Going to college is often considered to be an accomplishment, but for first-generation students the excitement can come with mixed emotions .

“I was never proud of it,” says Alicia Brissett, a sophomore at George Mason University. “Being a black first-generation college student, female … that’s something that I didn’t want to wear on my chest.”

Shame, guilt and inadequacy are just a few feelings that first-generation college students commonly struggle with.

First-gens are commonly described as students whose parents either have no college experience or didn’t earn a bachelor’s degree. They tend to have limited knowledge about applying to, paying for and researching colleges. They’re also less likely to enroll in four-year institutions and complete a bachelor’s degree in six years. Ill-prepared, they often feel out-of-place on college campuses, experts say.

[Read financial aid advice for first-gen students.]

Colleges are working to help first-gen students succeed, but families will have to pursue opportunities in their communities, high schools and prospective colleges to increase the likelihood of student success, experts say.

Many colleges, like George Mason University, offer summer programs that aim to ease the transition for first-gen students. Brissett says the school’s six-week Student Transition Empowerment Program made her a stronger student and taught her to feel proud of being a first-gen student. STEP students stay on the Virginia campus and take two three-credit classes for free the summer before their freshman year. Students have mandatory study hall and learn about campus services.

These programs can help students get used to the campus and help parents understand the financial, academic and social aspects of college.

But the duration, cost and structure of these programs vary by school. Many summer bridge programs aren’t an option for most teens because of limited enrollment. George Mason’s program only seats between 20 to 30 students.

First-gens are less likely to ask for help, experts say.

“A lot of times the parents and the students may not know where to go to access or to answer the questions they have. And a lot of times they don’t know the questions to ask,” says Yolanda Keith, senior assistant director of admissions at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and program coordinator for the Carolina College Advising Corps. The organization goes into high schools nationwide to help first-gen, low income and underrepresented students with the college admissions process.

Resources for first-gen students aren’t always easy to find, and some universities struggle with retaining first-gens when they do get on campus, says Yolanda Norman, the founder and CEO of a consulting firm that focuses on helping first-gen students excel in college. Schools may use the right lingo and make the admissions process easier for first-gen students, but they don’t always follow through, she says.

“The student gets there and all of a sudden they’re lost and they don’t have that same support that they once had during recruitment classes,” she says.

[Ask these questions during your college orientation.]

Prospective students should find out what kind of support institutions offer first-gens throughout their college experience. That includes internship and career assistance, experts say.

Brissett still has weekly initiatives, such as study hall, tied to the STEP program, but she wanted to help close the gap for the other first-gen students. As a freshman, she created F1rst Gen Mason, a student organization dedicated to increasing the retention and graduation of first-gen students at George Mason.

Online resources, like UNC’s Carolina F1rsts site, and student organizations that focus on diversity, leadership or first-generation students, like F1rst Gen Mason, are examples of the types of support students should search for when researching prospective schools, expert say.

Students should do a site search for “first generation” or “first gen” on college websites, Norman says. Students can also use those terms to find communities on social media. And look to organizations like I’m First and Communities in Schools for additional resources.

Teens should find peer mentors from their high schools, neighborhoods or prospective colleges to get honest and straightforward advice on the challenges of college, experts say.

“Find someone who graduated the year before you that went off to college. Connect with them and ask them for advice. Their peer conversations are very different from someone who went to school 20 years ago,” UNC’s Keith says.

[Find out how to make college connections before you step on campus.]

Family and parental support are also important especially in low-income families, where college may not have been discussed and where students are likely to feel more guilt based on the cost of college and how that will affect their family, experts say. Only 11 percent of low-income first-generation students earn a bachelor’s degree, according to 2011 data from the Pell Institute.

Students need to share their goals with their families. Parents can help them get encouragement from other family members who may be able to provide financial and emotional support, says Rueben Martinez, a presidential fellow at Chapman University. Martinez goes into low-income communities in Orange County, California to recruit first-gen Latino students.

“The goal is for the student to find a network of people to build a net so that they don’t fall through while they’re in the system,” UNC’s Keith says.

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Prepare for College as a First-Generation Student originally appeared on usnews.com