I guess that I never really thought of myself as a first-generation student throughout most of college. I went to a smaller, not highly-competitive high school where a good number of students went on to college (whether many finished or not is another story) and a smaller, but certainly not statistically insignificant, number of students did not go to college. Most people around me did not seem to obsess over college brands, rankings, or prestige (and most of what I knew about individual colleges were either their sports team nicknames; maybe if they had a good football team; or if they had any basketball players that went on to play in the NBA).  Where I was from, most folks in and around my high school were probably just happy that students went at all to college. Consequently, many of my classmates (and I) started out our college careers at the local community college.

It is also worth noting that I did not know which of the two high school counselors was actually assigned to me at any point during high school. I went to one of the counselors during May of my Senior year, interested in finding local scholarships to apply for. The counselor pointed at the wall of various local (paper) scholarship applications. That was about the extent of that experience. I did not feel welcome and I certainly did not feel like I was helped. I walked away thinking: This is why I never sought-out a counselor for anything previous to the late Senior-year scramble for scholarships. You see: I was not a 4.00 student; not a trouble-maker; and not a student in danger of not graduating (sometimes, students at the extreme ends receive the most attention, but I was just a low-maintenance student that was probably not going to be inclined to seek out a school counselor during most of high school). I participated on numerous sports teams each year; did some other student activities; and never missed a day of high school. But none of my friends went to see one of the two counselors and neither did I. As a school counselor now, today, I actually feel like this makes me slightly more effective because, as a former 1^st Generation college student, I am able to, perhaps, better see what would have been helpful to know, experience, or complete for someone with very, very limited knowledge of college—someone like the high school version of myself years ago.

*When I write about my own experiences and reflections, thinking back to my time as a 1^st Generation future college student in high school,  I will italicize those particular remarks (for the sake of uniformity).

**Also, for the sake of uniformity, my definition of a 1^st Generation future college student—a common, umbrella term used throughout this article—will refer to any student who would be the first in their family to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Under my definition, this could include students whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) and/or older sibling(s) never attended college; parents(s)/legal guardian(s) and/or older sibling(s) who attended college but never completed a bachelor’s degree; parent(s)/legal guardian(s) and/or older sibling(s) that are currently enrolled in college (but have not yet attained a bachelor’s degree); or parent(s)/legal guardian(s) and/or older sibling(s) that have obtained an associate’s degree, certificate(s), or any other academic distinction just below that of earning a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in college.

My own self-disclosed example of being a 1^st Generation future college student: During high school, I would have been considered a 1^st Generation college student because one of my parents received a high school diploma; and the other parent earned an associate’s degree.

Now that we have a common 1^st Generation future college student definition established, let’s look at ten best practices for school counselors, and educators, for supporting our students in this particular population.

1. Let Students Know How You Can Help Them:

I listed this particular tip as number one because it is perhaps the most comprehensive. When working with your 1^st Generation future college students, let them know the ways that you can help them, including: researching colleges; assessing fit; completing college applications; offering tips for college essays (and offering to proofread and review essays); finding scholarships; writing students recommendation letters; talking about their perceptions of college; and offering your own experiences of what college was like for you, etc.—just to name a few ways that you can help. If you let your students know the different ways that you can assist them, they will remember and often take you up on your offers of help. For students, just knowing that they have someone that knows them (and cares), the potentially scary (or intimidating) task of thinking about—and planning for—college might largely dissipate if students can recognize that they have a trusted educator that can help them more effectively plan-out their post-secondary educational goals and ambitions, such as college.

