Check out FirstGenerationStudent.com!

Whenever I discover a great resource for first-generation college students, you know I have to share. I just stumbled upon an awesome website for first-generation college students that I would highly recommend that you bookmark:

A goal near and dear to my heart, FirstGenerationStudent.com is providing awesome, free content geared toward helping first-generation college students make it to college and succeed.

It makes my advisor heart sing to see resources like this out there, so I hope you check it out!

If you know of other resources for first-generation and low income college students, please share them with Ask An Advisor!

How to deal with professors who hate you, part II

After reading the previous post "How to deal with professors who hate you," a reader writes:

"How do you handle the situation of being cornered in a room with the professor, then they begin yelling and screaming at you? In my case she continues to make me cry, and talking doesn’t seem to help. I have talked many time with this professor only to think the problem is solved. When returning to class again she does the same things, always singling me out. There seems to be no end to whatever this professor's problem is. I refuse to quit and I have only one semester to go before I graduate, so it is either try and make amends or have a nervous breakdown, which is not a option. I willing to try anything at this point."

Wow. I am so sorry to hear you are in this situation--a situation no student should ever be put in. What your professor is doing is totally inappropriate on so many different levels and nothing should excuse such behavior. This professor has also forfeited the right to "make amends" and I feel that you need to escalate this situation by reporting the professor.

Because this is an extreme case, you must, repeat MUST, do these things immediately to protect yourself:

First off, if you feel you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown, please get help to deal with those feelings as soon as possible. Try to reduce any stress in your life. Look for both on- and off-campus resources.

Next, avoid this professor as best you can. If you absolutely have to interact with the professor, do not go alone. Bring a friend with you.

You must absolutely tell someone, like a trusted advisor, a higher-ranking faculty member, or someone in the dean's office. As I've said before, sharing your side of the story is a good way to protect yourself. When you tell that someone, make sure you discuss what you have done to try to remedy the situation and that it has been an ongoing problem. Be specific about the ways the professor makes you uncomfortable.

Definitely figure out what your rights and responsibilities are concerning professor conduct and what your next steps should be. Find out if there is a formal complaint process, a student advocate, review board, or ombudsman at your campus. Then you should engage that process and make it official.

Consider talking to your classmates about this too. Chances are that a professor who behaves so inappropriately with one student also behaves poorly with other students. It even sounds like this may be happening openly in the classroom, in full view of other students. If that is the case, I bet other students feel really uncomfortable with this professor too. There can be power in numbers if multiple students are joining your grievance. It also helps to have a support network in place to help you along in this process.

If you are not comfortable taking this most extreme step, honestly, I can't see any other viable option. As you've mentioned, talking to this professor doesn't work, which is what necessitates this extreme step in my opinion.

Again, I'm really sorry to hear about this. I really hope this works out for you! You should never have been placed in this situation in the first place.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Saving money on college textbooks

This is a guest post by Amit Sehgal, a first generation college student who runs www.bookase.com, a free price comparison website for college textbooks. 

As a first generation or low income college student, you need to control your costs–especially costs for college textbooks. That means making sure that you squeeze the most out of every cent that passes through your hand.

But why especially the cost of textbooks? Because college textbooks can be one of the most expensive parts of your college budget. Not purely because of the price, but also because of some circumstances: Some lecturers release book lists at the last minute, leaving you with no time to search for bargains or used books and you end up having to buy brand new books. Most colleges also change the books they use very frequently, and in such a situation, you can’t buy used books.

No matter what the situation, these tips can help you save the money you spend on college textbooks:

Start on campus. Make a list of the college textbooks you need and put it up on a campus noticeboard. If you are lucky, students who have already finished the course will sell the college textbooks you need for less than the price of originals.

Go to online bookstores. The most famous way to buy college textbooks for cheap nowadays is by using the internet. If you join this wave you will soon realize how unbelievably beneficial this is. In my time, this was a pretty new thing and students mostly just collaborated through email to trade, sell, and buy college textbooks. But now we also have online book vendors with very good bargains and diverse stocks including most college textbooks one might need. I managed to find 90% of the books I needed online.

There are many websites on the internet where you can buy books from. They offer very diverse options. Some websites sell old as well as new books. From some places you can find all the versions of a particular textbook. Find a site that describes the condition of the book in detail as this could prevent many problems. Some sites may offer you an option to get your book replaced if you discover that the book you got isn’t in the mentioned condition.

