Synopses & Reviews
Most of us think that valedictorians can write their own ticket. By reaching the top of their class they have proven their merit, so their next logical step should be to attend the nationandrsquo;s very best universities. Yet in
Top Student, Top School?, Alexandria Walton Radford, of RTI International, reveals that many valedictorians do not enroll in prestigious institutions. Employing an original five-state study that surveyed nine hundred public high school valedictorians, she sets out to determine when and why valedictorians end up at less selective schools, showing that social class makes all the difference.and#160;Radford traces valedictoriansandrsquo; paths to college and presents damning evidence that high schools do not provide sufficient guidance on crucial factors affecting college selection, such as reputation, financial aid, and even the application process itself. Left in a bewildering environment of seemingly similar options, many students depend on their parents for assistanceandmdash;and this allows social class to rear its head and have a profound impact on where students attend. Simply put, parents from less affluent backgrounds are far less informed about differences in collegesandrsquo; quality, the college application process, and financial aid options, which significantly limits their childandrsquo;s chances of attending a competitive school, even when their child has already managed to become valedictorian.and#160;
Top Student, Top School? pinpoints an overlooked yet critical juncture in the education process, one that stands as a barrier to class mobility. By focusing solely on valedictorians, it shows that studentsandrsquo; paths diverge by social class even when they are similarly well-prepared academically, and this divergence is traceable to specific failures by society, failures that we can and should address.
Watch an interview of Alexandria Walton Radford discussing her book here:and#160;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F81c1D1BpY0
Review
Both supporters and opponents of affirmative action are likely to find ammunition in Thomas J. Espenshade's and Alexandria Walton Radford's book. . . . The authors provide a fascinating peek inside the admissions process at several unnamed universities. -- Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Book This is a big book, exhaustively researched and packed full of facts, numbers, and prose. . . . No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal is a must-have reference for everyone who pays attention to race and class controversies in higher education. -- Robert VerBruggen, National Review Ultimately, [the authors] argue that the most important step toward eliminating inequity in higher education and society is to close the achievement gap, and they call for the creation of an effort on the scale of the Manhattan Project to do it. -- Angela P. Dodson, Diverse Education With this incisive new book, Espenshade and Walton Radford explore the dynamics of differential college access and success in extraordinary detail. . . . The book's most significant contribution may be its persuasive, data-based analysis of affirmative action. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in higher education's role in creating a more equitable society. -- Diversity & Democracy The authors cover a broad range of elite college admission issues that go beyond race and class, offering detailed perspectives on affirmative action. Researchers of equity issues in higher education, particularly in the selective college admission process as well as college counseling professionals will find, in this thorough and extensive work of research, tools to help clear up what may seem 'mysterious or secret' in the selective college admission process. -- Joe Adegboyega-Edun, NACACNet Espenshade and Radford have produced a highly valuable book packed with useful race-based information relating to admission, academic performance, and ethnic group interaction on elite college campuses. . . . The data offers sound arguments for the need to not only continue race-sensitive affirmative action both in college and graduate school admissions but also in the workplace. -- Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Review
"Both supporters and opponents of affirmative action are likely to find ammunition in Thomas J. Espenshade's and Alexandria Walton Radford's book. . . . The authors provide a fascinating peek inside the admissions process at several unnamed universities."--Richard D. Kahlenberg, The Book, the online review at New Republic
Review
"This is a big book, exhaustively researched and packed full of facts, numbers, and prose. . . . No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal is a must-have reference for everyone who pays attention to race and class controversies in higher education."--Robert VerBruggen, National Review
Review
"Ultimately, [the authors] argue that the most important step toward eliminating inequity in higher education and society is to close the achievement gap, and they call for the creation of an effort on the scale of the Manhattan Project to do it."--Angela P. Dodson, Diverse Education
Review
"With this incisive new book, Espenshade and Walton Radford explore the dynamics of differential college access and success in extraordinary detail. . . . The book's most significant contribution may be its persuasive, data-based analysis of affirmative action. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in higher education's role in creating a more equitable society."--Diversity and Democracy
Review
"The authors cover a broad range of elite college admission issues that go beyond race and class, offering detailed perspectives on affirmative action. Researchers of equity issues in higher education, particularly in the selective college admission process as well as college counseling professionals will find, in this thorough and extensive work of research, tools to help clear up what may seem 'mysterious or secret' in the selective college admission process."--Joe Adegboyega-Edun, NACACNet
Review
"Espenshade and Radford have produced a highly valuable book packed with useful race-based information relating to admission, academic performance, and ethnic group interaction on elite college campuses. . . . The data offers sound arguments for the need to not only continue race-sensitive affirmative action both in college and graduate school admissions but also in the workplace."--Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Review
"The thoughtful work of Espenshade and Radford represented in this significant volume should be just the beginning of the next phase of the ongoing national conversation about he role of higher education in providing equality of opportunity and social mobility. This book provides a useful framework for additional research and policy development."--Jonathan Alger, Journal of College and University Law
Review
"Espenshade and Radford have produced the most comprehensive and best study yet of admissions and race relations in America's leading colleges and universities."--Steven Brint, American Journal of Education
Review
Winner of the 2011 Pierre Bourdieu Book Award, Sociology of Education Section of the American Sociological Association
