How do you picture college? Is there a grand quad where countless students sit and study? Are there enormous lecture halls where there will be terrifying exams? Yes and no! College is big (UMass is huge!), but it is not too big or too scary. Some of you may be the first in your family to attend college, just like Lizet from Make Your Home Among Strangers. However, you will fit right in among the student-filled lecture halls and the expansive green lawns.
First-generation college students face an endeavor that is not always easy, and sometimes it may truly be a challenge. To be the single family member taking on a higher education may expose students to stigma, guilt, and anxieties about college. Finding one’s footing in a new culture and environment can be difficult enough, but what if you are unsure of what to expect or you do not want to leave your family behind? UMass’s Center for Counseling and Psychological Health offers resources for stress, anxiety, and all your woes, while support and resources are offered for first-generation college students as well. Furthermore, students’ backgrounds may vary, but everyone has come to college to be a part of something bigger than themselves. The shared experience is a gift and opportunity; this is our common ground, we will use it to learn from, support, and engage each other.
UMass takes pride in its initiatives for inclusiveness and while finding your niche or adjusting may take time, there is definitely a place for you here. With a wide range of events, clubs, and educational opportunities, there are places to express how you are unique and connect over how you are similar. Perhaps you may not be sure how to picture college right now or how to feel about it. Hopefully, one day when asked how you picture college, your answer will have become that college is like home. There are plenty of strangers here to make your home among, but plenty of spaces for openness, discussion, and resolution to problems.