The Social Prerequisites of Success: Can College Structure Reduce the Need for Social Know-How?
- 1 March 2003
- journal article
- other
- Published by SAGE Publications in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
- Vol. 586 (1), 120-143
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716202250216
Abstract
A study of fourteen colleges finds that community colleges require certain kinds of social know-how—skills and knowledge less available to disadvantaged students. They present seven obstacles: (1) bureaucratic hurdles, (2) confusing choices, (3) student-initiated guidance, (4) limited counselor availability, (5) poor advice from staff, (6) delayed detection of costly mistakes, and (7) poor handling of conflicting demands. However, we find that a very different kind of college—the private occupational college—takes steps to structure out the need for this social know-how and address the needs of disadvantaged students. We speculate about possible policy implications.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
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- Proprietary Schools and Their StudentsThe Journal of Higher Education, 1993