Get that number. An ‘ISBN number’ can be found on the rear cover of books near the barcode. This number is unique to the book and can be used to search specifically for that particular book on the internet. Many websites sell college textbooks for prices that are extraordinarily competitive when compared to the prices in local bookstores. The ISBN number will help you find the best deal for the right book.

Bid on it. College textbooks can even be found on most ordinary auction sites like eBay and Amazon. This is especially useful if the book you are looking for is hard to find; it could be one that’s no longer printed or maybe it’s one that’s autographed by someone special. You may be able to find books you normally wouldn’t find in other places. To be on the safe side, you should read all the information that’s posted about the product and be thoughtful before bidding or buying.

Not just money. Buying used college textbooks is advantageous not only cost-wise because some books can contain annotations and highlighted passages from the previous user. These marked up used textbooks will more likely than not be useful to you.

Get your money back. You can also sell your college textbooks online, there will be other students thinking just like you were a year back. This will be a great help to them. If the edition you have is new enough, you’ll have very little trouble selling it.

Good luck saving money on your college textbooks!

If you have questions about saving money on textbooks or www.bookase.com, you can email Amit Sehgal directly. Got other questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Go to the doctor

For many low income college students, you might not have had consistent health care or insurance before entering college. Most college campuses require you to carry health insurance or offer student health insurance, so take advantage of it.

Photo credit: http://www.eduinreview.com/

Here are a few things to keep in mind about meeting your health care needs in college:

Make it routine. Whenever you get sick, take care of yourself as soon as possible. Make an appointment or call an advice nurse for minor issues or routine health stuff like an annual check up or woman's health concerns.

Do your research. Check out your community resources for free or low-cost clinics. Some schools even have student-run clinics, especially if your college has a medical school attached to it, so research what your resources are before you get sick.

Have a back up plan. I know some low income student say things like "If I get hurt or really sick, don't call an ambulance because I can't afford it." I definitely said something like this more than once, but you have to put your health first. Just in case, make sure you have an "on-call" friend or family member with a car who is down to take you to the hospital in an emergency.

These easy to follow tips will help you take care of yourself and stay healthy!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Please use your campus resources

In my consulting work, I just encountered the worst resume I have ever seen. Seriously, like epic fail status... What made this resume so horrendously bad is not the issue, the real issue is that the student obviously made no effort to use available resources.

Avoid becoming Worst-Resume-Ever-Student by getting out there and using the resources available to you. Using campus resources is like your help button throughout college. Push it.

Photo credit: http://www.cytekcorp.com/

Most schools have a career center or similar service where you can get your resume reviewed, so use it. If a campus doesn't have this resource, advisors or even professors can give you feedback on your resume, you just have to ask.

Typically, there are a lot of campus resources made available to students, like academic advising, tutoring, mental health services, recreation and sports activities, and computer labs, just to name a few. These resources are out there, so use them. In fact, find out about them before you need those resources.

I know it can be difficult to ask for help sometimes, but campus resources and programs are there for your benefit. You are paying for those resources, so get your money's worth. And don't forget about off-campus resources, too.

When it comes to resources, often you get out of it what you put into it. Put an effort into using campus resources and it will pay off for success in college and beyond.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Do I have a right to get an extension?

A reader writes:

"I have a 10 page paper due for my composition class this Friday. I planned to work on it over Thanksgiving and the weekend, but my grandfather passed away this morning. My family knew he had a few days to live, so all week I have not been able to focus on writing my paper. 

Because my grandfather passed away, do I have a right to ask my professor if I can have a day or two of extended time to hand in my paper? Or will I not have any rights in asking that?"

I'm sorry that you lost your grandfather. I know it is difficult losing someone in your family.

Now, do you have a right to an extension? As a first generation or low income college student, it is important to know your rights and responsibilities as a college student. In this case, it will probably depend on the individual professor as well as the rules and regulations at your school. Chances are you can absolutely ask for an extension, but it is totally up to the professor whether or not you are granted an extension.

But if you don't ask, you won't get it. There is no harm in asking for an extension, you probably just don't have an express right to be given one. So be prepared not to be given an extension and take the consequences of that like an adult.

Also, if you are having an understandably difficult time concentrating after the death of a loved one, I would suggest visiting the counseling center at your college. This has two main advantages. One, you can get some support to help you grieve this loss. Two, It can help your case when asking for that extension.

