April 13, 2023

WHY AM I WRITING ABOUT THIS ISSUE?

For the past five decades, those in the Princeton University Admission Office have made a concerted effort to diversify the entering classes.  While the emphasis on the diversification process initially was slow, significant progress has been made over the years. For example, In the Class of 2026, women outnumbered men by 52% to 48%. Around 40 percent of those who were offered admission are people of color. That included Asians, African Americans, LatinX students, Native Americans, international students, and transfer students. Stated another way, the progress the University made with respect to diversity may have been slow but it was certainly steady.

As Dean of Admission from 1978-1983, I readily acknowledge that in continuing to support the diversity initiative, I made decisions to admit candidates who could bring something special to the University without threatening those whose academic goal was to be selected for Phi Beta Kappa. For example, we admitted some young men and women who attended schools where the SAT average of their senior class might have been 150 points below the average SAT scores of the entering class at Princeton.  Those applying from schools with marginal academic standards might have expressed a desire on their application forms to major in engineering or go through the rigors of becoming a pre-med.  Right or wrong, I admitted a few students whose academic preparation was less than stellar.  While they had strengths that would be appreciated and respected in Princeton’s residential community, I intuitively knew that some would struggle to handle the workload expected of those in engineering or doing what was necessary to prepare for a career in medicine.

Although I resigned in 1983, I have nonetheless remained interested in how the composition of various classes has changed over the years.  As mentioned previously, one of the most significant changes is the fact that women now outnumber men by 52% to 48%.  In addition, racial diversity is significantly greater today than was the case in the 1980s.  Also, Princeton is now increasing the number of admits who are transfer students, veterans, and international students.  Should there be any doubt, I remain an advocate of the aforementioned initiatives.

That being said, I also feel obligated to acknowledge that I am concerned about the recent initiative that has resulted in 17% of the entering class being composed of “First Generation Admits.”  The First Generation Admits come from families where neither parent graduated from or attended a college.  In recent years, highly selective colleges and universities have made a commitment to give ambitious young men and women the opportunity to experience something their parents never had the opportunity to do.

While I support institutions that value diversity, I admit to being concerned about the chances of success of First Generation Admits UNLESS certain conditions are met.  Thus the purpose of this article is to delineate what those conditions are.  Before doing so, however, let’s start with a review of some of the data points that are linked to First Generation Admits.

RESEARCH CONDUCTED ON FIRST GENERATION ADMITS (FGAs)

• FGAs have a higher drop-out rate than other cohorts.
• FGAs are likely to be concerned about not helping parents who expect their child to hold a part-time job to help offset the cost of attending institutions that cannot meet the financial aid need of the accepted students.
• FGA’s may experience difficulty because they are:
  • Less confident academically than those who have attended a secondary school with high standards
  • Unfamiliar with how to deal with the bureaucracy of a university
  • Unfamiliar with the academic standards of the university
  • Unfamiliar with the expected standards for lab reports and papers 
  • Timid about seeking help
  • Timid about speaking up in class
  • Unskilled in time management
  • Uncertain about how to handle the increased workload

PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE

As mentioned previously, I’m writing this article because I believe in providing bright and ambitious youngsters with the opportunity to help them close whatever educational gap they have as a result of their being unable to attend an institution that could prepare them to attend a college or university with high academic standards.

With the exception of a modest but growing number of institutions that are well-endowed, I readily admit that it is going to be difficult for all of the colleges and universities that have made a commitment to include FGAs in their entering classes to do what is necessary to increase the chances of student success in this cohort.  Granted, one model will not be applicable to all.  But those institutions that are eager to help young men and women, who through no fault of their own have not developed the skills and work habits that are needed to be successful, could study the initiatives of the well-endowed institutions to “cherry pick” the services they can afford. Thus, what follows is a brief description of the services and resources Princeton University supplies to enable those who were admitted into this program to have a reasonable chance of experiencing both academic successes and belonging to a unique community.

In identifying the criteria for universities that accept First Generation Admits, I’m not recommending that the following services and staffing must be met by every institution.  The one exception to that statement is the commitment of each institution to provide the financial resources to enable the members of this cohort to focus on their studies and the development of critical skills. Assuming that not all institutions will have the financial resources to duplicate what Princeton University is able to fund, they may decide to “dip their toe in the water” and in so doing participate in the program even if only 1% of the entering class of FGAs could be admitted.  Such being the case, the institutions that are committed to this program can “cherry pick” from the following list of resources and services to do what is necessary to increase the chances of success by those who are fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to attend an institution with high academic standards.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

If the parents of a bright and motivated student live in a community where the public school lacks significant resources to challenge youngsters with what is needed to prepare them for success in a well-regarded college or university, it is unlikely that the family will be able to afford the payment of the tuition, room, board, as well as the need to pay for computers and books.  Related to this, the students and their families should not be expected to take out loans to cover the costs.

RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE

Duplicating the accommodation and services supplied by one institution may not be realistic for others.  Nonetheless, Princeton could be used as a model for other institutions that are cautiously venturing into this program. 

What makes this model unique? Princeton requires all freshmen and sophomores to live on campus in one of the seven colleges.  In terms of numbers, the most recent class is composed of 1500 students.  Assuming that all seven colleges are of equal size (which is not the case), each one theoretically could accommodate 215 freshmen.  In other words, a concerted effort is made to create a facility in which students live in a “college” with others of the same age.  As a result, they have an opportunity to meet and make friends.

