First Gen, short for first generation, is a term that institutes use to identify those students whose parents never went to college. I happen to be the first in my family to go to school. My dad had planned on going to Purdue, but life happened and those plans got changed. School beyond high school was never in the plans for my mom. My older sister got her CNA license, but never went to a university. This was a big step for me, and I was never really sure if I was actually ever going to be able to continue my education. Here I am at Purdue though, and the reality of it still hasn’t sunk in.

There are a couple of differences that I’ve noticed between myself and my friends who have parents who’ve been through this crazy secondary education thing. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s harder for me to communicate to my parents about school. They’re used to me doing well in all my classes and never really struggling to get good grades. When I call them now to tell them I got a D on my biology exam, they’re shocked and my mom frequently asks me “You’re not flunking out, are you?” They don’t understand how much the difficulty level between high school and college changes. When I explain that my lowest exam grade is dropped and other grade adjustments are made, I think they feel better about how I’m doing. My friends who have parents who went to college are more understanding when they explain how they did on an exam or how they’re doing overall. They know there will probably be a curve to help their child’s grade and how hard classes can actually get. It’s an unexplored barrier between my family and I that I’m learning to navigate.

Another difference I’ve noticed is my friends have a lot more help filling out necessary documents and knowing when deadlines are than myself. I was explaining just the other day how I needed to start filling out my FAFSA form and my friend’s response was, “Oh, I just told my dad and he said he’d get it done.” My parents don’t understand how any of that works, and I had to figure it out by myself last year before coming to Purdue.

I’ve also realized I’m a little behind. I wasn’t pushed by anyone to take dual credit or AP courses. Yes, my school talked about them. I just didn’t realize how much I would’ve benefited from them or how much money and time I could’ve saved. I’ve heard people say they came in with thirty or more credits and I still can’t wrap my mind around that. I feel like I’m one of the few people around me who are classified as freshmen.

Although it’s been difficult at some points since college is a foreign thing to my family, I take pride in the fact I’m the first one to go through it. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve become more responsible. I know I’m capable of doing whatever I set my mind to as long as I stick to it and work for it. I overcame the ridiculous predictions set by people who said someone like myself would never make it to where I am today. Those odds don't define me. I don’t let the fact that I’m a first gen slow me down. If anything, it makes me work harder.