By: Sabine Rannio
Being the first person in your family to attend graduate school, or even university in general can be a very proud feeling. As a ‘first-generation’ (FirstGen) student, you chose to attend university and through hard work and determination, you succeeded. You achieved many things on your own, from getting good grades and finding the university and program that interests you the most, to contacting supervisors, registering for courses, moving to another city/country/continent and eventually graduating from a top institute. That deserves a pat on the shoulder.
Unfortunately, being a FirstGen student also comes with many hardships. Common issues include struggles with finances, language/cultural barriers, family, imposter syndrome and many more. In addition, many FirstGen students fear that exposing ourselves might lead to being pitied or even outright bullying and discrimination, which is why we prefer to remain invisible and suffer in silence instead.
So let us get the conversation started and look at some obstacles FirstGen (graduate) students commonly face. (Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive account and some issues may also apply to non-FirstGen students.)
Navigating through stipend/financial support websites and ultimately making it through the application process can be overwhelming when you do not have someone to guide you. It can also be quite embarrassing to ask for support on a task that should be quite straightforward, which is why even if there is support available, some FirstGen students might not reach out. Alternatively, all these new terms such as ‘Financial Support Officer’, ‘Student Support Officer’, etc. can be very confusing and you do not want to bother the wrong person out of fear of annoying them and thus putting yourself at a disadvantage in the application process. Further, some financial support is exclusively available to legacy students or students whose parents are academics (although there are some more recently established funding programs for FirstGen students). All of this can add a huge amount of financial pressure on FirstGen students, especially those of us from low-income backgrounds, adding even more stress to the academic experience. Some of us might even question ourselves on a regular basis whether our degree is really worth the financial burden.
Quite frankly, academic culture still is elitist. While jargon and terminology may be necessary to a certain extent, it makes academia less accessible. This is worsened by the fact that academics often tend to stick to themselves and tend to be out of touch with non-academics. In addition, there are many unwritten rules in academia, such as how to approach a professor (and how to sign off an email to a superior), the politics in academia, how to create a timetable, how to manage your time, how to talk, write or even think. This can make it particularly challenging for someone who has never been exposed to academic culture or language to ‘fit in’ (even though one might argue that someone who has not fully assimilated to academic culture can add tremendous value to the field by introducing fresh ‘out of the box’ ideas). To many FirstGen students, English is a second language, which can add to the barrier. As a FirstGen student, the fear of accidentally using the wrong language or being unfamiliar with the culture can lead to major anxiety and isolation, often causing us to actively miss out on huge career opportunities. Fortunately, there are some great mentors out there guiding us in how to pursue our career goal, despite not fitting the stereotype. However, not everyone is that lucky.
Further, family is often seen as a key aspect in your support network, but when you are the first person to attend university, there often is a communication gap, which can be very frustrating for both parties involved. For someone outside of academia, it can be very difficult to comprehend what graduate school entails. ‘What does it mean to be a graduate student?’, ‘When will you actually start working?’, ‘Why do you need another degree?’, ‘What is the purpose of (your) research?’. Questions like this, while seemingly innocent, can hurt. They can come across as not only questioning your choices, but also questioning your identity (as a scientist). Scientific discovery is a long process and as a graduate student, you probably will not cure a disease or make a major discovery in your respective field. Most likely, you will add a tiny piece to the puzzle. However, someone who is not familiar with the scientific process will struggle understanding this concept, ultimately questioning the value of the work that you do. This can make it hard for FirstGen students to convince our family of our work’s worth, and even our own worth. On top of that, FirstGen students are frequently labelled as ‘the smart one’. As most of us know, graduate school often makes you feel quite the opposite. This leads to high pressure of maintaining an image, because you do not want your family see you as a failure and thus, you end up sweeping your problems under the carpet rather than talking about them. Certain cultural backgrounds can make this even more challenging.
Feeling like an outsider in graduate school can intensify imposter syndrome. The tendency of FirstGen students to not openly identify ourselves as such can also make us start thinking, we may be the only one in our program. This tends to feed into a downward spiral of negative thoughts like ‘the admission committee made a mistake’ or ‘I don’t belong here’, because it might seem like all our peers were born into the academic culture and therefore have ‘a right to be here – unlike me’. This makes it particularly hard to find a support network amongst peers. Since FirstGen students often also feel like outsiders in our family due to the communication barrier, coping with imposter syndrome becomes even harder.
