By: Heather Daniels, PhD, Research Data Specialist II
Think back to the time between high school and college. Maybe you wondered where you would go or felt nervous about meeting requirements and deadlines. Did you know how to find information you needed to be successful in the next chapter of your life? As a first-generation college student, I can remember a lot of anxiety about my next steps because I was unclear on how to get the information I needed to apply and pay for college.
Understanding students’ lived experiences is crucial to developing useful tools and resources that can aid in their success. Just as important is ensuring that the public is aware of the factors impacting students’ journeys. This two-way understanding ensures that policies serve students, empower them, and strengthen the communities they live in.
This year’s fourth annual Student Experience Report is the second year C2C partnered with researchers at the UC Davis California Education Lab and the California Student Aid Commission. Through this collaboration, we surveyed nearly 7,000 students about their experiences applying to college and for financial aid, transfer intentions and destinations, where they found support during these processes, and their expectations for next steps. Additionally, we conducted follow-up interviews with students to gain an in-depth understanding of their educational journeys and to compare insights with those shared in the survey. The report provides invaluable, on-the-ground insights into student plans post-high school and experiences navigating processes to access college.
Completing A-G Requirements
An important step in transitioning to college is feeling secure about meeting requirements, understanding where to find application information, and having a plan for transferring from a 2-year to a 4-year institution. Our report found gaps in the completion of A-G requirements1 between first-generation2 and continuing-generation3 college students. Although around 75% of our survey respondents reported being on track to complete their A-G requirements, only 67% of first-generation respondents reported being on track to complete A-G courses, compared to around 85% of continuing-generation students.
“I am a first-generation student, nobody told me how to even apply. I had to look for people who knew. And when applying to classes, I also didn’t know how to and which [classes] I had to take.
Additionally, how students informed their choices post-high school differed between first- and continuing-generation college students: more continuing-generation students turning to their parents for information about their futures, whereas first-generation college students were more likely to gather information from their high schools and social media.
“[Applying to college is] Too time-consuming; wish we had a class in high school to help us go through the application process.”
Transfer Preparation
Finally, findings from our report revealed that a majority of students who intend to begin at a community college anticipate transferring to a 4-year university (72%). However, about one in five students are still unsure about their transfer plans upon graduation from high school. This information gap could result in fewer students being ready for a 4-year university, or students who are eligible not knowing they can apply for entry to 4-year universities in the state.
“I didn’t get, amazing, grades or anything like that, so I wasn’t sure if the college were gonna accept me…now I’m starting fresh at community college, so I’ll hopefully get the grades up, and then the higher GPA hopefully should get me a better chance of going into the four-year college and also to complete my required classes, my required units, to be able to transfer.”
Providing Insights for all Users
Identifying students’ challenges is the first step in C2C’s process for delivering useful tools. C2C launched the Student Pathways Data Story that helps teachers and counselors understand where students from their school district have gone to college and how much they earn after they graduate. C2C’s tools provide better information to inform students and families’ decision-making. Currently, the Student Pathways Dashboard shows a breakdown of different types of degrees students earn, time to degree completion, and earnings after college. To introduce the dashboard to more students, families, and teachers throughout the state, C2C recently launched a Lesson Plan Challenge encouraging educators to explore ways to incorporate the Student Pathways Dashboard into their instruction. Together, students, parents, practitioners, and researchers can work to leverage these tools and data to improve the transition from high school to college and beyond.
Notes:
1: A-G requirements refer to a set of high school courses is required for admission to California State University (CSU) or the University of California (UC)
2: First-generation students do not have a parent that attended college.
3: Continuing-generation students have at least one parent who attended college.