Public Community Colleges : Creating Access And Opportunities For First Generation College Students

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Public Community Colleges: Creating Access and Opportunities for First- Generation College Students The author, Julia Brookshire Everett commenced the article, “Public Community Colleges: Creating Access and Opportunities for First Generation College Students”, by first characterizing first- generation college students and also expounding on the difficulties first-generation students encountered when acquiring post-secondary degrees. According to Everett (2015), the term ‘first- generation college student’ was first coined in the 1960s in order to regulate student eligibility for federally financed programs to aid students from low-income households. Although community colleges struggle with low retention and transfer rates, Everett (2015) mentioned that community colleges created opportunities for first-generation students through five divisions of admission (p. 52). The intention of this article was to address the five divisions of access provided by community colleges for first-generation college students which include: financial accessibility, geographic accessibility, programmatic accessibility, academic accessibility, cultural/social/physical accessibility and also the problems faced by these students after admission. Summary According to Everett (2015) students who have college-educated parents are at an advantage when it comes to enrolling in and finishing college (p.53). She also mentioned that this presumption was established on a concept that was acknowledged as social capital. Social capital, as defined by the author, is “the value of a relationship that provides support and assistance in a given social situation” (Everett, 2015, p. 53). The word ‘access’, in relation to higher education, was defined as the circum... ... middle of paper ... ...gh, and straightforward. Conclusion Everett pointed out the favorable circumstances provided by public community colleges which created access for first-generation students. She divided access into five categories: financial, geographic, programmatic, academic, and cultural/social/physical accessibility. She went on to elaborate the different ways in which these elements aided first-generation students in attending college. She concluded the article with a few challenges faced by first-generation students and the programs that were implemented to combat such challenges. Discussion Questions 1. What other ways can access and opportunity be created for first-generation students? 2. Could an affordable program be created to prepare first-generation students for college? 3. What are some more ways to aid first-generation students with the challenges faced in college?

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