Abstract
The literature shows that first-generation students are among the most disadvantaged groups when considering their opportunities for higher education. They face a number of challenges that impede their academic progress and consequently their success in completing a college degree. Research casts doubt on their academic preparedness and emphasizes the importance of their academic, social and cultural adjustment to the campus environment. Scholars argue that the interaction between the university environment and a student's personal characteristics is critical to a student's ability to succeed in college. The purpose of the study was to explore the experience of first-generation students who are successfully meeting the academic, social and institutional challenges they encounter as undergraduates at a large research institution. In their telling, students made known their perceptions of the circumstances, the supports and personal variables that contribute to their success. Understanding how first-generation students interpret their challenges and negotiate the dynamics of the university environment in order to succeed is critical to policy and program development. This study used a mixed method design, employing aspects of quantitative and qualitative research inquiry and descriptive analysis. Using a sequential procedure, th researcher used electronic surveys to collect closed-ended and open-ended data from students. Subsequently, the researcher conducted individual and group interviews to gather additional open-ended qualitative data to learn more detail about the undergraduate experience of a smaller sample of research participants. Successfully acclimating to the campus environment is extremely difficult for first-generation students and they are likely to experience academic difficulty during the first year. How well students respond to this adversity is key to their success. This research identifies a number of personal variables, success strategies and motivational for es that enable first-generation students to beat the odds and succeed. Findings indicate that, in addition to academic skills a student's inner drive, connection to the campus and social intelligence are critical. P rs, family and faculty comprise the necessary support network, while institutional policy and practices play a critical role in creating a resilient-supportive environment.