...

I know no one reads this anymore.

College. A word that screams excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty for so many young people today.

I am a first generation college student in my immediate family.

On my mom's side, my uncle has his BA.

On my dad's side, I think that I am the 3rd or 4th to go to college.

First generation college students have so much expected of them. After all, our parents are expecting us to fulfill things that they themselves never had the chance to do.

There are many benefits of being a first generation college student such as becoming a role model for your family, but no one ever looks at how hard the job of a first generation college student is.

I remember I felt confusion as an FGCS. I was thinking about school rankings and prestige, not room to explore and grow, which is most important when choosing a college. I'm glad that I chose UCR because this is where I found my passion.

I remember during my 2nd year of H.S., I would tell teachers that I was interested in studying race, culture, ethnic literature... things of that nature, and most just said "I don't know if there is such a major in college." I guess my teachers didn't remember any ethnic studies or cultural anthropology classes.

After many twists and turns, I found the Ethnic Studies program at UCR and an I ever grateful to God that I did.

Now, time to apply for Grad School.

Coming into college, I didn't know what grad school was (I'm a FGCS and I had to learn these things on my own).

One advice that I gave to my cousin who is going to be a freshman @ UCSD was to take the GREs now, instead of later since all of the vocab and such is still fresh. I wish someone had told me this when I first entered college.