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What’s it like to be a first-generation student starting the first semester of college? The second cohort of Davis Maine Scholars experienced this last fall. Their first semesters saw these six students move hundreds of miles away from home, learn new skills, and find their way. As they started their second semester, the Mission asked each to reflect on their challenges, surprises, and triumphs from their first few months in college.
Their answers touched on both the academic and social changes they experienced. Marissa, Joseph, and Laney noted the academic challenges they encountered with their college courses being quite different than their high school classes. Their responses stressed the importance of asking for help, making new study habits, taking detailed notes in class, and going to professors’ office hours. Marissa, who is attending Clark University, writes “I was surprised to find that my biggest challenge was studying for mid-terms and finals. I had to devote a lot more time studying for exams.” Joseph, at UNE, and Antonio, at Clark, both said scheduling and time management were new things they had to figure out during the semester. These answers were similar to those of last year’s cohort of Davis Maine Scholars, who also remarked the change in academic demands from high school to college was sometimes overwhelming until they figured out a system which worked best for them.
And knowing they had this support, the Scholars tried new things. Tori, who is attending Clark, says she tried new foods and hobbies, even things she never thought she would try. She says this “can be enjoyable even if the experience of the new thing is bad, like having boba tea for the first time and getting it in matcha, a double whammy of things I never tried before.” She also started volunteering for an afterschool program. Antonio found out he had a passion for making music and started playing squash. Marissa started cooking and was “able to develop a great circle of new friends who supported her.”
And with this help from the Davis Maine Scholarship, the Mission, their colleges, and their families and friends, these students are more likely to succeed and graduate from college. First-generation students are less likely than their peers to graduate from college and access the resources their institutions provide from studying aboard to career counseling. However, with more support, this changes. UNE offers a First Generation Bridge program for students and Clark has an Office of Identity, Student Engagement, and Access that supports first-generation students and helps them learn more about what opportunities are available for them.
The Davis Maine Scholarship program is also trying to help students succeed by creating a series of workshops for high school students. These workshops focus on many of the topics the Scholars have highlighted as things they wanted to learn more about time management, how to transition from high school to college academics, and more.
Juniors at Narraguagus Jr/Sr High School, Sumner High School, and students participating in Bowdoin Upward Bound in Washington County can apply for the Davis Maine Scholarship starting on March 1.
To learn more or apply for the Scholarship, visit the Davis Maine Scholarship web page.