When looking at American society, a lot is determined by what class you are born into. Even as more and more students from the lower classes are attending college, they are still limited as to the opportunities they are presented with. In the article “College Choice and the Success of Working-Class Students,” it discusses the factors influencing working-class student’s college choices and how they fair in different environments. These factors include cost of attendance, distance, and any financial aid given by the school. The essential argument however, is the “undermatching” of working class college students to their scholastic abilities and achievements.
The argument is that because working class students lack the funds to go to an elite college or they don’t believe they have the knowledge to, they often second guess themselves, enrolling at a less selective university. This action alone puts them at a competitive disadvantage because once they graduate, they will be competing against graduates from Ivy League schools. This keeps the class system the same and limits the working class students from moving up in society because as employers, graduates who come from elite schools with more credibility are more likely to get the job. The fact that students don’t try to enroll in more selective schools is an indicator of their self esteem. In addition, this also indicates how much a family can afford to pay for their child to attend college and how comfortable they are in a new environment. I think that it’s unfortunate that students are unable to go to a college they want to because of reasons they cannot control. In relation to cost of attendance, it’s a lose-lose situation because if you want to go to a college but don’t have enough money, you have to take out a loan and put yourself in debt.
In the article, it also talks about the professors at less selective universities making the course less rigorous because they know the working class students is more busy outside of school. Since they lack the funds to pay entirely for school and even financial aid may not cover the cost, they often work to pay for the difference. For a student who is used to being surrounded by people of their same socio-economic background, being in an elite setting is somewhat uncomfortable and may make them feel out casted. The one positive, however, is that this may drive the working class student to succeed at a higher rate because they feel as if they have to prove them that they belong. What is sad is the fact that working class students are forced to settle instead of being able to go to the dream school. In the less selective schools, seeing that working class students are surrounded by people from their socio-economic background they are less likely to push themselves and only settle. As we move into a new era where the social as well as economic classes become more divided and more students are attending college, we have to think about how to even the playing field. How can we change the face of America’s class problem if we don’t give our youth the proper tools to change the system?
College Costs Hit Working Class Students - VIDEO
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This phenomenon that you have brought up has had a great affect on my life. My freshman year of college I went to Temple University which cost around $19,000 a year for a student from out of state. There was an issue with my financial aid package and in the end my parents ended up having to pay for most of the year and I took out loans to cover the rest. For my sophomore year I transferred to Rutgers University, the state university of New Jersey, and commuted from home for about $9,000 a year. Unfortunately even this proved to be too expensive for me as my family fell on difficult times financially and I was unable to work full time and go to school full time making it hard to come up with the money. I had to make a decision to take out loans for the full amount or take time off of school. I chose the latter option, feeling extremely intimidated by the idea of getting out of school with all of that debt hanging over me. After 2 years of working full time and contributing to my family’s income, my parents finally got to the point where they were struggling so badly they were in danger of losing our home and we had to move. The saddest part is that it had been in my family since my great grandparents. At that point I had an opportunity to move down here to Miami with someone else and so I decided to try and see if I could find a job at the University of Miami because I knew they would then cover at least some of my schooling. After six months of applying to every position I could, I was fortunate enough to get hired. I now work full time and get to go to school part time for free. I am very fortunate for this opportunity because without it, I never would be able to go to such a nice private institution such as UM. However, even within my opportunity I am limited by my need to work full time while I am in school. After my advising meeting for the spring semester I found out that I would have to change my major to something other than Education because there is no way I can work full time and fulfill the field experience required and if I didn’t work then my tuition wouldn’t be paid for and I couldn’t go to school here. So, I am very fortunate but I am also limited by the need to support myself.
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