One more caution, be aware that having a grandparent die is one of the most common lies that college students tell professors when asking for an extension. It boils down to being prepared to prove you did in fact lose a grandparent. Harsh, but sometimes required because of all the liars and cheaters that came before you. Good luck.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Scholarship opportunity for Chicano/Latino students!

Here is a great scholarship opportunity for all my Chicano/Latino first generation and low income college students out there:

The Hispanic College Fund announces the opening of its scholarship applications! Applications will be available online from Nov. 15, 2010 to March 1, 2011 at www.scholarships.hispanicfund.org. Scholarships range from $500 to $10,000 and will be awarded for the 2011-2012 academic year.

To be eligible to apply, students must fulfill the following requirements:

• Be of Hispanic background 
• Maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (on a 4.0 scale)
• Have graduated from high school in the U.S. after attending at least 3 years 
• Reside in the U.S. or Puerto Rico (This includes undocumented students also!)
• Plan to enroll in a full-time undergraduate, and in some cases graduate, program for the 2011-2012 academic year at an accredited college or university in the U.S. or Puerto Rico
• Demonstrate financial need 
• And some scholarship programs may have additional eligibility requirements, too

 If you have any questions about this scholarship opportunity, please contact Monica Raugitinane or visit the The Hispanic College Fund website.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Resources for Veterans

November 11th is Veterans' Day, a day meant to honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. And a fair number of first generation and low income college students are veterans.

People tend to have strong feelings--both positive and negative--about military service and college campuses are no different. Even so, chances are that your campus has some resources specifically for veterans and, in some cases, children of veterans who where killed or disabled during their service.

If you are a veteran or are receiving benefits because a parent was a veteran, look out for a veterans services office or a Veterans' Upward Bound program. If your campus doesn't have these types of services, sometimes a reentry student services office will have some good resources for veterans as well.

The financial aid office should be able to help you navigate your GI Bill benefits or other benefits you might be getting and how that plays into your overall financial aid package.

Some campuses even have support groups for students who are veterans. Even if your campus doesn't, you might be able to start one.

Lastly, if your campus offers an ROTC program, you might be able to learn about additional resources for veterans from the ROTC staff.

With these resources for veterans you can be a successful student, too!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Beware of campus myths

Every campus has its own culture, and along with that comes stories and traditions. As a first generation or low income college student you have to navigate this. Another part of this culture may be a set of myths unique to your college.

Photo credit: http://www.relieffromhaemorrhoids.net/

In the movie Dead Man on Campus students believe they get straight A's if their roommate commits suicide, and this type of myth exists on lots of campuses. The Curve has a variation on this myth as well.

As an example from my own experience, a lot of students at my alma mater believed that if they had more than two finals on the same day that their professors had to change one of the test times. This is a complete myth, and as an advisor I had to break it to students on several occasions.

I'm sure every campus has its fair share of these sorts of myths and urban legends floating around. So how do you know what is fact from fiction? Easy, you ask a trustworthy source like an advisor. Also, double check any rules and regulations in question in your school's general catalog.

Just because everyone things something is true doesn't make it so. Remember, don't believe everything you hear in college.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Win $100,000 to give back!

Wow, I just learned about an opportunity from The Life Improvement Project to win $100,000 to spend a year doing a community service project.

You can enter the contest here. Submissions are due by November 8, 2010 so you don't have a lot of time to get your 2,000 word essay and budget together, but you can do it!

Hopefully you are out there getting involved in your community by giving back and this opportunity might help out. Good luck!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Giving back

As a first generation or low income college student, chances are that your life has been touched by others who helped you get to where you are. This probably came in the form of those folks giving back in some way, like volunteering at a community organization or doing service work.

Photo credit: http://www.acc.com/

I encourage you to do something similar and give back in some way. Try getting involved with a campus- or community-based organization that does service work. Ask about volunteering opportunities with organizations you are familiar with.

If your college has a community service office, visit them for some ideas. Check out Idealist.org to search for all kinds of opportunities and get involved. There are some pretty sweet benefits of doing community service:

• You feel good about giving back while you are helping others
• Volunteer work is totally fair game to go on your resume, so it can be a boost to your career goals after college
• Through your community service, you can make valuable connections who can help you get a job later on and build your professional network
• It might give you the chance to find a mentor or be one to someone else

Volunteering is awesome, for you and for the folks that you help. I hope you get out there and give back!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

The role of advisors

Today, I read a blog post on Grades Blog about meeting your advisor with such gems like advisors "generally can’t accurately tell you how hard a class is" and "often unwittingly give you an inaccurate idea of how tough classes are."

