Improving the College Application Process of Low-Income Students

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: Expanding the Field of Diversity Research in Psychology and Education

Abstract

Despite their increasing college plans, low-income students have great difficulties in applying to college. This study reports a comparison of three high schools, and examines how school counseling procedures shape students' application process. In the urban school which lets students direct their own search, we find that students make seemingly rational inferences that are often mistaken and harmful to their outcomes. In contrast, we find that an urban school (with similar low income students) uses systematic advising procedures that resemble those in the suburban school, so that low income students engage in the same productive strategies as upper-middle-class suburban students. Final paper will test interview results with statistical analyses of outcomes for all students.

Author

• Claudia Elena Zapata, Northwestern University