Rising Class: How Three First-Generation College Students Conquered Their First Year

by Jennifer Miller

Making it through the first year of college is tough. What makes it even tougher is being the first in your family to do so. Who can you turn to when you need advice?



First Generation follows three first-generation freshmen, Briani, Conner, and Jacklynn, as they not only experience their first semester of college, but the COVID-19 pandemic that turned their Spring semester upside down. From life in the ivy league to classes at a community college, this nonfiction book follows these students' challenges, successes, and dreams as they tackle their first year of college and juggle responsibilities to their families back home.

Eye-opening and poignant, Jennifer Miller writes a narrative nonfiction story that speaks to new beginnings, coming of age, and perseverance.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Education, College

352 pages, Hardcover

Published March 28, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book features the true story of one of my best friends, Briani. Even though I was by her side for much of the book’s span, she wouldn’t always reveal how much she had weighing on her, so this book taught me about some of her struggles that I never realized. She is truly so strong and selfless, and I am proud to know her! Jennifer Miller has done a wonderful job telling these stories, and they are important ones to share. I hope this can elucidate the obstacles FLI students often face when entering elitist environments so that academia can become more welcoming and accessible. Thriving students lead to more intellectual innovation, as well.

[La'Tonya Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really good. I read in about two days.

Let me get my biases out of the way though: I really really hate that the publishing industry focuses on first-gen student narratives about the Ivy League. Most first-gen students are NOT at those institutions. Just stop it.

Nevertheless, Jennifer does tease out some of the first-gen experiences that can be universal or more generalized. The short chapters really are a plus and move the narrative along. Highly recommend!

[heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses on telling the story of 3 first gen college students. Mostly at Columbia University where the author has taught classes. It follows them starting as freshman in fall 2019 and into the pandemic. This is based on interviews during the time period.

It is written for young adults so reading it as a college instructor I want more emphasis on student's academic life but since I am not the audience, I think it was appropriate to focus more on personal and social aspects of the first Gen experience. Lots of things to think about.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm not typically a nonfiction reader, I found this really well-written and engaging. The students profiled have different but really clearly, honestly expressed experiences, and the book does a nice job of showing the personalities and relationships without shying away from rocky parts of their school and personal lives or from incorporating real world events as they came without trying to shape the narrative. It also does a nice job pointing out a variety of factors that play into this experience such as how the experience can be isolating or invisible in certain ways, or how even seemingly well-intentioned schools and administrations can miss the holes in their supports and programs for these students in particular. I did feel as if Jacklynn's college story was sidelined in certain ways, sometimes in favor of updates on her relationship with Conner but sometimes just in favor of the Columbia pieces in general, and I did wish that the other perspectives like Genevieve's were reported out a little more rather than just being included as occasional interludes that felt both like they disrupted the flow and like they weren't quite enough. Still, a really interesting and thoughtful read, enjoyable despite the ways the subject matter is serious, and offering both a mirror and a window into the FLI life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book works well for people who prefer shorter chapters that make the book easier to digest, and each chapter functions as its own experience. The chapter corresponds to a snapshot of a moment in the college student's life that was significant to their experience. This makes the book exciting to read as you relate to knowing how it feels when you are living a moment that becomes important to your life story, or causes you to question how things are going. This book tackles some hard themes as lower income students navigate their real-life experiences of going to college, and what it means for them and their families. I loved how relatable and yet how revealing these stories were from each student. Not everyone can relate to each moment, but everyone can learn something from each moment, and it causes reflection about personal experiences and how things have turned out or things that you've personally missed as a person amongst other people living their own lives separate but intertwined with yours. It reminds you that choices you make can affect others, though you may never personally see the consequences. You get to see a lot of the social lives of college students and what it is to navigate friends and roommates while leaving space for studying and academic success. It tackles things that can be stacked against you, especially a lack of money and resources. I would just like to see even more information about these student's experiences. I want the story to continue. I want even more substance.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this ARC courtesy of Macmillian Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley.

While you can find many accounts of low-income and first generation college student experiences this would likely be the only book account that delves into starting college the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author follows Briani, Conner, and Jacklynn, and their families for the first year (and beyond) of their college experience.

Author Jennifer Miller narrates their busy lives including the normal stress over exams, navigating interpersonal relationships, the rise of the Coronavirus disease, the murder of George Floyd by police officers, and the subsequent nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and resistance actions.

As a first generation student I was immediately compelled by the premise of this book (Briani, Conner and Jacklynn were starting college as I was finishing up my degree) and was drawn in by their honesty and resilience. The book had a nice balance of each of their stories, and it was a great overall read. I look forward to requesting a copy for my library.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an insightful book about the first year experience of three first-generation college students (two who attend ivy league Columbia and one who attends a local community college). As a post-secondary instructor, I really appreciate the stories of how these first-generation college students balance pressures at home (like helping a parent with their own college work, worrying about a parent relapsing, worrying about family finances) with course work that doesn't always live up to their expectations (professors who talk quickly and question their ability to keep up) and peers who have privileges and safety nets they don't. It's clear that Miller started this project before the COVID-19 pandemic, but she includes snapshots of their second year to show the impact it had on their education. I would love to see a 4-5 year study, and I hope Conner, Briani, Jacklynn, Ayden, Gwendolyn, and the other people featured are doing well.

[Cassandra Grosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This was a truly interesting read. I loved this piece of long-form journalism that provided insight to the first generation college experience, but I do think having 2/3 of the interviewees attending an Ivy League school and 2/3 of the characters dating gives a limited perspective of the first gen experience.

