Students from lower-income backgrounds find themselves crippled by culture shock when they enter college.
A New York Times opinion piece by Vicki Madden titled "Why Poor Students Struggle" examines the challenges faced by poor students starting college. A History teacher at a Brooklyn high school, Madden shared some frustrations she faced as a student while at Barnard College.
Madden said that lower-income students struggle in institutes of higher education because of the social isolation and alienation they must face. Students from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds are made uncomfortable by subtle social differences in their new collegiate environment. "Hardest [struggle] was the awareness that my own experiences were not only undervalued but often mocked, used to indicate when someone was stupid or low-class: No one at Barnard ate Velveeta or had ever butchered a deer," she said.
Madden added a plan is needed to help students from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds adjust to college life.
Read the full article at The New York Times