2. Be a One-Stop-Shop:

Similar to our first tip, when working with 1^st Generation future college students, you can be that special, impactful point-person for them—that one-stop-shop, so to speak—even if you don’t feel like an expert in every single area of all-things-college. Any help is better than no help. As a newer counselor, if there is something that I don’t know (or my overall knowledge of a particular topic, or area, is on the lower-end of the spectrum), I will gladly ask questions and complete my own research—no shame. We know what we know (but we don’t have to stay locked-in there, though, either). We need to be comfortable modeling those very same behaviors for our students. It is okay to not be an expert on everything when it comes to college or other post-secondary education pathways, but it is probably not OK to sit there and do nothing about it. Learn with your students and you can model what effective life-long learning looks like in real-time.

In light of that, maybe offer to help students from the very beginning to the end of the college research, planning, and application process. To be sure, you will want to empower students to also do their part (which will, in turn, build up their own autonomy and confidence). But, simultaneously, also being willing to help them with tasks both big and small. Helping to remind students about application deadlines; completing college visits (if possible); meeting with college representatives (if they come to your school or if they are visiting with other students in the area, including at local college fairs); providing timely reminders about completing the FAFSA (the earlier, the better); or letting them know about local scholarships, for instance. Every year, I will have a handful of students that I sit down with to complete college applications (usually electronically). These students are often 1^st Generation future college students. Sometimes I get busy with half a dozen (or more) tasks going on at once, but it is actually quite refreshing to temporarily hit the pause button—in the moment—to assist students with completing their applications. It is rewarding; it’s impactful; and it feels good knowing that you are helping students take the necessary steps to mapping out their upcoming college careers.

3. Don’t Assume a Baseline of Knowledge:

In the introduction, I wrote about my own experiences accessing, and interacting with, a school counselor at my high school. My knowledge of college was extremely limited (and, hence, so too was my overall confidence in the matter). 1^st Generation future college students—like many students—will have a wide range of knowledge and understanding about college (perhaps the widest, but also sometimes the most limiting, compared to many their peers who have parents or older siblings that completed a four-year college degree). Remember: I was a student that did not miss a day of high school and earned solid, but certainly unspectacular, grades. I knew next-to-nothing about what college would be like; what the expectations of college were; and if I could ever hope to be successful once there.

It is the same for all of our 1^st Generation future college students. They may surprise you with what they know—and consequently—they may also surprise you with what they don’t know about college. The one thing that counselors do not want to do with their students in this population is to assume that their students will have any common, or baseline, understanding of college requirements; completing college applications; or how to be successful in college, etc. However, once you begin building that rapport, and start having those helpful conversations, you will usually begin to ascertain rather quickly what your students know (and don’t know) about college.

4. Gather Data Whenever Possible:

I have a current caseload of 9^th-12^th Grade students, and one of the things that our counseling team, at the high school that I work at, does is to meet our freshman students in small groups towards the beginning of every school year. It’s a time to do some meeting-and-greeting, rapport-building, and a time for questions and answers. When we meet with our newest students, we have a get-to-know-you survey form for each student to complete. It asks questions about what students are looking forward to in high school; what some of their hobbies are; what their favorite classes are, etc. But my favorite question on the entire form is a question that says: “Do you have anyone in your family that has gone to college (i.e. parent; sibling; grandparent, etc.)?” When I get back all of my completed Freshmen Surveys, I carefully inspect each form for that particular question. If I have a student that does not have other family members that have gone to (or completed) college, then I put those particular forms in a separate stack and will follow-up individually with each student in the coming days and weeks. Sometimes, I also have students who are not sure if other families members have gone on to college, so I often will meet with those students, as well.

This is something that each school counselor can also easily replicate for themselves, either through borrowing a pre-created get-to-know-you form, creating an original form, or even making an electronic survey form to send out to students, then using those completed data points to individually reach out to students. The chosen format is less important than making sure that particular question is included for students to answer (in my recommendation). Data collection and analysis does not have to be daunting or cumbersome—it can be as simple as a line-item question you ask on an electronic survey or paper form.

