Blog
Find advice and follow the college experiences of our current first-gen student bloggers.
Top 10 Mistakes Students Make on the FAFSA
FAFSA isn't the easiest process and we understand that. Here's an awesome article by Nerd Wallet with a great list of mistakes you want to AVOID while completing your FAFSA! This article was originally published on Nerd Wallet on January 27, 2016. By Anna Helhoski...
Networking: The Thing to Do
I am spending my last semester away from Emory, my home university, to take on the nation’s capital. I have been here in D.C. for about six weeks now and I can already say that I have learned so much. Being here has not been exactly what I had anticipated or expected,...
Hard discussions to have, hard discussions to hold
It's no surprise that among the brightly colored, well-illustrated brochures colleges hand out, diversity is one of the statistics that is a hit and run. Meaning, either the college will take pride in their stats and display the percent proudly or it's a passing...
Hotcake House Blues
It was almost midnight, and I was starving. The weather seemed to encourage my appetite; I sat next to the window of Portland’s Hotcake House, which unsurprisingly offered a view of rain and darkness. The morose weather outside created such a stark contrast with the...
My First-Gen Experience At Brown
I think one of my greatest strengths is my confidence. I never doubt my abilities to succeed in any context or standards I set for myself, and rarely do I allow external forces to negatively influence my indomitable spirit. However, I think that this was also a...
Why College Makes Me Happy
Well, for one, I recently got back from a two-day retreat with the IDEAS (Improving Dream Equality Access and Success) Club at the Claremont Colleges, the undocumented student and ally, advocacy and support group for immigrant struggles. I realize that I am extremely...
My Valentine – College Knowledge
Throughout my time as a college student, I have come to realize my fascination of knowledge. This fascination seems a bit obsessive at times, in that I am usually not fully satisfied by simply applying seemingly arbitrary ideas to given problems, but rather...
Emotional Intelligence and Academics?
Have you ever felt like you can't concentrate in class because of the many problems that you have going on at home, at work, or at school? Have you ever thought about how your emotional well-being influences your academic life? If not, you should research information...
College tuition. This is a subject, that many people get mixed feelings about, and who wouldn't when every year a college education increases? As a student, one of your main priorities is your studies, so of course thinking about money is just extra things you don't...
Tips on Being Money Smart
When it comes to finances, I believe I can speak on behalf of the majority of college students when I say the term ¨broke college student¨ is no joke. However, from my perspective, there are ways to combat getting stuck in sticky financial situations if you pay...