Advising is one of the most important resources available to college students, especially historically underrepresented first-generation students. While research suggests various student groups might benefit from specific approaches and promising new practices, but few have focused on Latinx students at research universities. In this qualitative study, I explore recently graduated, first-generation Latinx students' experiences with advising to understand how these experiences might be improved. Drawing on 16 interviews with recent Latinx graduates, I found Latinx students described helpful advisors as: (a) cultivating caring relationships, (b) being informed about curriculum, policies, and procedures, and as (c) sharing common identity-based experiences related to being Latinx and/or being a first-generation student. Conversely, Latinx students suggested advisors hindered them when: (d) they had limited time for students, (e) were distracted by other duties and technologies, (f) exhibited biases in their advising, and (g) failed to validate. The results of this study can directly inform the creation of more equitable and culturally competent advising practices that support first-generation Latinx students in achieving academic success.
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