College acceptance does not always result in college enrollment for students from marginalized backgrounds. Many of these students traveled a bumpy road to twelfth grade from kindergarten, come from low SES backgrounds and may also be first-generation college students. Students from marginalized backgrounds have a higher probability of experiencing summer melt (Castleman, 2014). Summer melt occurs when college-intending students meet all the criteria set forth by their college of choice, gain acceptance into college, yet fail to enroll in the fall following their high school graduation (Rall, 2016). Not much is known about how students experience summer melt. A vast majority of summer melt research is quantitative and therefore cannot inform the field of counseling about how students experience summer melt. Using qualitative inquiry and a critical race lens, the current study aimed to understand how first-generation, Blacks students of low SES experience the phenomenon of summer melt. These students experience the educational system differently than White students and, in many cases, their other non-White peers. The findings of this study suggest that being both first-generation and low-SES increases the probability of experiencing summer melt and reveal a spectrum of emotions related to how the participants experienced summer melt. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]