First Generation Students and Post-Undergraduate Aspirations

Equal access to education is a growing concern throughout thenation. With an increasing amount of programs aimed to support the underrepresentedpopulations on college campuses, first generation college students have grown to be atarget population of particular interest. This study examined the relationships betweenfirst generation college seniors and applications to graduate or professional programs.The goal of this study was to determine if first generation students are pursuingadvanced degrees at lower rates than non-first generation students and if so, attempt touncover factors contributing to that evidence. Data were gathered from the NationalLongitudinal Survey of Freshman data set, and variables were analyzed using a binarylogistic regression. The results of the study indicate that first generation studentsare significantly less likely to pursue an advanced degree, even when controlling forrace, gender, family income, and cumulative grade point average, suggesting adistinctive impact of first generation status on post-undergraduate aspirations.However, after controlling for the impact of self-reported undergraduate loans, theeffect of first generation status was no longer significant. The findings in this studyprovide an important new perspective in the field of sociology