Monday, September 22, 2014
Why Poor Students Struggle
I know I'm not "supposed to post" or whatever but I thought that this article was extremely timely since Kalamazoo College was just ranked 12th nationally in enrolling PELL grant-eligible students (or students from below the poverty line.) But, as we all have seen, there has been a fair amount of racial and especially socioeconomic friction on campus in the past few years. How do poor students adjust differently in a high achieving college like Kalamazoo? What can Kalamazoo do to help them not feel isolated? Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/opinion/why-poor-students-struggle.html?src=me&module=Ribbon&version=origin®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Most%20Emailed&pgtype=article
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Bret, this article also caught my attention as it is certainly relative to current dialogues on campus about our recent ranking. I know many students who have struggled financially at K, especially due to some scholarships/aid not keeping up with increases in tuition.
ReplyDeleteLooking back to the ranking of colleges and the NYT article about it, I think that it is interesting to note that the economic diversity ranking did not also incorporate the graduation rate of students coming from low-to-middle income families. I found this especially intriguing since the article claims to rank colleges by their ability "to attract and graduate poor and middle-class students." I wonder what our graduation rates are by economic class. And perhaps as importantly, how much more students who come from less economically advantaged backgrounds would report struggling academically and socially compared to students who come from an economically privileged background?
You can read the article about ranking colleges by economic diversity and see the rankings here: http://nyti.ms/1pJ1jfK.
Great question, I know that I could get numbers on graduation rates with my job in admission but maybe some sort of service could be available to low-income students for when they feel isolated and overburdened? I think this is what a lot of the on-campus protests are getting at...
DeleteI think our campus had a strong emphasis on social justice as a way to reduce the isolation, overburden and racial discrimination that happened to low-income students. For me, as an international student, I understand the struggle of coming to a college like Kalamazoo. For me, the struggle is not about financial but about identity and value. I know it must be 10 times struggle for poor students because they not only struggle with financial situations but also with their part, who they are and where they come from. It does not get easier, it just gets harder.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know, Kalamazoo Promise and Posse Program are established to bring students from low-income families to a prestigious college like Kalamazoo College. Kalamazoo has helped them solve financial problem, but it depends on each individual to create their own future. I have known so many amazing individuals from low income family thriving in K-College but many of them struggled.