A Taste for Selectivity or Necessity? How Social Class Shapes College Application Decisions

• In Event: 2359 - Higher Education

Abstract

Despite increased access to postsecondary education, the U.S. educational system continues to stratify society. College selectivity has become more important in determining the chances that a student will graduate, her future occupational status and her potential earnings. Low-income students are less likely to attend highly selective schools, yet benefit the most when they do. However, we know little about how students, especially low-income students, decide which colleges to apply to and eventually attend – in particular we lack knowledge about how they evaluate and weigh their college options. Do all students value college selectivity the same? Drawing upon interviews with 89 juniors and seniors at two racially and socioeconomically diverse high schools, I examine how social class structures the way students assess their college options. I find that youth with at least one college-educated parent know more about colleges, make finer distinctions between schools, and display a taste for selectivity. Youth without college-educated parents know less about colleges, make broader distinctions between them, and display a taste for necessity when making application decisions. These variations in how students assess colleges and weigh their options affects which colleges students apply to, which in turn influences where they eventually enroll.

Author

• Megan M. Holland, State University of New York-Buffalo