5. Initiate Conversations:

Once you have identified most (or all) of your 1^st Generation future college students, you can then hold meetings with them individually. Many of my students that have parents/guardians with advanced degrees and impressive educational backgrounds and credentials often don’t need to be reminded to access me (as their counselor). Many times, they either just know to do that intuitively or might even be instructed by their caregivers—with college educations—to do so. But with 1^st Generation future college students, some may need you to proactively reach out to them (by letting these students how you can help them, and/or by being a one-stop-shop for them, etc.), and so that you can also be that source of on-going support and encouragement. In my own example of being a 1^st Generation college student, I did not even think to know that a school counselor could help me with my questions, concerns, or feelings about college. It was just something that I did not think about at all during all four years of high school.

Another bonus tip: Use proactiveness to your advantage. If you will have the chance to work with your 1^st Generation future college students for multiple years (maybe similar to my alpha-caseload format of 9^th-12^th Graders), in many ways, that might be seen as advantageous (at least in this particular scenario). But regardless of how the configuration your caseload looks from year to year, however, it is helpful to meet with these students early in the school year, not waiting for too much time to pass—especially if they are 11^th or 12^th Grade 1^st Generation future college students.

6. Be Encouraging:

If you are working with 1^st Generation future college students, it often can be helpful to be encouraging (and supportive) of each student’s college ambitions, goals, hopes, and dreams. Remember my own example? I didn’t have the first clue about college, or if I could ultimately be successful once there (I was really a victim of lower-ish academic self-confidence at the time). If I would have had an encouraging, positive, and knowledgeable counselor that I thought was available to me (and someone that truly knew me—my strengths, goals, interests, and skills, for example), then I very likely would have been more confident, more informed, and less anxious (and nervous) about the entire process. You cannot go wrong with being encouraging to all students—but especially to those that are 1^st Generation future college students. If they have that proverbial deer-in-the-headlights look when you are talking to them about college, or ask a super basic—or what often passes as rudimentary common knowledge—question, just roll with it. Their questions (and confidence) will improve in time if you give them that safe space to be honest, vulnerable, and transparent with you about their thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perceptions of college.

7. Let Students Know That Colleges Want Them:

Along with the encouraging, positive vibes you are putting out there on the regular for your students, also remind these students that colleges want them! I often have 1^st Generation future college students that hold various beliefs that they cannot get into a college (or sometimes, even, that colleges would not even want them, for various reasons). Nothing could be further from the truth and I love letting students know this. Yes, many of us in the world of education—including students and families—often focus, and perhaps too much, on the schools with the highest levels of selectivity (and the increasing difficulty of getting into the 50 or 100 most exclusive schools in the country). But the truth is: It has probably never been easier for many students to apply for (and receive) admittance to many, many great schools than it is today—right now.

Whether we are talking about such factors as the still-felt effects of the Great Recession; declining birth rates; what we are now seeing with COVID-19 (the fallout of which is now only starting to be realized); out-migration patterns accelerated in the Midwest (my region of the country) and the Northeast, for instance (including a perhaps over-saturation of colleges and universities in certain geographical areas), many colleges are in need of more students. Factor in one, several, or all of these effects and colleges will certainly be much more likely to open their doors to wider and wider swaths of students now and in the coming years. Tied into all of this are federal and state funding factors; ever-changing rules and laws for International college students; and the local, regional, and state economies where colleges are located, etc. Many of these things are interconnected, and all it takes is a change in one factor to create a domino effect for colleges concerned about declining funding and potentially declining enrollment. Let students know that they have more power and leverage than perhaps ever before (when applying to college).

Additionally, many colleges currently—and have for some time—recognized their responsibility for reaching out to (and supporting) more 1^st Generation students. This still remains a largely untapped pool of students that will add to the rich diversity of every college campus. As institutions of higher learning—and often longstanding anchors in their local communities—it is in everyone’s best interests for colleges to build bridges that reach directly towards potential 1^st Generation future college students. What is more, if a 1^st Generation future college student also happens to be an underrepresented minority student, or even a low-income student, this, too, will also add to the overall diversity of a college’s campus in multiple ways, making 1^st Generation future college students a sought-after population of learners that many colleges will desire to have in greater quantities in the coming years.