As I read the post, I actually felt insulted as an advisor. And then it hit me why I was offended by it: This thinking assumes that advisors are there to tell you what to do and dole out definitive answers.

Newsflash, advisors are not there to give you the answers! Advisors are there as guides and resources to help you navigate college on your own with a little support as needed.

You know the phrase, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," right? Well, college students are the horses (sorry,,,) and advisors are supposed to give students the information and resources they need to find the water and make the decision for themselves to drink the water or not.

Also, view our advice with a little healthy skepticism because although advisors are professional know-it-alls, that doesn't mean we actually know it all.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

The Dream Act

A dear friend of mine shared this article about undocumented college students. It's on the long side, but worth the read. In addition to the usual issues faced by first generation and low income college students, undocumented college students also face a number of other well-founded fears, including deportation.

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act, offers a glimmer of hope to future undocumented students by providing a path to citizenship. For current students, only a handful of states offer options.

Photo credit: http://www.longislandwins.com

If you are an undocumented college student or care about someone who is, here are a few resources:

• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
• National Council of La Raza Resource Guide
• Financial Aid and Scholarships for Undocumented Students
• National Immigration Law Center

Only reveal your undocumented status to trusted advisors and don't be afraid to get involved in the movement to make the DREAM Act a reality.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Finding a mentor

I just read an article on how Centennial College earned an award for engaging first-generation learners, and one of the keys to success of their program was a mentoring component. I'd have to agree that having a mentor can be an important part of your success as first generation and low income college students.

Photo credit: http://learnthat.com

So how do you go about finding a mentoring relationship? First, don't think it has to be a structured or formal relationship. Think of mentoring as learning from someone you respect, whether or not there is a formal recognition of the relationship. Here are  tips to start a mentoring relationship as a first generation or low income college student:

Don't look too far. Think about who you click with already. Chances are that you already have people in your life--like professors, older friends, or campus advisors--who would be great mentors. Don't force it.

Look for resources. If no one you know springs to mind, try asking professors, the alumni office, or career services center for advice about finding a mentor. Your campus also might have a formal program already in place.

Meet on their turf. Seek out interactions with your chosen mentor in familiar settings at first, like office hours for advisors and professors. This will prevent things from getting awkward if the match is not quite right.

Express yourself. After a few solid meetings on their turf, consider telling your mentor how much you are gaining from your relationship and asking them to be your mentor.You can suggest meeting for lunch or going to a campus event together, just keep it professional.

Ask the right questions. There are two types of questions you should be asking a mentor. First ask mentors questions about themselves to get to know more about their experiences that are relevant to you. Second, ask questions about feedback for you. And take their answers seriously.

After following these steps, hopefully you have found a nurturing and successful mentoring partnership out there.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Suicide is a serious issue

This made my jaw drop, so I imagine it should make your jaw drop, too, and rightfully so:

"Suicide is a serious issue on college campuses. According to the American College Health Association, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than all medical illnesses combined. Experts say the suicide rate peaks among young adults ages 20-24."  From http://www.king5.com/

With the recent well-publicized suicides of several college students, especially among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered students, I though it was important to address this issue. Suicide is a serious issue.

Thankfully, I have never had to deal with suicide with my students. However, for first generation and low income college students, feelings of isolation, self-doubt, and fear of failure--among other common negative feelings--can be risk factors for suicide. If you or someone you know has thought about suicide, check out this Help Guide for more information

Here are some national suicide prevention resources:

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 

In addition to these resources, most college campuses will have some sort of mental health resources and student crisis response team. Remember, asking for help does not mean you are crazy. It means you have the strength to reach out when you recognize you need the support. In the great words of Jerry Springer, "Take care of yourself, and each other."

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Off-campus resources

When it comes to first generation and low income college students, I am a huge proponent of advocating the use of resources--and that usually means on-campus resources specific to your college. But those are not the only resources out there. As a first generation or low income college student, look beyond your campus for community resources, too!

Photo credit; www.jhartfound.org

Community resources, especially if you have relocated for school, can be invaluable to your success in college. Community resources might include, but are not limited to: 

• Churches or religious-based services
• Support groups
• Counseling centers
• Recreation centers or gyms
• Low-cost or subsidized childcare or after-school programs
• Housing services

Find these types of community resources by checking out local media, talking to community members, and getting out there yourself. Or just Google it. Like I've said before concerning resources, you never really know when you (or a friend) may need to use a resource, so knowing your options beforehand is your best bet.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it. 

