Shop top categories that ship internationally
Buy new:
-8% $33.95
Delivery Wednesday, January 22
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: HORIZON EXPRESS
$33.95 with 8 percent savings
List Price: $37.00
FREE International Returns
No Import Fees Deposit & $10.25 Shipping to Germany Details

Shipping & Fee Details

Price $33.95
AmazonGlobal Shipping $10.25
Estimated Import Fees Deposit $0.00
Total $44.20

Delivery Wednesday, January 22. Order within 9 hrs 34 mins
Or fastest delivery Tuesday, January 14
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$33.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$33.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$22.99
FREE International Returns
This is a used former library book. The item contains all former library stamps, markings, stickers, and sleeves. It may contain minor marks, cuts, or bends. All pages, covers, and dust jackets are intact, if applicable. The cover art may be different than pictured. Books may contain minor underlining, highlighting, and notes. Access codes, CDs, and other bundled media may not be present or usable. Some books contain minor stains and/or discoloration from normal wear and tear. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders. This is a used former library book. The item contains all former library stamps, markings, stickers, and sleeves. It may contain minor marks, cuts, or bends. All pages, covers, and dust jackets are intact, if applicable. The cover art may be different than pictured. Books may contain minor underlining, highlighting, and notes. Access codes, CDs, and other bundled media may not be present or usable. Some books contain minor stains and/or discoloration from normal wear and tear. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders. See less
Delivery January 24 - February 12
Or fastest delivery January 23 - February 5
$$33.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$33.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

Laura T. Hamilton
Follow
Elizabeth A. Armstrong
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality 3.9.2013 Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$33.95","priceAmount":33.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"33","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"P0cyRt%2BQOz0jFjvUMbYDLQKOb3Bbk31IPiYzPfMV17Pdd5X3wK%2BnEcnAstM1TKWRNIL8xXXhVVYje7pFhErHsSPHyZ9U%2BptkuUX%2BcJBnJGGU1Rmq97ByQJfOIWvCShpHWSxHH87FjrQiJvfw1fs7mxS9xENO5S46AGvQIXyomMJ4ijsUaEbTIkjBTIkJcGib","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$22.99","priceAmount":22.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"22","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"P0cyRt%2BQOz0jFjvUMbYDLQKOb3Bbk31Ive4hJkQyH4qDgewAAsnu4jdruJrVg2jXfonqtk1weVr2h4SFDYrsKLablRVmJk8b2oH0PaGFGaW64T9Yqxazekf9lsODYDAb5gNOalLNdWDuwGguxcdDOaB8frRmJxpPPgew0Ry%2FHZ%2Fl9nS7z3i8%2B%2BCJl6RAw%2Fyi","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Two young women, dormitory mates, embark on their education at a big state university. Five years later, one is earning a good salary at a prestigious accounting firm. With no loans to repay, she lives in a fashionable apartment with her fiancé. The other woman, saddled with burdensome debt and a low GPA, is still struggling to finish her degree in tourism. In an era of skyrocketing tuition and mounting concern over whether college is "worth it," Paying for the Party is an indispensable contribution to the dialogue assessing the state of American higher education. A powerful exposé of unmet obligations and misplaced priorities, it explains in vivid detail why so many leave college with so little to show for it.

Drawing on findings from a five-year interview study, Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton bring us to the campus of "MU," a flagship Midwestern public university, where we follow a group of women drawn into a culture of status seeking and sororities. Mapping different pathways available to MU students, the authors demonstrate that the most well-resourced and seductive route is a "party pathway" anchored in the Greek system and facilitated by the administration. This pathway exerts influence over the academic and social experiences of all students, and while it benefits the affluent and well-connected, Armstrong and Hamilton make clear how it seriously disadvantages the majority.

Eye-opening and provocative, Paying for the Party reveals how outcomes can differ so dramatically for those whom universities enroll.

Previous slide of product details
  1. ISBN-10
    0674049578
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0674049574
  3. Edition
    3.9.2013
  4. Publisher
    Harvard University Press
  5. Publication date
    April 8, 2013
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
  8. Print length
    344 pages
  9. See all details
Next slide of product details

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
213 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book interesting and thought-provoking. They appreciate the detailed description of the college experience and the methodological choices used in the research. The book is described as an excellent guide for students about college life.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityData quality
22 customers mention "Readability"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and thought-provoking. They describe it as an excellent read about college for typical students. The stories and information presented keep them interested and make for a good book.

"...A powerful and compelling thesis." Read more

"...At the same time, the stories and information presented keeps one interested and makes for a very good book, I think...." Read more

"...As it is, it is an excellent book that shows the importance of not being seduced by the activities that are not scholastically oriented." Read more

"...to keep putting it down to THINK, which means this is the best possible kind of book...." Read more

16 customers mention "Data quality"14 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's data quality. They find the method and content useful for understanding higher education. The description of the college experience is detailed and all-encompassing. The main takeaway is that successful negotiation of the college experience is key. The book is based on a five-year interview study, plus follow-ups, of about 50 students. It provides enough detail and data, but overall feels dry.