8. Discuss Open-Admission Colleges:

Similar to number seven’s points, many 1^st Generation future college students do not always know about—and something that is actually common to a wide swath of high school students from all backgrounds —is the concept, and reality, of open-admissions colleges. These are colleges that are often free to apply to and are open to all students. In other words, they do not reject any applicant who wants to study at their institution. Think of community colleges—these are schools with open-admissions. For 1^st Generation future college students, open-admission schools can either be used as an outstanding back-up college option or a great first choice for beginning a student’s college career. These students should be able to breathe a huge sigh of relief knowing that they are indeed college material and will be accepted to a college that they can feel comfortable, supported, and successful at. What I love most about community colleges is the fact that they say yes when some four-year schools might say no, maybe, or let’s wait.

9. Discuss Honors and Advanced Placement Options:

In a previous article, I wrote about supporting underrepresented minority students in Accelerated (AC) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These advanced courses also can include International Baccalaureate (IB); Honors; or Dual Enrollment courses (for the sake of uniformity, and ease, I will refer to all of these different accelerated options as ‘Advanced’). I remember, at the time, my high school did not yet have AP courses. I, did, however, take a year or two of what was known as College Prep English (I am assuming today that it would be considered an Accelerated class, or of a similar ilk). It was the only Accelerated-style class, I believe, that we had at my high school at that time. If students wanted to take classes for college credit, they would Dual Enroll at the local community college (something that I regrettably did not take advantage of). As a 1^st Generation future college student, that College Prep English course was a wonderful experience for me. Not only did I have a fantastic teacher that poured so much into our class, but it gave me a little bit more confidence that  maybe—just maybe—I might be able to experience success in college (again, with not having the foggiest idea of what to expect with college, at the time).

So, if you are working with 1^st Generation future college students, by helping them to enroll in Advanced courses—and then supporting their on-going experiences in these classes—you can help them gain confidence that, yes, they are indeed college-material. What is more, if it is an AP; IB; or Dual Enrollment class, they likely will also be able to simultaneously earn college credit (think: double-dipping)—a win-win for everybody.

10. Guard Against Summer Melt:

Summer melt is a common term that refers to students not matriculating into college who were expected to do so. They may have completed some, most, or all of the steps of the college application and selection process, but, for various reasons, did not end up on a college campus during the fall of their Freshman year (a phenomenon different from a planned, strategic option of a Gap Year). A lot can happen from the last day of high school graduation to the first day of college classes in the fall. For 1^st Generation future college students, obstacles may arise during those summer months that make it difficult, or prohibitive, to start classes at their selected school. It could be that some students had to suddenly work (or become a caregiver) to support their families; some students may have missed a deposit deadline; or maybe did not complete the FAFSA form—and a whole host of other reasons. If a counselor can be semi-available, or available, during the summer months for questions and assistance, it can be a huge help for a 1^st Generation future college student who might be wavering in their ability or desire (or maybe even experiencing real, true roadblocks, obstacles, and barriers to that goal) of starting college in the fall.

The summer months are a much-needed time for most school counselors to pause, relax, and hit the reset button so that they can be better able to start the next school year with more inspiration, refreshment, and energy to continue doing their great, impactful work. I have learned, over time, that it is important to disconnect some during the summer, to be sure. However, maybe there is an opportunity to still support a small number of 1^st Generation future college students. Perhaps, school counselors can just informally (or formally) let these students know they are available for questions and for help. These students might take you up on your offer of assistance, or they might just push forward in confidence on their own with getting ready for college in the fall—all the while knowing that you are available to them should they need any help or assistance. School counselors, teachers, and school support staff can make a huge difference for this particular population of students simply by being available in unique, or even very simple, ways (that work for them and their students).

—The Blue-Collar Counselor