Class in Colleges: How Social Class Shapes Where High-Achieving Students Apply to College

• In Event: 523 - Section on Sociology of Education Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 19. Social Class, Sexuality, and Education: Session II

Abstract

Research has shown that social class shapes where students apply to college. Low-income, high-achieving students are less likely than their higher-income counterparts to apply to selective colleges. The dominant explanation for this difference centers on low-income students’ lack of knowledge about selective colleges. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with students from the Bay Area, California, I show that in addition to knowledge, there are push and pull factors that shape where low-income, high achieving students apply to college. Low-income students tend to apply to in-state colleges, primarily the public CSU and UC colleges and a couple of private universities. Middle/high-income students, on the other hand, are more likely to apply to out-of-state universities, especially Ivy League colleges and liberal arts colleges. Family obligations and parental fears of students’ well-being pull low-income students to consider colleges close to home. At the same time, low-income students lack meaningful experiences away from home or in new environments, pushing them away from considering out of state institutions due to their discomfort of attending college in unfamiliar areas. In contrast, higher-income students possess multiple experiences outside of California (e.g. college visits, vacations, participation in sports or other activities) and their parents place few geographic restrictions on where they can consider colleges. The findings of this research draw our attention to the importance of family barriers and meaningful experience in new environments in our explanations of social class differences in college applications.

Author

• Yang V Lor, UC Berkeley