Since these different experiences between first generation and other students exist (especially between those with high parental education), how does this translate into disadvantages in the outcomes of college?

• The results show that first generation college students could be more resilient than the disadvantages in their college experiences would predict
• Most differences were seen between first-generation students and students with HIGH parental education level. The magnitude of these differences is also larger than in comparison with moderate parent education level.

It was surprising that although first generation students experienced relative net disadvantages in some outcomes such as science reasoning, openness to diversity and challenge, and learning for self-understanding, they had better net writing skills and had greater net gains in internal locus of attraction for academic success, preference for higher order cognitive tasks, and educational degree plans than other students.

• For example, although first generation status had a negative effect on science reasoning, it had a higher second year writing skills than students whose parents had a high or moderate level of postsecondary education — this persisted even when different college experiences were taken into account