Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make [Paperback]

Don Hossler (Author), Jack Schmit (Author), Nick Vesper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 1998

Going to College tells the powerful story of how high school students make choices about postsecondary education. Drawing on their unprecedented nine-year study of high school students, the authors explore how students and their parents negotiate these important decisions. Family background, finances, education, information—all influence students' plans after high school and the career paths they pursue, as do the more subtle messages delivered by parents and counselors which shape adolescents' self-expectations. For high school guidance counselors, college admissions counselors, parents and teachers, and public policy makers, this book is a valuable resource that explains the decision-making process and helps adults to help students make appropriate choices.

The authors identify predisposition, search, and choice as the three stages in the student decision-making process. Predisposition refers to the plans students develop for education or work after they graduate from high school. The search stage involves students discovering and evaluating a variety of colleges and universities. In the choice stage, students choose a school to attend from among a list of institutions that are being seriously considered. Understanding exactly how students move through the predisposition, search, and choice stages of the college decision-making process can help students and parents prepare themselves for this process and consider a wider array of options. For education professionals, understanding this process can lead to new initiatives to guide students and families effectively—by providing better incentives for college savings, for example, or devising more effective early information programs about postsecondary education.

Going to Collegeis the first book to seriously study over an extended period the decisions that have a pervasive and lasting impact on individual careers, livelihoods, and lifestyles. The authors conclude with important recommendations for improving academic support, exploring various financial options, providing early encouragement—in other words, for recognizing the factors that influence students' decisions, and knowing when to pay attention to them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Don Hossler is professor of educational leadership and policy studies and vice-chancellor for enrollment services at Indiana University, Bloomington. Jack Schmit is assistant research scientist at Indiana University and associate director of the Indiana Career and Postsecondary Advancement Center. Nick Vesper is director of policy analysis and research for the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (November 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801860016
• ISBN-13: 978-0801860010
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short read but not a true primer on college choice, August 18, 2000

By 

Robert Springall (Lewisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make (Paperback)

Don Hossler is probably the most prolific writer on admissions and enrollment management in the last two decades, and, in my opinion, the best. This book, written with two co-authors, though, disappoints a little bit.

If you're looking for a basic overview on how students select colleges, try Hossler's other work or that of others on the structure of college choice. Avoid the mass-market "choosing a college" books that are targeted to over-anxious students and parents.

The core of the book describes a longitudinal study the authors did on Indiana high school students. While the stats and ancedotes do a fine job helping the reader to understand the process *these students* were going through, it's difficult to read and not think "how would this apply to other students? Does it at all?"

There is a worthy summary of the current theory and models of student college choice in the closing chapters. My advice, if you read this book, is to start with the generalized information in the back and then read the rest of the book from page one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book of unusual scope but it falls a bit short, September 8, 2002

By 

Palmer Muntz (Fort Wayne IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make (Paperback)

This book reports on studies the authors conducted in Indiana between 1986 and 1994. It examines what may make a high schooler predisposed to attend college, how students search for college opportunities, and what choices they ultimately make upon graduation from high school. Finally, it reviews what the study's participants actually did do in the four years following high school.

In addition to outlining findings from these surveys, Going to College also reports in greater depth on interviews with eight students. While relatively interesting, the interviews are not the most beneficial part of the book. Even the surveys, the book acknowledges, may be somewhat limited in their value. For instance, some results may not be useful to people in other parts of the country. The study is set in Indiana, where the average parental income and educational levels are in the bottom half of the fifty states.

Nonetheless, Going to College contains a number of interesting conclusions and statements. For example, the study discovered that seven of ten sophomores who said they planned to attend a college of some sort did actually matriculate in college after high school. However, only 35% of the students surveyed ended up attending one of the colleges they were considering in the tenth grade year.

Going to College also tries to determine what characteristics may "predict" whether or not a high schooler will end up attending college. The role of parents seems to be a key predictor. The authors found that toward the beginning of the college selection process--during the early high school years--the encouragement of parents is most likely to determine whether or not a student has college aspirations. Sixty-four percent of students who received strong encouragement from their parents attended a four-year college (p. 102). The parents' level of educational attainment also makes a difference. As that level increases, children are more likely to go to college. Seventy-five percent of students whose parents had a college degree actually enrolled in college (p. 104).

The second strongest indicator of college aspirations is the students' high school grade point average. Ninety-one percent of A students plan to attend a four-year college and 65% of B students do, but only 28% of C students expect to go to college (p. 106).

Going to College represents the type of research that most college and university enrollment managers would love to conduct: A longitudinal study that traces students' and parents' attitudes, influences and goals through the high school years and beyond. Unfortunately, the results of this particular study are somewhat limited.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great contributed research : Required for all parents, April 24, 2001

By 

Sarawoot Chittratanawat - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make (Paperback)

I'm not in an education area, I'm an engineer though. I bought this book to see research in educational or social science on impat of high school students choosing their higher education. After reading "preface", I was stunned for the research had been conducted for "9" years! This book is very important for any parents. The college may be for your children at 17-18, but this book will tell you how important you are to support them; not only when they go to College but much before (e.g., sixth grade). I'm glad I read this book before I have my own child. What more surprising me is the book organization. This book was well written and organized. The structure is easy to follow. For each case study, the conclusion was drawn. Their research factors/questions were well defined. I wasn't surprised to see the outcome of their research. What annoy me is the keeping-talking of statistics tool. While it's important, the writing and research are more important. It's quite disappointed me.