By Troy Murphy
“They made a mistake.” “There were fewer people that applied this year.” “They lowered their standards.” “I just got lucky.” “I think someone was just doing a favor for my high school counselor or teacher.”
For some students – and more first generation students than almost any other demographic – the very first feeling they don’t “belong” in college is the acceptance notification. It’s a subtle feeling that you are about to enter into a place where everybody around you is more qualified than you are. Smarter. More prepared. And certainly more capable of success.
Research suggests that first generation college students are more likely to experience many of these feelings — what is often called the “imposter syndrome” or “imposter phenomenon” — that sense of not truly belonging, just acting like an “imposter” until you are found out! The result is often that first gen students don’t take advantage of many resources on campus, they get involved less, have fewer relationships with faculty. This go-it-alone-or-I-might-get-found-out response only exacerbates the stress of college. Even when student abilities are proven (good grades, compliments from professors, etc.), students still often feel they are just fooling people and it’s only a matter of time!
In a recent study (2024) Chelsey Holden in her colleagues suggest that “being the first” in a family to attend college carries with it a high burden of expectations for success: “As these expectations increase, so, too, do the feelings that they may be incapable or unworthy of actually meeting those expectations.” The good news is that studies suggest even simple activities – getting involved, visiting a learning center, joining a club (such as the First Generation Student Organization!), going to professor office hours — can have a lasting impact. One recent study (Ramsey & Brown, 2017) suggests that taking advantage of a University library and all it has to offer can serve as a fantastic way to get connected and feel at home. So check out the Mardigian, hang out for a while, attend a library event, and you might lessen those feelings!
Most of all, with upwards of 50 percent of all UM Dearborn students now First Generation students, we all have to remind ourselves that this is exactly where we belong!
References:
Holden, C. L., Wright, L. E., Herring, A. M., & Sims, P. L. (2024). Imposter Syndrome Among First- and Continuing-Generation College Students: The Roles of Perfectionism and Stress. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 25(4), 726-740.
Ramsey, E., & Brown, D. (2017). Feeling like a fraud: Helping students renegotiate their academic identities. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 25(1), 86–90.
