Sociological Approach
Hossler and Bontrager (2015) state that the sociological approach focuses on the early stages of one's college journey and "emphasizes the influences of social and cultural capital" (p. 51). Thus, this theory highlights one's social context, such as their social class, community, and high school, as well as parental involvement and expectations.
Throughout my first essay, my environment was a strong predisposition that contributed toward my expectation of attending college. Due to my parents' middle-class status, their cultural and social capital garnered them certain knowledge sets. My mother knew how to research for the best school districts and suburbs using the internet, as well as employ her social network of coworkers, college friends,
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They placed a great deal of emphasis on getting good grades in order to attend college. In addition to my immediate family, my extended family continuously asked where I was attending college, if I needed information on schools they attended, or how they could help in my search. With a plethora of expectations, resources, and social networks, my drive towards higher education was inevitable.
Overall, the sociological approach explains how numerous social factors contributed to my habitus, which influenced my predispositions, search, and college choice. When analyzing my college journey, I realize how I felt "entitled to a particular kind of collegiate education based on [my] family's […] class status" (Sacks, 2007, p. 32). Thus, the sociological approach illuminates how social contexts in my life made me feel entitled to a certain educational path.
Economic
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They would rationalize that a college degree was an invaluable and necessary document within our modern world. In addition, my parents were experts at strategizing finances. We decided to take out smart loans for my college education, which allowed my parents to help finance my interest while I was still in school.
Overall, the economic approach is important in explaining my search process. Although I cannot consciously remember my parents performing a cost-benefit analysis, my college journey was set in motion from the moment my parents moved. Throughout my life, college was always seen as feasible in my mind due to the fact that my parents had the means to navigate financial aid, loans, and help me pay for my bachelor's degree.
Anna Chinero's Elevated By The Train
189 Words | 1 PagesSociety views college as the door way to success. However, many people fail to realize the same effort put into college also needs application after or failure starts creeping in from the side. Anna Chinero, a recent graduate, moved back home after failing to find a job. Chinero concludes her article, “Elevated by the Train”, by expressing, “instead of always looking out toward somewhere else, I’m beginning to look around here, wondering how I can make this neighborhood the better place my parents always sought for me.” Many graduates, like Ana, loose direction in attempting to achieve their dreams they possessed entering college.
Charles Murray Are Too Many People Going To College
299 Words | 2 PagesIn his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.
Are Too Many People Going To College Essay
587 Words | 3 PagesIn my intermediate family not everyone went to college and today they still struggle to find a job that pays them well and can finance them for the things they wish to have. Where my eldest aunt went to college and earned her master’s degree and worked a job she loved that payed well and gave her the opportunity to live happy and comfortably. College does not prepare you for a life of bills and credit but it does prepare you for the profession you are aiming
Summary: Lessons From My Year As A Freshman
795 Words | 4 PagesIn Chapter Seven: Lessons From My Year as a Freshman, Rebekah Nathan summarizes and answers questions on the knowledge she gained from becoming a freshman. The author begins the chapter with a cross-cultural conversation between professors and students. She discusses how professors are not aware of the students living conditions or the effort that goes into achieving a high GPA. Likewise, the students do not understand professor rank and advancement.
James Loewen The Land Of Opportunity Summary
515 Words | 3 PagesIn James W. Loewen’s “The Land of Opportunity,” he states that social class affects the way children are raised. He discusses the inequality in today’s society and how the textbooks in high school do not give any social class information. The students in today’s time are not taught everything they should be taught. He states that your family’s wealth is what makes up your future. Loewen discusses that people with more money can study for the SATs more productively and get a better score than someone who has less money.
We Send Too Many Students To College By Marty Nemko Analysis
980 Words | 4 PagesIs college worth the money? This has been a question asked by millions of high school seniors, current college students, graduates, and parents across the United States. Many argue that it opens more doors over those who chose not to attend while others argue that we send too many students all while increasing the national student loan debt. Author Marty Nemko argues in his article, “We Send too Many Students to College,” that too many students are pushed to go to college. Nemko assumes that those reading his article are parents questioning if college is the right decision for their child.
Why College Is Important To Me Essay
563 Words | 3 PagesAs long as I can remember, I knew that college was going to be part of my future. That is because I always knew what my family expected out of me. College is not only important to me for the reason of making my parents proud, but for making sure that I create more out of myself, as well. With a higher education, I will have more job opportunities available, potentially be able to earn higher income, and obtain more useful life skills than somebody who does not have a college education. To begin, having a college education under my belt is important to me because I will have more opportunities for a job, after I complete my four years.
First Generation College Students
740 Words | 3 PagesParents play a big role in their child’s lives because they provide a sense of direction for them. It is natural for a child to look up to his/her mom or dad. If a young adult doesn’t have the help from their parents who have already experienced college then they are already behind the kids who are able to use their parents as a resource. A quote by Nijay Williams in the article says, “My mom stopped school in the ninth grade; my dad stopped in the fourth grade … It makes it harder for me, [and] most of the people I graduated with are not in college, but that’s what I see myself doing; I want to go to college.
College Admissions Essay: Going To College
821 Words | 4 PagesGoing to college is probably one of the most important things that I have done in my life so far. Thinking back to everything I have done in the past ten years or so, I can see that taking to leap of faith to join college and further my education was such a huge step for me and I am glad that I did. Before I joined Southern New Hampshire University, I knew I would need some motivation to enroll. I remember a story my father told me about how he had gone to Technical College and became a licensed Master Mechanic and that really motivated me to want to further my education. Also, my brother had talked to me about two months ago and had told me his experience with going to college to earn his English degree and me, being the competitive brother I am, didn’t want him to be the only sibling to earn a degree.
Synthesis Essay On Attending College
1019 Words | 5 PagesThere is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives.
Nurse Scholarship Essay
480 Words | 2 PagesAs a first generation student to attend college from a family of seven, the journey to a higher education has been arduous and overwhelming. My family gives me all the encouragement I need and are very optimistic about pursuing a higher degree. Unlike myself, my parents did not have the opportunity to attend college. My parents were born and raised in a small town in Mexico where the highest level of education they received was fifth grade. I have worked since I was 14 years old to support my parents with bills, and also saving for college and my own vehicle.
College Pressures William Zinsser Summary
1083 Words | 5 PagesIn “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, leader of one of the residential colleges at Yale University, the author describes the different amount of pressures that students struggle with in college. Because of his position at the university, he constantly noticed the students around him and the anxiety that was radiating off them. He believes that economic pressures cause students to feel anxious about paying back student loans after college. However, parental pressure leads students to make decisions that their parents would be happy with because of the feeling of guilt and wanting to please them.
Sociological Imagination In Education
1810 Words | 8 PagesThe reasoning of why I enrolled and the factors of how I got into college relate back to C. Wright Mills’s concept of sociological
High School Dropouts Sociology
723 Words | 3 PagesStudies have examined how the socioeconomic status is associated with factors that impact the education of the youth. Halfon , a pediatric professor explained that “Parents who saw college in their child’s future seemed to manage their child toward that goal irrespective of their income and other
Sociology Reflection
828 Words | 4 PagesMy Childhood was pretty different than how I live today. I’m a part of a middle class family with two little sisters. Since I am still in high school, I haven’t experienced that much to say that my social class has changed a lot; However, I have watched my father grow in the company he works for. He has worked his way through many barriers created by “elite” people that doubted his intelligence. He had opened a door to many different opportunities such as working for Google and Apple.
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