March 13, 2007
Scandals of Higher Education
Andrew Delbanco in the New York Review of Books:
It is hardly surprising that lots of rich kids go to America's richest colleges. It has always been so. But today's students are richer on average than their predecessors. Between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s, in a sample of eleven prestigious colleges, the percentage of students from families in the bottom quartile of national family income remained roughly steady— around 10 percent. During the same period the percentage of students from the top quartile rose sharply, from a little more than one third to fully half. If the upscale shops and restaurants near campus are any indication, the trend has continued if not accelerated. And if the sample is broadened to include the top 150 colleges, the percentage of students from the bottom quartile drops to 3 percent.[2] In short, there are very few poor students at America's top colleges, and a large and growing number of rich ones.
More here.
Posted by Abbas Raza at 12:16 PM | Permalink
Comments
Although the fancy obfuscating words make it sound impressive, "top quartile" means a household income of 75k$/yr. That means two parents who make 37.5k$/yr each. These are hardly members of the elite rich.
Posted by: Xerxes | Mar 13, 2007 4:13:00 PM
Interesting that you should post a photo of Columbia's "Alma Mater" -- I just released a podcast interview with a Columbia alum in which we discuss the "invisible middle" of the race/class/gender triumvirate at length, and the divide that students from working class backgrounds must traverse in the world of higher education and later in their professional lives.
You can listen in at:
http://1000timesno.net/?p=128
As they say in London, "Mind the gap."
Posted by: Jen | Mar 13, 2007 5:02:48 PM
Jen, I suppose I posted that photo because I myself am a Columbia alumnus. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out...
Posted by: Abbas Raza | Mar 13, 2007 5:27:26 PM
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