Before I start chattering, here's a documentary that really had an impact on me: http://www.firstgenerationfilm.com/ It was heartbreaking to watch the four(?) kids they followed go through this process making what (to an experienced eye) looked like one dreadful misjudgement after another. (There were honestly points where I questioned the ethics of the filmmakers: a kid or family would just be wrong about something basic, and it was going to pretty much crush their plans and their future, and the cameras just kept silently rolling.) And so many of those mistakes were things that my family and I just knew, going in. I'm not sure if the trailer really captures the message, but if you can watch this film somewhere, it's worth it.

Setting aside that film, though, here's one example that sticks out for me: a whole lot of prospective first generation college students don't have anyone to tell them that they probably won't have to pay the "sticker price" tuition. At least at a lot of private colleges, internal grants and scholarships are very common (particularly for students from families with fewer resources): as an extreme case, Harvard charges $0 tuition to families with annual incomes under $65K. But a lot of families just look at the "standard" tuition number there and compare it to the $500 scholarship their kid got from the local Rotary Club, and decide not to bother applying anywhere but the state college down the road.

Or think of all the deadlines involved. When I was applying to colleges, my parents were very much partners in helping me keep track of the pesky bits. Sure, I knew I had to postmark a certain application by Feb. 1 (or whatever). But I had parents who recognized how important things like the FAFSA deadline were, too, and who made sure that both they and I got it done on time. For first generation students, a lot of times the only person they have on hand telling them that "no, really, this FAFSA thing is important" is a guidance councilor with 60 other seniors to keep track of at the same time. And that's just one example: there are plenty of other important things to keep track of, and someone who's been to college before will have a much easier time spotting them buried in other details.

Another issue that comes up is what happens when a student struggles in college. Parents who went to college themselves generally know some folks (or a lot of folks!) who struggled in their first year or two but pulled things together and graduated with a degree that led to a great career (maybe even a career in a field they didn't know existed when they started). First generation kids don't have that: when they struggle (or even just feel like they're struggling, because they're being challenged for the first time), it's not uncommon for their parents to (quite rationally) worry that college just isn't working out and say, "Maybe we should just save our money."

I could go on, but that's a taste of it. None of this is stuff that a student and their family couldn't in principle figure out for themselves, but it adds up to one heck of a barrier. (And it's not just anecdotes: I don't have the links, but there's a lot of research on this.)