The Impact of Socioeconomic and First-Generation College Student Status on Success in Pre-Medical Preparation
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Objective: In this study, the major goal was to determine the specific types of resources, forms of support, and experiences that facilitate successful first-generation (FG) college student pre-medical preparation. There is a crucial gap in the current literature with respect to how FG college student status impacts the transition from undergraduate to medical school. This study’s objective is to elucidate the link between college and medical school for the FG college student population. Method: Seven medical students who completed their first year of medical school were interviewed. Four students were FG college students and three were non-FG college students. One-on-one interviews lasting 25-30 minutes were conducted and transcribed interviews were coded to identify specific themes in the types of challenges and support each student experienced and utilized. Results: challenges and forms of support were identified as either: 1) socioeconomic, 2) sociocultural, or 3) academic-cognitive. Given that all students interviewed perceived themselves as successful Stanford medical students, the experiences they had in their undergraduate years can be inferred as facilitative to their successful entry to and participation in medical school. Based on the students specifically in this study, five key areas of need were identified for FG college students: 1) individualized mentorship and support, 2) opportunities to integrate into the student and academic communities, 3) increased academic support for pre-med courses (i.e., organic chemistry), 4) readily available opportunities for students to engage with their interests in medicine, and 5) peer and family support. Conclusions: Given the limitations with sample size in this study, it would be worthwhile to determine whether the key themes here apply to a larger, more diverse sample. From this study, the data suggest that more specific attention and support is needed for FG college students aspiring to enter a career in medicine.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | June 2015 - May 2016 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Chang, Spencer |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Willinsky, John |
| Advisor | Barr, Donald |
| Advisor | Naim, Kamran |
Subjects
| Subject | Stanford Graduate School of Education |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University |
| Subject | first-generation college students |
| Subject | pre-medical |
| Subject | medical school |
| Subject | Stanford medical students |
| Subject | achievement gap |
| Subject | socioeconomic challenges and support |
| Subject | sociocultural challenges and support |
| Subject | academic-cognitive challenges and support |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Chang, Spencer. (2016). The Impact of Socioeconomic and First-Generation College Student Status on Success in Pre-Medical Preparation. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education
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- Contact
- spencer.chang@duke.edu
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