You are not crazy if...

...you go to a counselor, psychologist, or other professional to help you deal with things in your life. Repeat, you are not crazy!

For first generation and low income college students--as well as for students of color--there tends to be a negative stigma about seeing a mental health professional. I think this comes from assumptions in our communities like counseling is only for the weak or therapy is for rich people. But, don't buy into this hype!

Photo credit: www.gold.ac.uk

Personally, I've found professional counseling to be very, very helpful on more than one occasion in my life. And I'm not crazy. In fact, I think the sanest thing you can do is to admit that you need some extra support and it shows strength--not weakness--to seek that out. On top of that, counseling or therapy has the advantage of being somewhat removed from your life, enough to offer an unbiased and objective outlet for you to express yourself and work through things.

Our friend Steven over at The Emotion Machine wrote about the social stigma of getting help and makes some great points about not feeling ashamed about it. I think he said it best:

"Seeking extra advice from experts, through counseling or coaching, should be seen as a legitimate form of improving our quality of life... there is always room for improvement, and seeking improvement should never be something we are ashamed of."

So, show your strength by seeking improvement because you are not crazy.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Getting involved on campus... as a commuter student

Woo hoo, a student out there asked Ask an Advisor my first question today!

A reader writes:

"Hi. I'm a commuter student at a school with a lot going on on campus. I wanna be more active at school. Any tips on getting more involved?"

This is a great question! Quite a few first generation and low income college students are commuter students because it is often cheaper to live at home with family and commute to campus, so I suspect there are a lot of folks out there wondering the same thing...

First off, don't think of campus activities as the only way to feel like you're apart of campus life. Eat meals on campus (even if that just means brown-bagging it). Make friends with folks that live on-campus and visit the residence halls every now and then. Find a place to study on campus beside the library. Use campus computer labs. Attend sporting and performing arts events. Doing these things in addition to campus activities will help you feel more integrated into the fabric of campus life.

That being said, a lot of campus activities will be advertised heavily to students living on-campus and can make off-campus or commuter students feel left out. So what can you do?

Do not, repeat DO NOT, only come to campus for class and then leave. This is probably the number one way that commuter students shoot themselves in the foot, and surely you don't want to do that! I assume that not only do you value your foot, but it would be much more difficult to commute and get involved on campus with a self-inflicted injury...

To get involved on campus, you first have to figure out what is available at your school. Look into community service, intramural sports, student organizations, campus recreation, Greek life (fraternities and sororities), student government, research, on-campus employment, and internships. Check out your school's website and pay a visit to the student activities center if your school has one to get this information. Look out for transfer, re-entry, and commuter student services also.

Now that you know what's out there, here are two ways to go about it. 1. You can get into activities that fit into your current schedule or 2. You can adjust your schedule to get more involved with activities. Either way, the more flexible you are the more likely you are to keep something up and stay involved.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Be on the lookout

Your campus might have programs and services specifically designed for first generation and low income college students, you just have to find them if they are available. Here are some of the most common and well-known programs:

• Educational Opporunity Program (EOP)
• Federal TRiO Programs
• Student Support Services (SSS)
• Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair Scholars Program)
• Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS)

Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive! Your campus might have a different name for these programs or have different programs with similar services.

Once you know what programs your campus offers, find out about the eligibility requirements and application processes and apply. And if you apply and but there is not enough space in the program or you don't meet the eligibility requirements, don't fret. Chances are that even if you are not in one of these programs, the staff can steer you in the right direction to other campus resources.

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.

Resource scavenger hunt

Accessing resources will be one of the key things to your success as a first generation or low income college student. One way to become familiar with the resources available on your campus is to do a do-it-yourself resource scavenger hunt.

Photo credit: www.partyshelf.com

Start off by scouring your campus' website for student services, things like academic advising, financial aid, multicultural student centers, campus housing, career services, counseling, and tutoring, just to name a few. Print out the information you need to find these resources on campus and go visit them--even if you think its something you'll never need.

Yes, I said pay resources a visit even if you think you will never need to use it because you never really know. For example, you might think you don't need to visit a tutoring center because you're doing well in your classes so far. But, will you feel that same way later in the semester when that "easy" class starts getting harder or when you start taking more difficult classes next year? You need to think like a Boy Scout and always be prepared.

You might even be able to steer a friend with questions in the right direction with your awesome knowledge of campus resources, so get to know your resources!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.