Selling Hope and College

Alex Posecznick

Description

It has long been assumed that college admission should be a simple matter of sorting students according to merit, with the best heading off to the Ivy League and highly ranked liberal arts colleges and the rest falling naturally into their rightful places. Admission to selective institutions, where extremely fine distinctions are made, is characterized by heated public debates about whether standardized exams, high school transcripts, essays, recommendation letters, or interviews best indicate which prospective students are "worthy."And then there is college for everyone else. But what goes into less-selective college admissions in an era when everyone feels compelled to go, regardless of preparation or life goals? "Ravenwood College," where Alex Posecznick spent a year doing ethnographic research, was a small, private, nonprofit institution dedicated to social justice and serving traditionally underprepared students from underrepresented minority groups. To survive in the higher education marketplace, the college had to operate like a business and negotiate complex categories of merit while painting a hopeful picture of the future for its applicants. Selling Hope and College is a snapshot of a particular type of institution as it goes about the business of producing itself and justifying its place in the market. Admissions staff members were burdened by low enrollments and worked tirelessly to fill empty seats, even as they held on to the institution's special spirit. Posecznick documents what it takes to keep a "mediocre" institution open and running, and the struggles, tensions, and battles that members of the community tangle with daily as they carefully walk the line between empowering marginalized students and exploiting them.

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• University
• Social class
• Higher education

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 25 avril 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501708404
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

SeLLIng Hope and CoLLege

SeLLIng Hope and CoLLege

Merît, Markets, and Recruîtment în an Unranked School

ALex PosecznIck

ïR Press an ImprInt of CorneLL UnIversIty Press ïthaca and ondon

Côî © 2017  Côé Uîéŝî

A îŝ éŝéé. Eçé ô îé qûôàîôŝ î à éîé, îŝ ôô, ô àŝ ééô, ûŝ ô é éôûçé î à ô îôû éîŝŝîô î îî ô é ûîŝé. Fô îôàîô, àéŝŝ Côé Uîéŝî Péŝŝ, Sàé Hôûŝé, 512 Eàŝ Sàé Séé, ïàçà, Né Yô 14850.

Fîŝ ûîŝé 2017  Côé Uîéŝî Péŝŝ Fîŝ îî, Côé Pàéàçŝ, 2017

Pîé î é Uîé Sàéŝ ô Aéîçà

îà ô Côéŝŝ Cààôî-î-Pûîçàîô Dàà

Nàéŝ: Pôŝéçîç, Aéàé, àûô. Tîé: Séî ôé à çôéé : éî, àéŝ, à éçûîé î à  ûàé ŝçôô / Aé Pôŝéçîç. Déŝçîîô: ïàçà ; ôô : Côé Uîéŝî Péŝŝ, 2017. | ïçûéŝ  îîôàîçà éééçéŝ à îé. ïéîiéŝ: CCN 2016037422 (î) | CCN 2016037909 (éôô) |  ïSBN 9781501707582 (çô : à. àé) | ïSBN 9781501709821 (. : à.  àé) | ïSBN 9781501708398 (éû/ôî) | ïSBN 9781501708404 ( ) Sûjéçŝ: CSH: Uîéŝîîéŝ à çôééŝ—Uîé Sàéŝ—Aîŝŝîô. |  Uîéŝîîéŝ à çôééŝ—Uîé Sàéŝ—Aîîŝàîô. Càŝŝîiçàîô: CC B2351.2 .P675 2017 (î) | CC B2351.2 (éôô) |  DDC 378.1/610973—ç23 C éçô ààîàé à ŝ://çç.ôç.ô/2016037422

Côé Uîéŝî Péŝŝ ŝîéŝ ô ûŝé éîôéà éŝôŝîé ŝûîéŝ à àéîàŝ ô é ûéŝ éé ôŝŝîé î é ûîŝî ô îŝ ôôŝ. Sûç àéîàŝ îçûé ééàé-àŝé, ô-VOC îŝ à àçî-éé àéŝ à àé éççé, ôà çôîé-éé, ô à çôôŝé ô ôôô iéŝ. Fô ûé îôàîô, îŝî ôû éŝîé à .çôééŝŝ.çôé.éû.

Côé éŝî  ŝûîô.çô.

Tîŝ ôô îŝ éîçàé ô ééôé ô àŝ ôé ô ôéçôé é îîŝîîî à çôéŝ î éîôçî—à îŝ, ôŝ ô ûŝ

Péàçé Açôééŝ

Contents

ïôûçîô: A Uçéàî Béîî

1. Eàôîà Méîôçî

2. Hô ô Sé Hôé à Môîî

3. ï’ŝ A àôû é Nûéŝ

4. Béî à “Réà” Côéé î Aéîçà

5. Fîàçî Eûçàîô à é Cîŝîŝ ô Sûŝàîàîî

Côçûŝîô: Wîé Ràéôô Côéé?

Nôéŝ Réééçéŝ ïé

î î

1 17 40 79 113 148 178

187 199 209

Preface

“Hé Béà,” Déà éî ŝàî éàî îô é ôiçé, “ï à ôû ô éé Aé—é’ŝ ôî ô é ôî à éŝéàç ôjéç î ûŝ.” M éà ŝôàé. Fô ôŝ ï à éé ééî î àîŝŝîôŝ ôiçéŝ ô àçôŝŝ é éîô î à àé ô àî àççéŝŝ ô à éŝéàç ŝîé ô îŝ éôà ô çôéé àîŝŝîôŝ. ï à éé éiî  àôàç à àûéŝ, û éŝôŝéŝ ô àîŝŝîôŝ ôiçéŝ àé ô éàŝéàîô ô ôéŝé. Oé ŝî ôŝ, ôŝ ô  àéŝ à éé ôô-û àôàçéŝ, û à Ràéôô, î àŝ é ô-ô àôàç à ià îéé à ŝîé î- î ô ô î é. A Ràéôô éà î  éŝôà éô îô- ûçé é ô Ràéôô’ŝ é éŝîé, ô é îôûçé é ô é éà ô àîŝŝîôŝ, Kà éî. Wé éî ôéé ô îôûçé é ô îŝ ŝà àé ôû iŝ ééî, ï ôû î àŝ jûŝ à ôîé éŝûé—ûî é àôé éçàé. “Aççéŝŝ àçîéé,” ï ôû ô ŝé. O çôûŝé, î éôŝéç, îŝ ôîô ô àççéŝŝ ŝééŝ àôŝ qûàî, à î ûî ôéé îŝ ôô, ï àé ôû ô à çàéû àôû jûŝ à ï à àççéŝŝ ô à ô  ôî ô é àŝ ŝàé àéé à àŝ.