Review
andldquo;Radford has carefully documented an ongoing polarisation of privilege while putting forward pragmatic suggestions for improvement.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Top Student, Top School?and#160;is accessible, insightful, and clearly written. The story Radford tells is a disappointing one that highlights the intransigence of social class in shaping educational outcomes and the inadequacies of the college guidance that the high-achieving students in Radfordandrsquo;s study received from their high schools. It shines light on the mechanisms that sort even the highest-performing students into predictable paths based on their social class.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;In the college admissions process, Americaandrsquo;s brightest high school seniors compete on anything but a level playing field. In examining how valedictorians and their parents negotiate the six stages of the processandmdash;predisposition, preparation, exploration, application, admissions, and matriculationandmdash;higher education expert Radford (No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal: Race and Class in Elite College Admissions) provides a wealth of data on the key role of andlsquo;socioeconomic statusandrsquo;.andrdquo;
Review
and#8220;A valuable contribution to our knowledge on class inequalities in college destinations. While scholars have recognized that class affects educational transitions even when holding academic performance constant, to my knowledge no one has specifically examined how class affects academically elite studentsand#8217; postsecondary transitions. Radfordand#8217;s book starkly shows these effects exist and are large, informs us of how they happen, and points to ways policy makers can counteract them to increase the representation of high-achieving, low-SES students in selective colleges. Selective colleges in the United States have the mission of developing the talents of the most academically successful students, but Radfordand#8217;s book demonstrates they are failing to fulfill it, making her findings all the more powerful and necessary.and#8221;
Review
andldquo;Ample research has shown that academic preparation is an important predictor of postsecondary enrollment and success as well as an important factor explaining the social class gap in college choices and outcomes. What Top Student, Top School? illuminates is the power of social class to influence pathways even for students who are academically prepared to pursue higher educationandmdash;indeed who are prepared to enroll in educational institutions at the top of the hierarchy. It is a well-crafted and insightful study of the college-choice process and the role of social class in shaping educational decisions and postsecondary trajectories.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Education is supposed to be the great equalizer. The mixed methods evidence presented by Alexandria Walton Radford in Top Student, Top School? insightfully shows why this still may not be true in the United States. She demonstrates that even the most high-achieving and motivated students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds need a steady supply of accurate information and guidance about every step of the college destination process in order to make similar college choices as their peers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Top Student, Top School? is an important, well-conceived, and well-written study. The topic addressed is of critical importance. Higher education is meant to facilitate social mobility, but a large body of research suggests it instead reproduces inequality. Here Alexandria Walton Radford gives us a much better understanding of the mechanisms that prevent higher education from achieving this central goal.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The truth about America's elite colleges and universities--who gets in, who succeeds, and why
Against the backdrop of today's increasingly multicultural society, are America's elite colleges admitting and successfully educating a diverse student body? No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal pulls back the curtain on the selective college experience and takes a rigorous and comprehensive look at how race and social class impact each stage--from application and admission, to enrollment and student life on campus. Arguing that elite higher education contributes to both social mobility and inequality, the authors investigate such areas as admission advantages for minorities, academic achievement gaps tied to race and class, unequal burdens in paying for tuition, and satisfaction with college experiences.
The book's analysis is based on data provided by the National Survey of College Experience, collected from more than nine thousand students who applied to one of ten selective colleges between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The authors explore the composition of applicant pools, factoring in background and selective admission enhancement strategies--including AP classes, test-prep courses, and extracurriculars--to assess how these strengthen applications. On campus, the authors examine roommate choices, friendship circles, and degrees of social interaction, and discover that while students from different racial and class circumstances are not separate in college, they do not mix as much as one might expect. The book encourages greater interaction among student groups and calls on educational institutions to improve access for students of lower socioeconomic status.
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal offers valuable insights into the intricate workings of America's elite higher education system.
Synopsis
"This original and important book contributes to our understanding of college admissions, as well as the interracial social experiences and growing economic inequality in selective higher education today. Particularly interesting are the simulations of what racial and class compositions might be under different types of admissions criteria, including race-blind and class-sensitive conditions."
--Caroline Hodges Persell, New York University"I am impressed by the depth and breadth of this well-written and accessible book--it represents an important contribution to the literature about how race and class affect college admissions and student life."--Elizabeth A. Duffy, Head Master, The Lawrenceville School
Synopsis
Against the backdrop of today's increasingly multicultural society, are America's elite colleges admitting and successfully educating a diverse student body?
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal pulls back the curtain on the selective college experience and takes a rigorous and comprehensive look at how race and social class impact each stage--from application and admission, to enrollment and student life on campus. Arguing that elite higher education contributes to both social mobility and inequality, the authors investigate such areas as admission advantages for minorities, academic achievement gaps tied to race and class, unequal burdens in paying for tuition, and satisfaction with college experiences.
