364: Financial Aid Explained for First-Gen Students and Their Families with Erica Hernandez

In this episode of the Grad School Femtoring podcast, I talk with first-generation college graduate and seasoned Bay Area admissions consultant, Erica Hernandez, about financial aid for first-gen students and their families. Erica shares how growing up in the Bay Area with limited guidance shaped her work helping families ask better questions about financial aid beyond just income, including factors schools consider and the separation between admissions and financial aid decisions. We discuss common misconceptions among middle and upper-middle income first-gen parents, the “middle-income gap,” and why families need 5–10+ year planning to build and preserve wealth. Erica also breaks down differences between public and private institutions and why students should also think about grad school in this process.