The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the experiences of persistent, first-generation students. The author conducted in-depth interviews with 28 white, first-generation, working-class students. The author found three patterns of adjustment among these students. First, slightly more than half of the students seemed well-integrated into campus life. Second, about a quarter of the students experienced persistent and debilitating feelings of marginality. Finally, another quarter overcame their feelings of marginality en route to becoming socially and academically engaged.