<ul><li>The author, a first-generation graduate student, felt out of place among some of their wealthier classmates at Columbia Journalism School.</li><li>While their classmates could afford to attend graduate school full time, the author had to continue working and attending school part-time.</li><li>The author struggled to fit in with their wealthier classmates, but they were motivated by their experiences and eventually found success.</li><li>Despite feeling like a working-class outsider, the author has now paid off most of their debt and enjoys traveling the world.</li></ul>

I'm a first-generation grad student who went to an Ivy League school. I couldn't measure up to some of my rich classmates.

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