your syllabus.
Meet alumni at one of many St. Kate’s student and alumni events. Alumni are St. Kate’s students that have graduated. That means they are great contacts as you already share 1 thing in common; you both attended St. Kate’s! Stay up to date with St. Kate’s Event Calendar.
Create community on campus
Just as important as it is to build your professional network, it’s important to grow your social network. There are many opportunities to meet new people and form lasting friendships on campus. Take a look at these opportunities:
Proud to Be First Living Learning Community! We have a residence community on campus so you can live among and connect with other first generation students.
Join a group on campus! St. Kate’s has several clubs and organizations you can join on campus including The First Generation Student Union, Student Senate, creative clubs, identity based clubs, studies related clubs. You can join a group where you already share interests or explore new ones. Click here to view current Clubs and Organizations on campus!
Have some fun with other St. Kate’s students! Social Events and Experiences for Katies, or SEEK for short, hosts events such as Dew Drop Bop (our end-of-the year celebration), movie nights, late night breakfast, and more throughout the semester. Follow their Instagram to keep up to date with fun activities: @stkatesseek
Stay active with others! St. Kate’s has intramural sports that are open to all St. Kate’s students or join in on group fitness classes at the Butler Center.
Find Ways to Finance Your Education
Understanding your financial aid options should not be a barrier to education. This section will cover some resources you have to understand how to pay for college.
Complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Apply for Scholarships
Get paid for a job on campus or nearby!
This application opens on October 1st of each year and must be completed to determine your eligibility for federal student aid like grants, work-study funds, loans and, in some states, to determine state and school aid.
- ScholarshipUniverse (SU) is St. Kate’s new scholarship matching tool for accepted and enrolled students. SU is a one-stop shop scholarship database that has vetted and verified external scholarship opportunities. Find more information about SU and other scholarship opportunities on the College for Women Scholarships page.
- The Peer Money Mentors can conduct a personalized 1:1 appointment to help you further narrow your scholarship search. Email moneymentors@stkate.edu to request an appointment and visit the Money Management page for more financial management resources.
- St. Kate’s Assistantship Mentoring Program (AMP)
The Assistantship Mentoring Program is a scholarly community in which students are paid to work one-on-one with a faculty or staff mentor as a teaching assistant, research collaborator, or program development collaborator. - St. Kate’s Summer Scholars
The Summer Scholars program is an intensive 10-week experience during which faculty and students collaborate on projects while immersed in a culture of scholarship with other research teams. - Handshake
Search hundreds of jobs and internships nearby and nationwide posted for St. Kate’s students and alumni to apply. Handshake is also where all on-campus jobs are posted. Getting a job on campus can potentially help you cut down on commuting costs and grow your network on campus.
Be familiar with all your resources on campus
In this next section we will give you a quick breakdown of offices/ services on campus that you can turn to for support!
Academic Advising is your one-stop shop for support on your academic, personal, and professional goals.
Financial Aid can help you understand the ins and outs of paying for school including financial aid types, policies, forms, resources, and application instructions.
Career Development is eager to support you with everything career related from picking a major, making a resume, looking for jobs and internships, or preparing for an interview. Schedule an appointment with a career coach on Handshake today!
Tutoring and Learning Center can help support effective writing and reading strategies and help you study more effectively and efficiently with your science and math courses.
Access and Success offers support to students who are parenting and any student facing a basic needs emergency impacting their ability to access food, housing, medical care, transportation, etc.
Counseling Center is committed to creating an emotionally safe and welcoming environment for any student in need of support for any emotional, social, behavioral, and identity-related difficulties.
Student Accessibility and Accommodations assists in creating an accessible learning environment, some common academic accommodations include alternative testing, notetaking software, ASL interpreters and more.
TRIO Student Support Service provides holistic advising and support for first generation students, students with low income backgrounds, and students with disabilities in the College for Women.
Full catalog of services https://www.stkate.edu/students/services-catalog
