The Case of Lower Income Students

Over the summer I worked for a few months with the Office of Parent Relations. It was a fantastic experience and the project I enjoyed the most was creating a presentation for parents and families of incoming first generation college students. I got to spend a fair amont of time researching the subject and then deciding what information about our university and college life would be most pertinent to these groups. Many of these families fit into the category of lower income as described in the article. In my light research I found that many students expressed anxiety about fitting in with their peers who come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. I feel that same sense of anxiety in the interviews provided in this article. 

What I find most discouraging about these articles and anxieties, however, is that often times these fears are rooted in reality. This article clearly displays the extent of the exclusion that students of lower incomes actually experience at their colleges. I also find the gap that occurs between individuals and their families due to their college experiences to be completely disheartening. The stress that is placed on students who experience these situations has to be gigantic.