Practicing Sandwich Method

College degrees have significant economic and social benefits for those who attain them.
Unfortunately for first generation college students, the likelihood of attaining a degree after
many years of struggling to get to college are much lower than that of their counterparts whose
parents attended college. Only 11% of first generation college students from low income
backgrounds stay the course and graduate (Petty 15). The rest drop out. This high drop out rate is
due financial problems and lack of social and academic integration in college.
Apart from coming mostly from minority ethnic and racial groups, first generation
college students are also characterized by low income backgrounds. To reach college, many of
them would have beat poverty and other obstacles (Petty 17). However, while in college, their
financial difficulties become a major hindrance to their staying in college. Difficulties resulting
from lack of financial means to pay for their college fees and meet their personal needs have
been found to be a major contributor to first generation college drop outs (Petty 18). Therefore,
adequate financial support for this group of students is likely to reduce their high drop out rate.
The second need is academic and social integration. Being the first to attend college in
their families, first generation college students often struggle to acclimatize to college life. They
find it hard to form strong social relations with other students and professors. According to
Gibbons and Woodside (32), this has a negative effect on their academic performance and
,therefore, increases likelihood of dropping out. Gibbons and Woodside (35) call this
phenomenon longitudinal attrition. Thus, it is important for colleges to have groups in colleges
that help first generation students to easily integrate.
First generation college students overcome multiple hurdles to get into college.
Unfortunately, the last hurdle often proves too high for them because of their unique financial,
social, and academic needs that are rarely met. Meeting these needs will significantly reduce
their college attrition rates.

Surname 2

Works Cited

Gibbons, Melinda M., and Marianne Woodside. “Addressing the needs of first‐generation
college students: Lessons learned from adults from low‐education families.” Journal of
College Counseling 17.1 (2014): 21-36.
Petty, Tanjula. “Motivating first-generation students to academic success and college
completion.” College Student Journal 48.1 (2014): 133-140.