College Students from Poverty: Academic Success and Authenticity

It is commonly accepted that college students from poverty have disadvantages contributing to expected likelihood of failure. This four-year longitudinal study of a group of college students from poverty reveals a different picture. Given adequate financial support removing financial worries, these students have done better than their college peers. Academic success is associated with authenticity, a personality characteristic that cuts across all college students. We suggest that bias in education and research has led us to overlook the power of genuine financial support of students from poverty, as well as the strengths they bring with them that "money can't buy."