This was an essay I wrote for my first college class, Learning Frameworks.
Every
individual steps into the threshold of a college building with a particular
socioeconomic status to represent their social and financial prominence.
However each student managed to get accepted into the college. Therefore does
the socioeconomic status they come from truly matter or affect their academic
well-being once they step through the doors? Despite what some
people may think, a person’s college success can be affected by his or her
family’s wealth and socioeconomic status because a person’s upbringing generates
significantly different home learning experiences, educational resources, and
challenges.
During childhood, parents teach their children life
lessons. This and the way a student is taught will vary compared to others with
different socioeconomic and financial backgrounds. For example a lower
socioeconomic status will push parents to constantly teach children to use
resources, such as money, sparingly. This is good to help manage finances and
help save for something that is especially desired by the student. In contrast
a student that comes from a higher socioeconomic status might struggle with
this, but may succeed in knowing how to correctly conduct themselves while
public speaking because their parents hosted many business partners at their
house. While every parent teaches their children in their own unique way, the
variations can become especially prominent in comparison to other students who
have come from different environments and situations. For example private
tutors, private schools, more sophisticated educational resources, among other
things can be purchased by those who are able to afford them. For younger
children educational toys, DVD’s, and computer games may also be integrated
into their daily life if they have such opportunities because of their parent’s
financial well-being. However others who are not privileged with this
opportunity may learn through repetitive information given by the parent,
observation, and exploring. It is important to remember informal learning is
just as important as formal learning but different students have received diverse
amounts of each and this is shown when college students are left to their own
devices for the first time.
Due
to a family’s wealth, socioeconomic status, and college history some students may
have limited educational resources pertaining to college. This is most common
with first generation students, who often have parents who do not possess the
ability to properly prepare the student for college; this can critically affect
their college success. They often do not know what makes a college a better fit
for their children, which classes their children need to take, among other
various variables. This puts these students at a drastic disadvantage which is
commonly over looked by society. Such a colossal disadvantage greatly impacts a
student’s college success. San Antonio, Texas is a city that possesses a high
population of students who are wanting to go to college and will be first
generation students. This means the city may need to start educating the
children in public elementary and middle schools younger and more in depth
about college not only for their use, but also for their parents. It is a
widely known fact that people with more education often have higher paying and more
respectable jobs. This is why first generation students might be associated as
students with a lower socioeconomic status and lower family income. Also
children of immigrants might also find that receiving information on United
States colleges hard, even if the parents went to college internationally,
because of language barriers that can be presented. Language barriers can cause
them to have a low socioeconomic status within the United States.
In
their lifetime, students will have faced their own individual challenges. These
challenges will be dissimilar compared to other students, especially those who
have come from a separate socioeconomic status. This, along with family wealth,
can affect how well a student does in college. Students will all face different
struggles in college based on what they are used to struggling with. For
example a student who comes from a wealthy family may find it difficult to stay
on a budget and share a room for the first time. However a student who comes from
a less than prosperous family may find this to come easily but find it
problematic to figure out how to utilize all the resources which they have
never had access to before. This shows the amount of success might vary for
different components of college.
Having
different home learning experiences, educational resources, and challenges due
to a person’s family wealth and socioeconomic status can seriously affect a
student’s college success. Once a student steps through the doors that student
has already made an impression by getting there, but the path there also
includes where they are from. It is essential to know that every student has
had their own unique experiences and comes from their own unique environments.
Also each one has different degrees of knowledge pertaining to college. As a
society, we can make sure that those who do not come from a great socioeconomic
background can get the preparation for the future that they need which will
result in an increased amount of college success for years to come.
Works Cited
Davidson,
J. (2014). Leading Indicators: Increasing Statewide Bacheloraposs Degree Completion
Rates at 4-Year Public Institutions. Higher Education Policy, 27(1), 85-109.
Gamez-Vargas,
J., & Oliva, M. (2013). Adult Guidance for College: Rethinking Educational
Practice to Foster Socially-Just College Success for All. Journal Of College
Admission, (221), 60-68.
Kirby,
E., White, S., & Aruguete, M. (2007). Predictors of White and Minority
Student Success at a Private Women's College. College Student Journal, 41(2),
460-465.
Kim,
K. (2014). Formation of Educational Expectations of Lower Socioeconomic Status Children.
Education And Urban Society, 46(3), 352-376.
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