New research explores the landscape of institutional support systems for first-generation and low-income students across 1,200 colleges, highlighting five best practices—and calling out the Georgetown Scholars Program Necessity Fund as “a model.”
Topics: First-generation students
‘It felt like Georgetown was built for us’: First-gen student reflects on his GSP experience
Alumnus Andy Marquez describes how he experienced the university’s commitment to cura personalis—a profound care for the whole person and their unique circumstances, gifts, and possibilities—through the Georgetown Scholars Program.
How can colleges appeal to first-gen students? Survey offers suggestions.
Colleges’ sticker price, outreach, and diversity often factor into first-generation students’ postsecondary choices, a survey found.
Virtual college tours could offer benefits that outlast pandemic
Virtual college tours—widely popular during the pandemic—could be a useful long-term tool for making recruitment more inclusive.
First-gen grads getting less out of their job search, research says
A new study calls attention to some of the unique hurdles faced by first-generation college students as they prepare for and conduct their job search.
Summer Institute convenes 28 colleges working toward a more equitable future
Co-hosted by Georgetown University, this year’s virtual Summer Institute on Equity in the Academic Experience featured 48 speakers and welcomed 28 teams from a diverse array of colleges and universities.
‘Someone I knew I could call’: GSP’s growing mentorship program
Launched in 2015, a mentorship program for students participating in the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) offers a valued relationship-building opportunity for the university’s first-generation and low-income students—and their alumni mentors.
What’s ahead for internship programs after a year of disruption?
As employers solidify internship plans for the coming summer, advocates are urging them to create programs that offer equitable access to earning, learning, and networking opportunities.
How colleges are enhancing career services to support first-gen students
Recognizing that the college-to-career transition can be especially challenging for students who are the first in their families to graduate, campus career centers are finding ways to improve outreach and address common hurdles.
New book explores who’s responsible for students’ sense of belonging
For new students entering college, finding their way and achieving a sense of belonging can be an arduous process. A new book questions who should shoulder that responsibility.
How do first-gen students experience elite higher education?
Drawing on insights from more than 100 students at Georgetown and Harvard universities, a new book explores how higher education’s unspoken expectations can shape the college experience for first-generation students.
‘We are barrier-removers’: College access program meets rural students where they are
At a time when less than 30 percent of adults living in rural America have a postsecondary degree, The Ayers Foundation has developed a model for encouraging rural students to continue their education after high school.