So what can you do?
Here are some tips that may help:
If you are a FirstGen (graduate) student yourself:
Be proud of yourself. Remember that you made it through a highly competitive selection process to attend this university. You were specifically chosen to join this program, meaning you have earned your place and you absolutely deserve to be here.
Reach out. You’d be surprised how many FirstGen staff and students there are at McGill. Be brave and make the first step in sharing your experience and others will join you. If you have specific needs or ideas, get in touch with your postgraduate student association (PGSA, e.g. GSAN), PGSS, your supervisor, your program coordinator, your faculty (e.g. the Faculty of Medicine at McGill has special officers for Equity, Diversity & Outreach) or other University offices. They are here to support you. No matter how small an issue might seem, if you are struggling with something, it is worth talking about. Create your own support network!
Learn how to communicate with your family. Science outreach or courses in science communication can help. Most of the time, family members of FirstGen students genuinely want to understand what you are doing on a day-to-day basis and the impact your work has in the greater picture, so try to find a common language that everyone can understand, e.g. by working with good analogies. A big bonus is that science communication is a highly valued skill and can put you at a huge advantage in future job/grant applications.
Find a mentor. This does not necessarily have to be your supervisor or academic mentor. It can also just be a more senior graduate student or a postdoc. Find someone who can help you apply for stipends/grants, prepare for your candidacy exam, network, spot opportunities and make use of them, define your career path during and beyond graduate school, etc. Find someone who believes in you and inspires you.
Get involved. There are plenty of opportunities to acquire new skills and network at McGill. Skillsets offers a wide range of workshops for graduates. Every institute also hosts a variety of talks, symposia and conferences, which can be an excellent chance to get in touch with people within and outside of your institute. You can also join your PGSA’s committee or simply attend the events organized by your PGSA (GSAN hosts many social events). Alternatively, you can try out a new sport in one of McGill’s sport clubs or work as a volunteer to help society or the environment. Boost your CV, make new friends, establish a professional network and grow beyond expectations.
If you are a non-FirstGen (graduate) student:
Be aware. Sometimes, we take certain things for granted. It is impossible to know what someone else is going through, so just try to be respectful. Commonly asked questions that might seem normal at first glance like ‘What do your parents do?’ or ‘Does your sibling also study XYZ?’ can actually hurt FirstGen students because it reminds us of how different we are. Especially when these questions are followed up by a surprised ‘oh’ upon hearing the FirstGen student’s response and then a switch of subject, showing how uncomfortable you are with the situation. Maybe try something like ‘Oh, so your brother is a carpenter. That’s really cool. What projects does he work on?/ My aunt works in construction, too.’ etc., instead. Also be aware of the language barrier that academia places and do not make fun of people making mistakes, but rather help them phrase their thoughts properly.
Have a conversation. We have discussed some issues that FirstGen students commonly face. There are quite a few issues that non-FirstGen students face, such as high expectations to follow in a parent/sibling’s footsteps, family undermining certain career choices, etc. And then there are also quite a few struggles that all of us are going through. Through sharing experiences, we can help each other look at our own situation from a different angle and learn to appreciate certain aspects and solve others. As scientists, it can be particularly valuable to acquire new perspectives.
Support your peers. Graduate school is not a competition. We can all get Master degrees and/or PhDs and have a successful career. So if you notice that someone is lost in their coursework, grant application, etc., ask them if you can help (obviously, this applies to everyone, but FirstGen students in particular can struggle with reaching out, afraid of looking ‘dumb’ for asking seemingly simple questions). Who knows, maybe you two will become close collaborators in the future.
Resources:
Overview and statistics:
McGill First Generation Student Support
Helping First-Generation Students Find Their Way
SEM and First Generation Students – Canada & the USA
Peer Support:
Wellness Hub:
By: Sabine Rannio
Sabine is in the IPN Rotation Program, and interested in research on plasticity. She likes travel, photography and heavy metal music 🙂