Finding My Way: Navigating College as a First-Gen Student
Nuriely F. is settling into her first year at Barnard College after an enriching experience at The Laboratory School for Finance and Technology, a CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) partner. An aspiring pediatrician, she is studying Neuroscience and Behavior and is a Health Educator for the Students for Health Education, Access, and Literacy group on campus. Nuriely reflects on her journey to college and shares tips for students deciding on their postsecondary paths.
Exploring College Options
What did the college application process look like for you?
Looking back, some of the standout moments of my college search happened on our college visits. I visited schools in New York City and other trips organized by my director of college counseling (DCC) at Lab, including a day trip to Boston and another to a SUNY campus. Something shifted when I was actually there in person, standing on the campus and picturing myself attending that college. Seeing the student body and experiencing the commute time opened up my mind to what I liked or disliked about the environment I wanted to be in.
Were there any programs or people that made a difference during the college search?
The summer between junior and senior year, my DCC, Ms. Gomez, encouraged me to attend Student Leadership Network’s CollegeBound Summer Institute at St. Thomas Aquinas College, a private college in Rockland County, New York. It was a program with other rising seniors from high schools across CBI. To be honest, I didn’t fully grasp how valuable it would be until I was in the middle of it. It was a really comprehensive introduction to the college process for senior year. The amount of information we learned in two days was unmatched by any other workshops I’d done with other programs.
Since I was accepted early to Barnard College, I didn’t work as closely with the new DCC, Mr. Sanchez, as my friends did throughout senior year. But I saw that he made himself available to everyone and ensured that parents had access to the information they needed, especially parents who are non-English speakers like my own. It’s the kind of support that doesn’t always get named out loud, but it means a lot.
Attending Barnard College
What was the transition to college actually like, especially as a first-gen student?
Arriving at Barnard, I realized how much my high school experience had shaped, and in some ways, hadn’t prepared me for what was ahead. I was used to a non-testing environment in high school, where research papers and presentations were how we showed what we knew. As a STEM major, I suddenly had to get used to constant quizzes and exams that are worth a large percentage of the final grade. I’m learning to study differently and to make use of teaching assistants and office hours for additional help. Barnard has a First-Generation Student Initiatives office that became a useful resource during that time, a place where I could find support without having to explain everything from scratch.
Barnard is a partner in HEOP, or the Higher Education Opportunity Program in New York State. How did HEOP support you beyond academics and finances?
One of the benefits of HEOP at Barnard was a two-week summer program that made the transition from high school to college more manageable. I was able to move into my dorm early, take a short class, and get to know the staff and the campus buildings before the chaos of freshman year started. I got to learn the rhythms of the place and settle in.
College Advice For High School Students
What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you earlier?
Education will be available to you in different ways throughout your lifetime. I would say to students now: if you don’t get into your dream school, you can learn to love your options, transfer, attend community college, or pursue graduate school. You are not a failure if you don’t get into a specific school. Your college choice is not about the prestige of a name. It’s about the place that is a good fit for you and what you make of it.
