I was the first in my immediate family to earn a Bachelors then the only to earn a Masters. My mother often said the above. Undergraduate school was a lesson in understanding social class realities and how to maneuver within a bureaucracy. Graduate school included a program of manipulating and being manipulated. I envisioned a doctorate as more intense, dangerous, as well as humiliating. I skipped it. But the Masters opened doors I naively thought the Bachelors would have but didn’t. In brief, lower/working class people need to learn to be overly polite and plan activities in advance. Remember, wealthier … Continue reading “If I Knew Then What I Know Now….” for First-Generation College Students: A short guide on how to make your own destiny