The book's analysis is based on data provided by the National Survey of College Experience, collected from more than nine thousand students who applied to one of ten selective colleges between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The authors explore the composition of applicant pools, factoring in background and "selective admission enhancement strategies"--including AP classes, test-prep courses, and extracurriculars--to assess how these strengthen applications. On campus, the authors examine roommate choices, friendship circles, and degrees of social interaction, and discover that while students from different racial and class circumstances are not separate in college, they do not mix as much as one might expect. The book encourages greater interaction among student groups and calls on educational institutions to improve access for students of lower socioeconomic status.
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal offers valuable insights into the intricate workings of America's elite higher education system.
Synopsis
Against the backdrop of today's increasingly multicultural society, are America's elite colleges admitting and successfully educating a diverse student body? No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal pulls back the curtain on the selective college experience and takes a rigorous and comprehensive look at how race and social class impact each stage--from application and admission, to enrollment and student life on campus. Arguing that elite higher education contributes to both social mobility and inequality, the authors investigate such areas as admission advantages for minorities, academic achievement gaps tied to race and class, unequal burdens in paying for tuition, and satisfaction with college experiences.
The book's analysis is based on data provided by the National Survey of College Experience, collected from more than nine thousand students who applied to one of ten selective colleges between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The authors explore the composition of applicant pools, factoring in background and "selective admission enhancement strategies"--including AP classes, test-prep courses, and extracurriculars--to assess how these strengthen applications. On campus, the authors examine roommate choices, friendship circles, and degrees of social interaction, and discover that while students from different racial and class circumstances are not separate in college, they do not mix as much as one might expect. The book encourages greater interaction among student groups and calls on educational institutions to improve access for students of lower socioeconomic status.
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal offers valuable insights into the intricate workings of America's elite higher education system.
Synopsis
"This original and important book contributes to our understanding of college admissions, as well as the interracial social experiences and growing economic inequality in selective higher education today. Particularly interesting are the simulations of what racial and class compositions might be under different types of admissions criteria, including race-blind and class-sensitive conditions."--Caroline Hodges Persell, New York University
"I am impressed by the depth and breadth of this well-written and accessible book--it represents an important contribution to the literature about how race and class affect college admissions and student life."--Elizabeth A. Duffy, Head Master, The Lawrenceville School
Synopsis
Against the backdrop of today's increasingly multicultural society, are America's elite colleges admitting and successfully educating a diverse student body?
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal pulls back the curtain on the selective college experience and takes a rigorous and comprehensive look at how race and social class impact each stage--from application and admission, to enrollment and student life on campus. Arguing that elite higher education contributes to both social mobility and inequality, the authors investigate such areas as admission advantages for minorities, academic achievement gaps tied to race and class, unequal burdens in paying for tuition, and satisfaction with college experiences.
The book's analysis is based on data provided by the National Survey of College Experience, collected from more than nine thousand students who applied to one of ten selective colleges between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The authors explore the composition of applicant pools, factoring in background and "selective admission enhancement strategies"--including AP classes, test-prep courses, and extracurriculars--to assess how these strengthen applications. On campus, the authors examine roommate choices, friendship circles, and degrees of social interaction, and discover that while students from different racial and class circumstances are not separate in college, they do not mix as much as one might expect. The book encourages greater interaction among student groups and calls on educational institutions to improve access for students of lower socioeconomic status.
No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal offers valuable insights into the intricate workings of America's elite higher education system.
Synopsis
"This original and important book contributes to our understanding of college admissions, as well as the interracial social experiences and growing economic inequality in selective higher education today. Particularly interesting are the simulations of what racial and class compositions might be under different types of admissions criteria, including race-blind and class-sensitive conditions."--Caroline Hodges Persell, New York University
"I am impressed by the depth and breadth of this well-written and accessible book--it represents an important contribution to the literature about how race and class affect college admissions and student life."--Elizabeth A. Duffy, Head Master, The Lawrenceville School
About the Author
Thomas J. Espenshade is professor of sociology at Princeton University. Alexandria Walton Radford completed her PhD in sociology at Princeton University and is the associate director of postsecondary education at MPR Associates Inc. in Washington, DC.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xvii
Chapter One: Overview 1
Chapter Two: Preparing for College 14
Chapter Three: What Counts in Being Admitted? 62
Chapter Four: The Entering Freshman Class 130
Chapter Five: Mixing and Mingling on Campus 176
Chapter Six: Academic Performance 226
Chapter Seven: Shouldering the Financial Burden 263
Chapter Eight: Broader Perspectives on the Selective College Experience 298
Chapter Nine: Do We Still Need Affirmative Action? 339
Chapter Ten: Where Do We Go from Here? 378
Appendix A: The NSCE Database 411
Appendix B: Notes on Methodology 431
Appendix C: Additional Tables 462
References 483
Index 523