Differential Effects of Predictors of College Enrollment for Would-Be First-Generation and Continuing-Generation College Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: First-Generation College Students: Perspectives and Processes

Abstract

The college choice process is thought to differ between working-class and middle-class students due to factors such as differential access to familial cultural capital. Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling with logistic regression and a nationally representative sample of adolescents from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, I find that the influences of parental aspiration for college and parental advice are weaker predictors of college enrollment for students whose parents have no experience in higher education. Conversely, the influence of a non-familial predictor of college-going, calculus coursework in high school, is a stronger predictor of college-going for would-be first-generation students. These findings highlight the greater importance of strong college counseling and academic preparation for students without a familial history of college-going.

Author

• Serena Hinz, Vanderbilt University