Creating Extended Access for First Generation Students at a Rural Community College: A Construct

First-generation students at community colleges begin their higher education careers with significant disadvantages in comparison to their non-first-generation peers. Among these are higher tendencies to work while attending school, have lower levels of college readiness, lack social and cultural capital, be less able to self-manage, and struggle with cultural changes when entering college. Community colleges can assist first-generation students by implementing practices that are responsive to the unique characteristics of first-generation students and provide them access to supports beyond the normal practices. The Extended Access Construct is a means for implementing practices that address the characteristics of first-generation students. The construct consists of six areas: Early Information and Validation; Procedures and Preparation; College Culture; Engagement; Persistence and Success; Mentoring. With the necessary dedicated support of college administration, Extended Access can work to create a culture in which first-generation students can more readily overcome the disadvantages of the non-college-going environments in which they were raised to succeed in the community college setting.