At most colleges, there’s a lot of focus on diversity. As a native of Nigeria, I’m obviously different from my classmates. But the biggest difference hasn’t been nationality—it’s been money. Dormmates have teased me about being the only person alive without a flat-panel LCD computer monitor. While classmates watch football games from the student section, I work as a parking attendant. I worry about my grades just as much as they do—but I also worry about unexpected dental bills or finding $200 for the medical-school admissions test. Slightly more than half of Berkeley’s students come from households with annual incomes above $60,000, and I’ve come to believe that a family’s income can affect how well a student performs in college.
In a way, it’s amazing I’m attending Berkeley. I was born in Lagos. To give my three siblings and me access to a better life, my mother took us to San Francisco when I was 12, while my father stayed in Nigeria to work. My mother is college-educated, but as an immigrant she earned just minimum wage as a preschool teaching assistant. We lived in a housing project. Initially, I had a hard time in school; my thick accent made me afraid to ask questions. But with support from my parents, my overworked teachers and my guidance counselor, I was able to maintain good grades. My chemistry teacher suggested I apply to the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program, a summer experience that made me want to become a doctor. That program strengthened my application to Berkeley, where I won a full scholarship.
Even with a scholarship, I’ve always needed a job to be able to eat out with friends, go to the movies and enjoy many of the simple frivolities average students take for granted. As I write this, I have exactly $1,053.46 to my name, I need to pay the rent next week and my cable-Internet bill is several weeks past due. Friends know not to ask me which tropical destination I’m flying to for spring break because I’ll be staying at home, working.
Lately, elite schools like Harvard, Princeton and Berkeley have taken steps to attract more low-income students like me. While this is commendable, students from poor backgrounds still face immense challenges. They often attend high schools that leave them unprepared for high-level college work. I remember taking freshman pre-med courses with classmates who had completed equivalent coursework as sophomores in high school. Despite hard work, my freshman grade average was barely a C-plus. But I enrolled in the Biology Scholars Program, which offers extra help with science coursework, and as a recipient of Berkeley’s Incentive Awards Program I also get extra advising. With this help, my study skills have improved. Over the last four semesters I’ve maintained mostly A’s. I hope to begin medical school in 2009.
If you come from a nonaffluent background, succeeding in college takes special effort. My advice: Take as many AP courses as you can. Develop strong relationships with teachers and counselors, who can be especially helpful in pointing you toward scholarships. Let people know your financial situation, since low-income students can take the SAT at no cost and enroll in SAT prep courses for reduced fees. Once you arrive at college, seek out special programs to help improve your study skills, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t perform well at first. Coming from a lower-income background teaches you how to work hard and manage your time—skills that will remain with you long after graduation.
