First Generation College Student Analysis

Being a first generation college student is something that I take great pride in being. The panelists from yesterday radiated pride and responsibility, in upholding their name as a first generation college student. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them, however, it was hard for me to identify with some of their feelings and attitudes about attending a four-year university. It felt odd for me, as many of my classmates could empathize with how the panelists felt, whereas I, coming from a different background, had trouble pulling from my experiences to understand their previous circumstances. The panelists yesterday talked about coming from households where education was not the main priority, and being a part of the working world was an expectation from an early age. This may sound spoiled, but I have never had a job, and I am eighteen years old. My parents refused to even fathom the idea of me
In total, I believe that I had visited eleven universities total, before deciding that Longwood is where I wanted to call home. My parents spend every weekend, for about two months, taking me to various universities for tours and open houses. I toured Virginia Tech, University of Virginia, UVA’s College at Wise, Longwood, Eastern Mennonite University, and much, much more. Each visit, my parents took notes, asked questions, and were always the parents who wanted to know the value of the education I was going to receive at whatever university we were at that weekend. Although my parents were heavily involved in my college decision, I never felt like they were persuading me to choose one school over the other. Since my parents never went to college, they had to bias to a certain university, so whatever I chose, would be “their,”