Exposure to Information About the College Experience and Its Impact on the Perceived Social Capital of First-Generation College Students

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Abstract

First-generation college (FGC) students are students whose parents never enrolled in postsecondary education (Nunez & Cuccaro-Alamin, 1998). FGC students are likely to enter college with limited access to information about the college experience and encounter a cultural conflict between home and college community. This study analyzed the impact that exposure to information about the college experience had on undergraduate FGC students’ social capital using a primary prevention intervention program. Preliminary survey data suggested social and academic integration of participants to be highly correlated (r = .688 p < .01). Since FGC students are twice as likely to leave before their second year as compared to their peers (Choy, 2001), understanding and increasing their social capital is imperative.

Author

• Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, New York University