ABSTRACT
A review of the literature on first-generation college students reveals a central focus on the undergraduate experience. Research has yet to reveal whether feelings of being an imposter ease or disappear as first-generation college students acclimate into graduate school. As a result of having a cultural capital deficit, many first-generation doctoral students struggle to understand the unspoken bureaucracy and rules of graduate education. This circles back to the impact of earlier educational decisions by first-generation college students and the lack of exposure to graduate assistants as instructors, leaving these now doctoral students unaware of mainstream funding options. Even more challenging, first-generation doctoral candidates come to the process with misaligned academic backgrounds, significant financial challenges, and low social and cultural capital to draw on. Feelings of belonging are one of the most reported challenges faced by first-generation college students at all levels of education.
