First-generation law students study overview:
- Who: First-generation law students have more financial and academic pressures than their peers, according to a recent report from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement.
- Why: First-generation law students reported more work and family obligations, and that they are more likely to rely on student loans than their counterparts.
- Where: The report was based on responses from 13,000 law students from 75 U.S. law schools.
First-generation law students have more financial and academic pressures than their peers, according to a recent report from the Law School Survey of Student Engagement.
The “Focus on First-Generation Students” report received responses from 13,000 law students from 75 U.S. law schools and found that first-generation law students are more likely to rely on student loans, hold down a job while in school, and perform slightly less well academically than non-first-generation students.
“Decades of research show that first-gen students overcome significant challenges simply to gain access to college and invest even more to persist until degree completion,” the report says.
“First-gen students tend to enter higher education with fewer financial resources and less social and cultural capital than those who have at least one parent who completed a college degree.”
Of the students surveyed, 24% of non-first-generation students expected to graduate without law school debt compared to 12% of first-generation law students.
The report also found that students of color are more likely to be first-generation law students than their white counterparts. Fifty-three percent of Latino respondents, 36% of Black respondents and 40% of Native American respondents reported they were first-generation law students compared to just 21% of white respondents.
Report found first-generation law students tend to have family, work obligations
The report found that first-generation law students were more likely to work or handle family obligations such as taking care of children. About 44% of first-generation students reported that they spent time caring for dependents compared to about 33% of non-first-generation students.
First-generation law students are also less likely to participate in school-sponsored activities, possibly due to competing work and family responsibilities, the study found, noting that “there could be lasting repercussions as they continue through law school and begin their professional careers.”
Both first-generation law students and non-first-generation law students overwhelmingly reported satisfaction with their law school experience. The report notes that 74% of first-generation law students rated their experience as “good” or “excellent” in comparison to 78% of non-first-generation students.
In another case related to higher education, an Oklahoma federal judge earlier this month dismissed an Oklahoma City University class action lawsuit after finding the plaintiff failed to show injury as a result of a data breach.
What do you think of the study’s findings that first-generation law students have more financial pressure than their classmates? Join the discussion in the comments!
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