NAVIGATING THE
HIDDEN CURRICULUM
S C H O L A R S H I P ES SAY
• E D U CAT I O N & ACA D E M I C C O U N S E L I N G
WHEN MY PARENTS DROPPED ME OFF
at my freshman dorm, they gave me tight hugs,
a set of twin-XL sheets, and a simple piece of advice: "Work hard and get A's." As working-class
immigrants who had never attended college in the United States, they believed that higher education
was a strict, transparent meritocracy. I believed it too. I thought the only real challenge of being a
first-generation college student was figuring out how to pay the tuition. I did not realize that the
hardest part was actually navigating the "hidden curriculum."
During my first semester, I struggled—not because I lacked the work ethic, but because I
lacked the roadmap. I did not know that "office hours" meant dedicated time to ask professors for
help; I thought it meant they were working and should not be disturbed. I did not know how to
interpret a financial aid award letter, and I nearly missed a crucial course registration deadline
because I did not know how to navigate the university's degree-audit software. While my peers called
their parents to ask for advice on dropping a class or declaring a major, I spent hours desperately
searching online forums, terrified that asking for help would expose me as an imposter who did not
belong on campus.
The turning point came during my sophomore year when I finally walked into the university’s
First-Generation Student Success Center. Meeting older students who shared my background was a
revelation. They taught me how to decode a syllabus, how to advocate for myself with financial aid
officers, and how to build a professional network. More importantly, they taught me that being the
first in my family to go to college was not a deficit; it was a testament to my profound resilience.
This realization fundamentally shaped my career trajectory. I am currently a junior majoring in
Education with a concentration in Higher Education Administration. My professional goal is to
