First Generation at Yale: Understanding Liberal Arts

Yale’s undergraduate program is rooted in the liberal arts. Students explore many subject areas to develop the skills and ways of thinking that will prepare them for positions of leadership in any profession. Current Yale students and recent graduates from first-generation and low-income (FGLI) backgrounds describe their journey through Yale’s flexible and supportive liberal arts program. The liberal arts approach can seem impractical and abstract at first, but ultimately it empowers students to reach their goals with hard work while exposing students to wonderfully unexpected experiences and insights.