Abstract

American colleges are considered classed environments. First generation college students often have difficulties navigating the system of higher education. This qualitative, interview-based study focuses on how a group of 18 white, working-class, undergraduate first-generation students attending a large northeastern research university narrate their educational and social experiences. Two main themes which were drawn from this qualitative study were that the participants viewed college as a means to an end to earn a “piece of paper” which would serve as a future job credential, and this group of students thought that although there are “no guarantees”, a college education would lead them to the sort of job that would allow them to live more comfortably than their working class parents.