Defining college readiness from the inside out: first-generation college student perspectives

Community College Review, Fall, 2005 by Kathleen L. Byrd, Ginger MacDonald

Time management is a skill that all of the participants noted as critical for college readiness. Participants indicated the importance of this skill when discussing time needed for studying outside class and course-load requirements while trying to manage priorities for work and family. The theme of time management elicited a range of responses. Two participants pointed to a lack of time and difficulty with time management as the biggest obstacles to doing well in college, while other students related time management skills and multitasking abilities as a strength contributing to readiness for college-level work. Six participants spoke of having strong time management skills and related this strength to life experiences, especially work related experiences, and to being older. Another attribute that students explicitly discussed as essential for college readiness was goal focus. One participant said, "When I think of what it takes to be ready for college, I think it's more of a mental mind set ... of having a goal." Like time management, having a goal was related to student background factors, especially to career influences and being older. Six participants explicitly compared a previous college experience where they did not have a clear goal to their current experience of having a goal and the importance of this goal for being ready for college.

Finally, the ability to advocate for oneself as a learner was articulated by five of the participants as important for college readiness. While the other two attributes were explicitly stated as essential for readiness, this theme of self-advocacy was more likely to be illustrated through stories. Participants often attributed self-advocating skills with being older. One shared how she felt more like a peer to faculty because of her age and that helped her approach the instructor. For the students who participated in this study, the ability to self-advocate was critical for an ability to navigate the college system. When participants shared stories of approaching professors and seeking out advisors and counselors, they pointed to the importance of these incidents for being successful in college and for the development of their own self-concept of being a capable college student. For example, one spoke about his experience of approaching a professor after he felt overwhelmed by the reading level on the first day: "She just looked me straight in the eye and said, 'You're gonna do fine here because you approached me on the first day.'"

Background Factors

Family factors often contributed to the participants' readiness for college. Three participants did share that family concerns had previously prevented them from continuing or enrolling in college; however, three participants stressed that they were motivated to do better than their parents and six participants shared positive stories of parental influence. Four participants with children emphasized a desire to be a positive role model. One participant shared: "My daughter, she's my driving force. She's the reason I'm here right now, and she says she's gonna go to school too." Generally, family was highlighted as important for all participants with overlaps in themes of career influence and self-concept.