Inequality In College

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Federal data collected throughout the past decade has shown that only 5% of students from the lowest quartile of socioeconomic status went to the 193 most selective colleges in the United States. [Madden] What is the cause of this? What is hindering low-income students from achieving success at the collegiate level? This is the mystery that was explored in “Why Poor Student Struggle” by Vicki Madden, “College Cost Isn’t Poor Students Big Problem” by Christopher Flavelle, and “Community College Students Face a Long Road to Graduation” by Ginia Bellafante. While some might say that low-income students uninformed of the access to financial aid, their inherent lack of intelligence, or struggles with passing a college level class are what causes …show more content…
For example, in the article “Why Poor Students Struggle”, this idea is really explored, and it is stated that, “In spite of our collective belief that education is the engine for climbing the socioeconomic ladder — the heart of the “American dream” myth — colleges now are more divided by wealth than ever. When lower-income students start college, they often struggle to finish for many reasons, but social isolation and alienation can be big factors.” Madden addresses the fact while we might believe if we work hard enough that we’ll be able to make more money and be part of the wealthier class of Americans, it is sometimes impossible due to students struggling in college from the treatment of social isolation and feeling that they don’t belong. Madden goes on to explain more on this and says, “They’ve grown up in New York City, so they’ve hung out on the High Line, eaten sushi, visited museums and colleges on class trips. Their adjustment to college life in small towns hits different bumps than mine did.” The author is trying to say that since students of low income tend to live in urban areas, like cities, they are not as used to the life in more suburban and secluded areas, where most of the top colleges are located. They also get judged by their appearance, like sometimes being told not wear hoodies at night, and feel insecure about themselves. [Madden] The feel like they don’t belong and also feel secluded, causing them to either drop out or reconsider going in the first place. Some may say that the reason low-income students drop out or reconsider going is because they are struggling, or worry about struggling, at the classes given in college. However, many students, as mentioned in the article “Why Poor Students Struggle”, feel like they don’t belong or the college
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