Welcome to Our Group

One of the main common struggles that many participants in our focus groups revealed was their financial capability restricting their ability to partake in common social practices such as going out to restaurants for food. How individuals dealt with this varied from simply telling friends they couldn't eat out due to money constraints, working side jobs to supply money specifically for eating out, claiming to be busy instead of joining friends eating out, or simply hanging out with other individuals who have similar spending habits. It is notable that these "other individuals" weren't necessarily FGLI, either, although most tended to be. Some participants attributed cultural differences in financial spending habits.

It seems as though students had less problems in relation to their first generation status than to their low income status. The organization and the lack of knowledge in relation to upper education did not cause them to feel a sense of isolation as much as their low-income status did. For UVA specifically this may be due to the kind of students that usually are admitted to the university. The organizational aspects of college most likely did not effect them because they already had the capability and the drive to navigate those aspects of education as we can see from their academic rigor. As compared to the low income status that many students didn't fully realize until they were admitted to UVA which must have came to more of a shock to them in regards to how to navigate UVA and interact with other students when finances came in the way.

Participants in both focus groups reflected on the way in which their identity as First Generation and/or Low Income students became clear once they grew familiar with UVA and situated themselves in relationship to their peers. A majority of participants remarked that they did not consider themselves to be FGLI before matriculating to the University because their communities at home, including friends, family, and high school peers, were similar in socioeconomic status and level of achievement, so there was little that led them to identify differently. Upon arrival at UVA, they intermingled with other students from a wider variety of socioeconomic backgrounds and realized that "FGLI" was an identity to which they could relate.

Levels of knowledge about the FGLI identity varied amongst participants before they arrived at UVA. Some remarked that they did not have knowledge of "First Generation" and/or "Low Income" existing as important identities. On the other end of the spectrum, some participants were aware that the FGLI identity exist, but actively tried to avoid self-categorization as FGLI for some time. Students would do this by overspending on activities to appear to fit in with their peers or being hesistant to disclose certain information about their background in order to avoid distinguishing themselves as FGLI. Some students, however, were more aware and accepting of their FGLI identity.

One trend we found was greater comfortability in acknowledging FGLI identity as students became upperclassmen. Students not only felt more confident asking for fee waivers but also seeking and taking advantage of resources available at the University.

This trend first appeared to us as we noticed that our 4th year participants were more vocal in sharing their experiences in depth and detail. They were also proactive in providing advice and recommendations to younger participants.

One upperclassman participant shared a story that exemplified great confidence in their FGLI identity. This individual was comfortable with their identity as FGLI identity before matriculating to UVA, but suffered financially when their insurance became an issue with financial aid. This student was extremely proactive in reaching out to a dean and explicitly asking for help with uncertainty that the dean would be helpful and responsive to the student's needs. It shocked us that this participant had so much confidence to reach out and share their private financial conflicts with the dean, and we were pleased to hear that the student received great help and mentorship from the dean.

How students perceive the diversity as the University is greatly influenced by the diversity experienced back at home.The frequency in how often one thinks about their FGLI identity is impacted by who students interact with in their daily lives. Those who interact with peers who share similar spending habits were less likely to think about their FGLI identity regularly. Multiple participants indicated that most of their close friends were just as unlikely to participate in costly activities as them.

Participants remarked that their and their close friends' hesitance to participate in costly activities manifested in ways such as taking alternative routes of transportation to avoid splitting the cost of a Rideshare or deciding not to attend certain events with costly cover charges or ticket prices.

Certain resources, such as Hoos First, AccessUVA Newsletter, and other outreach branches have increased their presence over the past couple years. The appointment of President Jim Ryan, himself a first generation college student, has also raised the profile of the community at UVA.