It’s also incredibly interesting to read this piece during another Trump administration, as the book takes place in 2019-2020. Revisiting the Covid era, when I myself was both a student and a teacher, is emotional and hard to do. But this narrative taking place during the pandemic also allows Miller to report on racial and economic disparities that otherwise might not be so prevalent within a “normal” academic year.

I would definitely recommend higher ed and high school educators to read this book to gain insight to first generation, low social economic, and non-white higher Ed experiences.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate what this book was trying to do, and it's important to tell the stories of first-generation college students and knock down barriers for them in higher education. However, I agree with some other reviewers that putting the focus on the Columbia students may not have been the best idea. There are also many first-gen students at community colleges and public institutions, and so I wanted to know more about Jacklynn's experiences with college. A lot of the book was more about politics, world events, and family issues rather than the college experience itself. I recognize that all of these things do affect students- sometimes in a giant way (and obviously with COVID popping up toward the end of the book, it was a huge blow)- but I would have liked to read more about the college aspects that they were navigating rather than yet another political argument with their parents.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is highly readable with short chapters and engaging storylines. One of the three students attends community college; the other two go to Columbia. I understand why some reviewers wished the author focused on a non-Ivy league school but she teaches there, so she probably understands Columbia on a deeper level and it makes sense she would write about it. These students had another unique experience to their generation - the Covid 19 pandemic, so reading about how that affected their school and personal lives was interesting. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, particularly anyone who is planning on being a first generation college student or anyone who supports someone that is.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of my friends went to Columbia, and one of them is a first-gen student, so I was very excited to read this book. I feel like I know them better now. The book is extremely engaging. From the first chapter, I became very invested in the characters' lives. Knowing that they are not just fictional characters but real people made me wonder about their well-being even more. Jennifer did an excellent job keeping chapters brief. Knowing that every chapter will take only minutes to read, you jump to the next one without fear of getting stuck in the middle of it. I wish more books were like this: great educational content, inspiring stories, and a convenient format.

[Hilary Margitich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be a very interesting and thought-provoking read for teens thinking about and embarking on their college adventures. We have a socioeconomic challenge in this country of making top-tier education more user-friendly and accessible for teens from all walks of life. This book explores this topic in a documentary-style way, following three dynamic teens that you will fall in love with by the end. I really got engrossed in this book!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine the pressure of being the first member of your family to go to college. Then add a global pandemic to that. For 2 of the 3 students featured, they are also at an Ivy League College (Columbia). The other student featured is the girlfriend of one of the others and talks about the additional strain of a long distance relationship. Every once in a while I heard the author's voice in here which was disconcerting, rather than just hearing the story of the students.

[Will Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, engaging writing that effectively transports you back into the pandemic. I enjoyed the mixture of narrative non-fic and the well-chosen news headlines, but felt that the American college structure remained impenetrable as an outsider. Each contributor was interesting, with a unique angle. As real life is unpredictable, however, the arcs were slightly messy and the writer doesn’t quite pull every bow together neatly - I wanted a stronger message/climax.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be an enlightening perspective on the experiences of first generation college students. It was extremely beneficial to see the realities that many college students face and the intersections between race, income level, and overall socioeconomic standing that come into play. This book confronts very important topics that I, as a college student myself, can use to inform my interactions on my own college campus and beyond.

[Kristi Newby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a high school teacher and read this book so that I could then use it for book clubs in my AVID class (college prep class) and it was great! It is an easy read and interesting. Great way to have students learn what their first year of college might be like and what they might need to deal with (money, relationships, friends and school work).
I would highly recommend this book for any students that are first generation or low-income and planning to go to college.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good YA nonfiction that make the idea of attending college personal by sharing three different students' stories. This happens to take place during Covid when college campuses closed, so these students had an abrupt end to their freshman year, but overall these first generation college kids' stories should resonate with many high schoolers.

[Katherine Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging and enlightening read! Jennifer Miller captures the lives of these three students in a way that really taught me about the experiences of first generation college students. I hadn’t realized how much I didn’t know until reading this book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in a day. This book reads like a YA novel. Gives insight into first gen student experience at college. And the 19-20 school year. Left me curious about where these students are now, their graduation year.

[Kate Mester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for a little more universal insight or tying these stories into a larger narrative, but Miller keeps the focus solely on the 3 students she follows for a year. A quick read that could be impactful for HS juniors/seniors for insight into first year in college experiences.

[Lauren H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. The short chapters really lent themselves to this form of storytelling! I love a Missouri New York crossover. Appreciated how Miller highlighted the way these class disparities were even more brought to light during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Taylor Barkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Well written and laid out. It kept me turning pages. It serves as an excellent recent historical account as well.

[Tennessee Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class. That’s all.

[Brooke Nadzam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great look at how being a first generation low income student in college is so hard. It’s unlike the what well-to-do experience.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read about first generation college students that includes that pandemic experience so I feel it is something that teenagers would identify with immediately. The stories are presented well and I felt an immediate connection with the students and wanted to know more and more about them and their experiences. Some important unseen and unheard challenges are addressed and I hope that high school guidance counselors will read this book and then add it to their own reference shelves to lend out to students who fall into this category. Knowing something about what to expect is important.
It is very readable so I'd heartily recommend it to any prospective college student whether they are first generation or not, simply just for the sake of developing empathy for others.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I hope it finds it way into every school library.

[Jenaia Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I read this to my senior avid class and it was a great preview for them to hear from first-generation college students and their experience.

[Elena]

Dnf at 290.

[Big Boy Beni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved seeing the FLI rep and read about the students' lives in short-form stories! But I felt like the writing wasn't particularly deep, and there were some issues where Conner's brother, Ayden's name was misspelled multiple times.

[Erin Schneller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall it was a great and quick read. I appreciate the insights these students shared with the author.