Freshman communication studies major Erika Hunter studies hard and hopes to be an example to future first generation college students. Photo credit: Bianca Ontiveros
After a multitude of questions, student testimonies and research presentations, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has built a team dedicated to making the best first-generation student experience possible at Azusa Pacific.
“We want them to feel like they belong, [that they’re] successful and supported. We need to try and do whatever we can to accomplish this task,” said Joyce Richardson, an admissions administrative assistant.
Interest in first-generation students has been increasing and several offices are now working together to better the experience for these students. One in particular is the Undergraduate Admissions office, with plans to enact programs on campus to help these students through their college careers.
“One of the things we want to see happen is to have first-generation student bloggers, and saying, ‘Hey, here are students who are first-generation,’ and students who are reading them can say, ‘Oh, here’s someone who is doing that, I can too,’” said Johanna Deras, a diversity outreach and recruitment counselor in the Undergraduate Admissions office.
APU may also make videos of faculty members who were first-generation students, according to Deras. Other plans include waiving application fees, providing incentives to visit campus and even creating a program for students to visit home.
“We don’t want to talk about it as this broad plan but narrow it down and actually accomplish something this year,” Richardson said.
These admissions counselors have thought about these potential programs, but are also having important conversations with students through interviews for feedback.
“I think it would be great for all first generation students to have some sort of mentor, because I had a mentor in high school and not having him around now is hard,” said freshman communication studies major Erika Hunter, a first-generation college student. “I think my biggest motivator now is being that student that future first generation students can look [to] and say, ‘Wow! She did it so I can do it too.'”
There have been three focus groups that have been conducted with three to five students each. The groups have displayed different themes showing that first-generation students may experience several difficulties.
These themes the counselors found include struggling academically and not feeling competent to do well in classes or their major. According to the Undergraduate Admissions office, many do not understand financial aid and how they are going to be able to afford to be back the following year. Many think no one else on campus can relate. Additionally, some students in the focus groups even admitted that they feel like they do not belong racially either.
“The first group we met with, none of them had scholarships. Financial aid was a big question for a lot of them and not knowing how to do it or what was available. They were filling out paperwork on their own because of their parents not knowing how,” said Elaine Dally, who works for the undergraduate admissions processing department.
According to Director of Institutional Research Chris Olson, between 2006 and 2011 the number of first-generation freshmen more than tripled at APU.This demographic of students now makes up around 20 percent of the freshman class.
This population of the students is continuously growing at the university. The focus group results show that they are not just looking for a warm Christian community to be a part of, but also support to thrive academically.
Plans are still tentative. The Undergraduate Admissions office is working with the Office of Retention to encourage academic advising. Admissions personnel also hope to work with the Office of Orientation and Transitions.
In addition to moving the research and approval processes forward, those in admissions are also looking for feedback from other first-generation students or faculty on things they would have wanted to change or stay the same.
“We want to encourage faculty [who are first-generation] to tell their stories and submit them to us so we can connect students to faculty that they can identify with,” said Michael Henderson, a diversity outreach and transfer counselor.