STAFFING THE COLLEGES AND THE UNIVERSITY

Because Princeton requires freshmen and sophomores to live in one of the seven different colleges, a concerted effort is made to provide a support system within each.  The goal of the residential college system is to create a strong sense of community, collaboration, and mutual respect to support individual initiative and personal growth. The model is designed to help students develop core values such as honesty, integrity, and fairness, and to encourage creativity, curiosity, creativity, and collegiality while developing a capacity for leadership and a sense of responsibility for their own well-being and the well-being of others. 

Each college is supervised by a senior faculty member that is given the job title of Head of College. This person provides vision and direction for the social and academic activities of the community.  Each Head of College is assisted by a full-time staff consisting of a Dean, an Assistant Dean for Students, an Assistant Dean for Student Life, a Residential Life Coordinator, a College Program Administrator, and a College Office Coordinator.

The Dean of each of the seven Colleges is responsible for structuring workshops that would help the FGAs to become familiar with:

• The Honor System and how it responds to those who plagiarize
• Expectations for preceptorials
• Standards for Lab Reports
• Advice about preparing for mid-term exams
• Advice about preparing for finals

The Dean would also be responsible for making arrangements for former members of that College to talk to the entering freshmen about the standards and time demands of:

• A full course load
• Athletics
• Music: university orchestra, small singing groups, the Glee Club, Chapel Choir
• Journalism: The Daily Princetonian
• Volunteer programs for the local community (i.e. the Petey Greene Program)
• Various Clubs

At the University level, students who are seeking help for various issues can reach out to:

• The Faculty Advisor to whom each student is assigned.
• Psychologists who are familiar with working with underprivileged students.
• Counselors who are experienced working with students who seek help for stress, depression, anxiety, relationship problems, family problems, loss or grief, self-esteem, racism, sexism, and/or gender identity.

 OPTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONS MAKING A COMMITMENT TO SERVING “FIRST GENERATION ADMITS.”

• Marketing:  Not every student wants to go to college and not every parent is going to encourage their children to do so.  Nonetheless, there are secondary school students who are bright, and eager to be challenged and learn.  The students who fall into this category must be recruited.  To plant the proverbial seed in the minds of those who enjoy learning, we would also recommend that the Admissions Officers perform a dual function when they travel to schools.  We would recommend that those admissions officers contact the school’s college counselor prior to the visit to see if there are 9^th or 10^th-grade students who are doing well in school, but may not be thinking about college because of the cost. Thus, the admissions officer will have a two-fold purpose when talking to not only the 12^th graders who are planning to apply but also the 9^th and 10^th graders who might fall into the FGA category.  Granted not all of the students who fall into this category will be interested or qualified, but if they are doing well academically and learn that the university has a program for FGAs that is FREE to the participating families, and that message is communicated to qualified families, it also might motivate those students to perform at a higher level. 

• Parental Relations:  Another initiative that could be pursued to lower the barrier to college for young men and women who are doing well in school is a communication targeted at families that live from paycheck to paycheck.  These parents would need to be informed about the advantages of this special program. Because neither parent of a FGA student went to college, they may not be familiar with the culture, the rules and regulations of a university, and the programs offered by an institution of higher education. Thus, they might be oriented to dismissing any thoughts a youngster might have about continuing their education.  Why is a college dismissal likely to happen?  The parents simply cannot afford the tuition, room, and board.  However, if that issue is taken off the table, then the parents might become enthusiastic supporters of the FGA program. To help the parents change their worried minds, the Admissions Office would need to work with those in Communications to prepare materials that are both informative and convincing. An effort should be made to provide parents with information that would enable them to understand what is expected of undergraduates.  In addition, the parents would appreciate knowing what resources are available should a student run into difficulty.

• A special arrangement with a boarding school: Please note that this option is in a hypothetical stage.  Nonetheless, it is an option that deserves attention.  There may be a group of students who either did not take the requisite courses in secondary school, or attended a school that did not have high standards and could benefit from spending a year as a postgraduate student at a well-regarded boarding school.  What would make this program unique would be that the college or university to which the candidate applied would pay for the tuition and guarantee admission if the student performed at a reasonably high level.  (The Dean of Admissions would have to specify the criteria that needed to be met.) 

• Duplicating the program developed by [HS] SQUARED: Fifteen years ago, a group of philanthropists who live in Texas decided to create a program that would enable students of color who were in the 9^th grade and met the criteria set forth by the Executive Director and his Academic Dean to spend five weeks in three consecutive summers at a boarding school and take courses in the STEM disciplines.  This program also includes support from the philanthropists to provide the participants with college counseling to help them with the next step in their education.  Having reviewed the list of colleges that have accepted these students, I can say without any hesitation that this program is life-changing.

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

As mentioned at the outset of this article, not all FGAs have experienced success.  That being said, this worthwhile initiative is comparatively new.  Fortunately, several highly-selective institutions of higher education are led by University Presidents that are committed to creating a diverse residential community and are equally committed to creating a culture in which the FGAs are supported. I believe that the leaders of this program will be willing to share the lessons that they have learned with other college presidents who share the values of their colleagues and will do what is necessary to increase the success rate of those who are serving as role models for others who have learned how to be persistent and resilient.

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You may also be interested in reading more articles written by Jim Wickenden for Intrepid Ed News.