PeerPod - Episode 29 - Culture shock: challenges of being first in family

Uni can be really intimidating, especially if you have no one close to you who can help you to prepare and let you know what to expect. With so many young people being the first in the family to go to uni, Australian universities have only recently started trying to understand the unique support needs of this growing cohort, and there's still a lot of work to do. In this episode of PeerPod our host, Devanshi, is joined by Victoria and Jenae, first-in-family students from the School of Social and Political Sciences, who share with us their experiences as first-in-family students, including the struggles they faced, the resources they utilised and the need to better engage first-in-family students to better develop support for their unique needs. Jenae is in her third year of a Media and Communications degree with a major in Politics. She identifies low SES, rural and is the first in her family to go to University. Victoria is a graduate of a Bachelor of Art and Social Sciences and an Anthropology and Psychology Project Facilitator. Additional resources: First in Family: http://www.firstinfamily.com.au/ Helping first-in-family students students navigate their university 'journey': https://educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au/teaching@sydney/helping-first-in-family-students-navigate-their-university-journey/ University of Wollongong's First Generation Students Initiative: https://www.uow.edu.au/student/support-services/first-gen/