ABSTRACT
Research on first-generation students and their transition from the college-choice process through to degree completion has exploded over the last decade. This chapter sets the foundation around our current understanding of the impact of college on first-generation students by introducing a conceptual framework around first-generation status that is supplemented by historical and emerging research. Higher education serves and benefits both the individual and society, and as such, college graduates are expected to develop outcomes that generate both private or internal benefits and public or external benefits. College-educated individuals as members of society directly influence the values, attitudes, and behavior of other members of society simply through social interactions. College campuses are a haven for social networks and social interactions. Cultural capital is rooted within educational attainment, often referring to the credentials and educational assets parents bestow to their children.
