The Real-Time Social and Academic Adaptations of First-Generation Students During the Global Pandemic

• In Event: College Interrupted: The Many Dimensions of COVID-19 Pandemic Disruptions

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required colleges to drastically alter their normal operations. During these first few weeks of transition, students navigated academic, personal, social, and economic uncertainties amidst a global pandemic world. In particular, because FGCS often have difficulty navigating campus cultures and utilizing resources, this study seeks to understand how this already underserved population persisted amidst a radical and abrupt change in their collegiate environment. This qualitative study explores how a diverse sample of FGCS at a highly-selective university, adapted during the first five weeks of the historic global pandemic. Our study takes an implicit anti-deficit approach in understanding how FGCS adapted to the COVID-19 global pandemic during the first weeks and offers implications for future research and practice.

Authors

• Jeffrey K. Grim, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Emma Bausch, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

• Steven Lonn, University of Michigan