If the intellectual worth of a college degree can be accurately measured, more people will seek higher education—and come out better thinkers.

When Nijay Williams entered college last fall as a first-generation student and Jamaican immigrant, he was academically unprepared for the rigors of higher education.

Many first-generation students "struggle to navigate the middle-class culture of higher education, learn the 'rules of the game', and take advantage of college resources," they write.