Previous research on college students concludes that first-generation and minority students are at an increased risk of dropping out of college during the first year. However, the research on the first year experience of African-American students has been lacking. This book was written to specifically examine the impact of parental level of education on the collegiate experience of African-American students. This book explores issues relevant to the experiences of first-generation African-American college students, including the relationship between how a student perceives his/her college environment and how much effort he/she puts into the educational experience. Furthermore, it examines the effects of parental level of education on the experience of college within the first year. The analysis offered in this book should be especially useful to college educators and administrators working with African-American students.