Social Class and Career Prestige Perceptions at U.S. Elite Colleges

• In Event: Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 15. Meritocracy

Abstract

Elite colleges are widely seen as gateways to diverse careers, yet nearly 70 percent of graduates enter a narrow set of professional paths, particularly finance, consulting, law, medicine, and technology. This concentration is often attributed to powerful career prestige systems embedded within elite campuses. While occupational prestige is typically treated as universally understood, this study shows that its meaning is not shared uniformly. Drawing on 37 in-depth interviews and a survey of 1,163 undergraduates across two Ivy League institutions, I examine how students perceive the career prestige system and how these perceptions shape their career pursuits. Although students widely recognize a dominant prestige hierarchy, their responses diverge along class lines. Higher-income students tend to view elite professional careers as the “natural next step” in a high-achieving trajectory, emphasizing their signaling and strategic value. Lower-income students are more likely to question the underlying value system and prioritize authenticity and social impact. These findings highlight a cultural dimension of inequality within elite institutions, where definitions of a “good” career are themselves class-differentiated.

Author

• Minseo Baek, London Business School