@unpublished {1422436,
	title = {Applying to Apply How College Access Programs Impact College Admissions and Adjustment Experiences for First-Generation College Students},
	year = {2018},
	note = {Class of 2021, Concentration: MISSING},
	type = {SOCIOL1104 Fall 2018 course research project},
	abstract = {According to the Pell Institute, only 11\% of low-income, first-gen students complete their college degree within six years of enrolling in school vs. 55\% of their non-low-income, non-first- gen peers. Increased attention to the disadvantages first-gen and low-income students face in the college admissions process has inspired the rise of college access programs, both federal and privately owned and operated, to address these challenges and help send first-gen and low-income students to college. This study builds upon previous scholarship on educational and economic mobility, as well as social and cultural capital, to analyze the impact of college access programs on the admissions and adjustment processes of first-generation college students. To understand this specifically within the context of elite institutions of higher education, this study is comprised of five personal interviews with first-generation, second-year students at Harvard College as well as a survey of 47 students, 22 of which participated in a college access program and 25 of which did not. The researcher found measurable differences between program participants and non- participants in self-assessing familial and school support, receiving essay writing assistance, and forming a social network outside of students{\textquoteright} own communities when applying to college. Interviews revealed that while some programs are intensive and provide exam preparation, mentorship, college essay editing, academic enrichment, leadership classes, and more, other programs simply provide a mentor or an essay editor. The level of the program{\textquoteright}s involvement determined how students associated it. The overrepresentation in the survey data of a specific, less- involved program appeared to account for neutral survey results in categories it was initially expected to impact. The study found that gender, and gender as it intersects with income and first- gen status, may be a larger variable in understanding how first-gen, low-income students adjust to college. Interviews with students confirmed that their adjustment experiences depended on the style of program: how early it started, the resources it provided, and more. Overall this study provides insight into an area largely unresearched by academia and shows that college access programs have measurable impact, albeit dependent on their services, in the admissions and adjustment processes of first-gen and low-income students.},
	author = {Allison Scharmann}
}
