Journal of College Orientation, Transition, and Retention

Small Fish Out of Water

Rural First-Generation Student Experience at a Large University

Benjamin P. Heinisch

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v24i1.2904

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Abstract

Changing rural economies are making it difficult for youths in rural areas to maintain job security without a college education (Tieken, 2016). After the 2008 economic recession, rural unemployment reached nearly 10%, and the poverty rate increased to 16.6% for nonmetropolitan areas, compared to 13.9% in metropolitan regions (Economic Research Service, 2011). This reduction in career opportunities has encouraged rural youths to think more seriously about attending college to increase their earning potential (Meece, et al., 2013; Tieken, 2016). Compared to the average American, rural students are less likely to have college-educated parents (Provasnik et al., 2007). These first-generation students are coming to college unprepared, due to their parent’s lack of institutional knowledge, creating challenges for them academically and socially as they transition into an unfamiliar environment (Forbus, Newbold, & Mehta, 2011; Lightweis, 2014). These rural students are also challenged by their lack of experience with large campuses and the diversity often found in college (Schultz, 2004). Few studies are dedicated to the rural student experience, and even fewer regard the intersection of rural and first-generation identities. Understanding their experiences as they transition to college will be key to providing this population with resources for their postsecondary education. This study utilized Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (Chickering & Schlossberg, 1995) as a framework to describe the first-year experiences of rural first-generation students at a large Midwestern university and identify important implications for practice.