As a first generation student taking a gap year, the application process was difficult for me. I graduated in 2021, a year before most of my peers now. I essentially had little to no help, as neither of my parents had applied to any colleges themselves and I had no teachers or other school staff members actively around me to help. It was definitely stressful for me! I didn’t have the best grades in high school, and I even dropped out for a year in eighth grade before getting in to high school. You may be asking how I did it, and I’m here to say I was lucky to have the support of an old high school counsellor who wrote me a letter of recommendation, as well as a letter from a colleague of mine. I believe my application essay was also a good part of my success in getting into my school. After I got my acceptance letter, which funnily enough, came in on April Fools this year, it sat in for a few days before I began to realize that I was actually accepted into a school, and I got nervous. I had actually been accepted to a college! Not only that, but I was the first person in my family to do so, and I was a gap year student not actively enrolled in any high school or community college. Looking back on it, I am amazed to have been given the opportunities that I have had, given the experiences and hardships my family and I have faced. During most of 2021, I was convinced I wouldn’t go to college. Partially because I didn’t feel ready, and partially because I didn’t think I would have what it takes to get in to and through college. As I come close to the end of my first semester, I couldn’t be more grateful that I took the chance and applied to school. My school provided me with an opportunity to meet with other first generation students, and I have met other gap year students through talking about my experiences with other students. Overall, it wasn’t easy, but I am grateful for the experiences my school has given me and other first generation students. I think without the support given for us, I would’ve felt more lost and I would’ve struggled a lot more than my peers who have had generations of experience in higher education.
