Parsons, Molly, authorRosén, Lee A., advisorRickard, Kathy, committee memberRichards, Tracy, committee memberThayer, Paul, committee member2016-08-182016-08-182016http://hdl.handle.net/10217/176650This study sought to better understand the experiences and challenges faced by first generation college students in their first year on campus and what factors predicted academic success and retention for these students. Specifically, this study investigated the impact of demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, family income, and college major), prior academic preparation (high school index) and psychosocial factors (grit, social adjustment, homesickness, financial concern, and institutional commitment) on cumulative first year GPA and retention from the first to second year of college for first generation students. Participants included 3,956 first year college students at a public research university, 950 of which were first generation students. First generation was a significant predictor of both first year GPA and first to second year retention. Specifically, first generations students were more likely to have lower first year GPAs and were less likely to be retained. Minority status was negatively related to retention from the first to second year in first generation students but not in the overall sample. Although, high school index was the strongest predictor of both first year GPA and first to second year retention for all students in the sample, grit, social adjustment, gender and whether or not the student was a STEM major, also significantly impacted first year GPA for first all students. Institutional commitment, financial concern and homesickness were found to be significantly predictive of first to second year retention in all students. There was also a significant interaction between homesickness and generational status for first year GPA.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.Text