For Faria San, one of the greatest obstacles during their college application process was the lack of assistance they received from institutions they applied to.
“I think it’s the lack of support just because we do come from immigrant families and we’re the first person to go to college here,” said San, a junior natural science major, first-generation student and director of communications for Temple First, a student organization for first-generation or low-income students.“We really don’t know a lot [about the college application process] besides what we’ve learned from school, like how to apply, my parents don’t know that.”
Applying to college is a stressful process, and the months when students wait to see if they will get into their desired schools are full of anxiety and doubt. It’s even more nerve-wracking for first-generation students because there’s intense pressure from their families to succeed combined with an unknown process.
The Common App launched a pilot direct admissions program in 2021 which sends first-generation students early acceptance letters from colleges in their home-state, even if they don’t complete their application. More than 200,000 students received acceptances into in-state colleges in November 2023. The acceptance letters were directed to first-generation students or students from low-income families, The Washington Post reported.
One in three Temple students are first-generation college students and many faculty members were the first in their families to graduate from college as well, according to Temple Now. Now that it’s college application season, Temple should join the Common App’s direct admissions program to help improve the admissions process for first-generation students.
Students don’t need to submit their applications to be selected, they just need to identify as a first-generation college student on the Common App and meet the requirements of each institution, like having a certain GPA. Each college can set its own standards and decide the requirements for students to qualify, so Temple would have full control of the students it admits.
Temple joining the Common App’s direct admissions program would make the college admissions process easier for first-generation students and would alleviate some of the anxiety surrounding college applications, said Ji Pan, a junior biology major, first-generation student and director of marketing for Temple First.
“It’s very stressful for students going into their senior year and having to think about getting into college and not necessarily enjoying their last years of high school,” Pan said. “So having getting into college as something that’s checked off is something that would be very helpful and ease some of our stress.”
Temple offers some resources for first-generation students, like a first-year seminar specifically catered to first-gen students and a next-steps program where students can connect with mentors and develop their leadership skills. However, Temple’s support for first-generation students should start before they even apply.
Accepting first-generation students before they even finish their application would help start a conversation about their opportunities and show students it’s possible for them to get into certain colleges they previously thought were off limits to them, said Frank Nelson, a biology professor and the director of the College of Science and Technology’s first-gen initiative.
“Anything admissions it’s kind of a big gate,” Nelson said. “I guess in some ways it would sort of be like applying for any job not knowing anyone who’s ever done that job before. You’re just sort of like walking in this great big void, which for some people, it’s very exciting and for other people, it’s like completely overwhelming and may make them not even want to do it in the first place.”
Seventy colleges across the country have joined the Common App’s direct admissions program and many are public institutions like Temple. The program’s goal is to decrease students’ anxiety by reassuring them they will get accepted to a university in their home-state.
First-generation students face challenges that other students don’t understand. Since the beginning of their college journey, first-gen students often have to worry about financing their studies and navigating complicated admissions requirements with no guidance or help, according to U.S. News and World Report.
“It’s important to consider the needs of first-generation students, especially today because when you start thinking about how we can help a student who’s less familiar with college and how they navigate this place, the things we learn in speaking with them can also help other students” said Neil Conley, the director of advising for the Academic Resource Center.
First-generation students also struggle with the burden of being the first in their families to attend college, as they feel a need to perform exceptionally and achieve expectations while also learning to live on their own.
“It’s a lot of weight on our shoulders just because we’re on our own in this path,” San said. “Other people have parents that went to school and they have leverage on us when we are building from the bottom.”
Many first-generation students are also first-generation Americans, Forbes reported. Therefore, first-generation students don’t have someone at home who can guide them through the complicated college application process because their parents haven’t experienced the American college system before. Temple should join the direct admissions program, so students get the support they need during stressful times.
“I feel it’s pretty overwhelming going into the Common App website as well as FAFSA because it was my first time encountering a government website where everything was so official and asking detailed questions that felt out of my depth,” Pan said.
Fourteen colleges participating in the Common App’s direct admissions program offered admissions to 33,000 students during the last admissions period, and more than 800 accepted those offers. The most impacted communities were African American, Latino and first-generation students, according to the Common App.
First-generation students have a plethora of preoccupations and burdens. The Common App’s direct admissions program is an effective and useful way to make the college admissions process better for first-gen students and improve their overall experience, and Temple should undoubtedly become a part of it.
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