"...34;Paying for the Party" is so much more detailed and all-encompassing of student life than that or any book written so far...." Read more

"...Most in this pathway are successful in meeting their college goals, due, in a large part, because they are very well-prepared and counseled before..." Read more

"...(most recently at a Midwest U branch campus), I appreciate both the method and the content...." Read more

"...The main takeaway is that successful negotiation of the college experience, at least at Indiana University where this study was conducted, is..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Michael Goeller
    5.0 out of 5 stars Explains what is at the heart of partying on college campuses
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    There have been some anthropological and sociological studies of college life over the years. I was actually a participant in Michael Moffatt's classic "Coming of Age in New Jersey," but I'd be the first to say that he was just scratching the surface. "My Freshman Year" by Cathy Small (under the name Rebekah Nathan) is also occasionally insightful but based only on the author's limited experience. Holland and Eisenhart's "Educated in Romance" comes closer to what Armstrong and her group of grad students were trying to achieve, in trying to understand the female experience of college, but the end result in "Paying for the Party" is so much more detailed and all-encompassing of student life than that or any book written so far. We can talk all we want about raising academic standards and such, but if we ignore the role of student life at college we are missing the most important dimension of the college experience for students -- and the part of their experience that most determines how much they will focus on their studies, whether or not they will persist in school (much more than academics), and what sort of success they will have after they graduate. This book is an absolute revelation -- showing how important the party culture is for students who follow "the party pathway" through school, and just how that culture serves the interests of the most affluent and well connected students to the detriment of all the rest. A powerful and compelling thesis.
    34 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • George Fulmore
    4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful look at college funding
    Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is quite a book. Its thesis is that the kids who go to college to take “easy” majors and to party a good deal, they are the ones who keep the college gates open. They are the majority of the students. They are the ones who, primarily, pay for the place. Among the rest, are the very serious students, the ones who come in with high grades and ambitions, then continue on that track and go straight in to their planned profession. Another group is those who want “mobility” from college, the use of their college degree to better themselves.
    The three college “pathways” defined in the book are professional, party and mobility.

    Those on the “professional” pathway are the high achievers, who, generally, come from professional families, the doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. They have excellent financial support in college, so they are not expected to work while there. They have the most contacts for meaningful internships, as well. Most in this pathway are successful in meeting their college goals, due, in a large part, because they are very well-prepared and counseled before and during their college experience. College is not a big deal to them. It is an essential step in their quest for professional success.
    Those on the “mobility” pathway have lower-middle or working-class backgrounds. They are motivated to find careers that will take them places, for example not back to their home towns. Not all will succeed. They lack preparation for the college experience and financial backing. Most need to work during college. Few are able to reach the professional pathway and go on to graduate school.
    Then there is the “party” pathway. These kids are all over the place. Many are from out of state; thus, they pay higher tuition and other costs. They tend to take “easy” majors, join fraternities or sororities and strive to finish with a degree that probably does not lead directly to a job. Some have vocations already defined for them back home, e.g., to work in a family business. Others think that being good at interacting with others will lead them to opportunities that do not required “hard” degrees. Many of the women are there to learn, primarily, how to be a “good wife.” Many are there primarily to perfect the socialite life.
    This book is based on a five-year interview study, plus follow-ups, of about 50 women students at a mid-west college that the authors name “MU.” Multiple times, the book points out the distinction between this level of college or university and the state college universities. It is clear that “MU” is a prestigious school in many ways and that it is at a much higher status level than the state college universities. It is relatively hard to get into MU, and not everyone is going to make it at MU.
    Clearly, funding from parents is a major component for success at MU, as is the educational level of parents. If your parents have gone to college, then they know the ropes. If not, you are, for the most part, on your own. Some of the kids enter MU with a great deal of knowledge about the school, itself; for others, it is like entering “another world,” something they have never experienced.
    The flow of the book is bit ragged. There are comparisons between girls. There are individual studies of a single girl. There are groups examined, together. Yes, while it is true that there are many variables to discuss and compare, it would still seem that the book could have been organized better.
    At the same time, the stories and information presented keeps one interested and makes for a very good book, I think.
    There is plenty of bad news. For example, about 60% of those on the professional pathway do not make it, per one section of the book, and despite what I said above. They are not headed by the time of graduation to graduate school in their chosen profession. The competition in this professional pathway is fierce. It is the survival of the fittest, and the financial and other parental support can mean all the difference.
    Most on the party pathway did not see themselves on the way to graduate school or a profession, such as medicine or engineering. Their dilemma is that their degree is not going to get them a good job, for the most part. It does not give them skills that lead directly to a good job. Many find jobs after graduation that do not even require a college degree. One, for example, with a degree in Biology, ends up working as a dental assistant for $11 per hour.
    One of the girls develops a serious problem with alcohol. She has to drop out and go into rehab.
    Many in the party or mobility pathway lack funds after graduation to live in areas with good jobs. In short, all that partying experience is not going to pay the bills after graduation. And, if you have student debt to pay after graduation, that is another problem. None of the girls from a working-class background, most who had to work to pay their bills, were able to graduate in four years.
    Joining a sorority tends to keep students on the party pathway; although, one or two sororities seek high-achievers on the professional pathway. Most do not. But then there are the ones who do not get selected by sororities at all. They can lead lonely, isolated lives in comparison with those selected, as those selected tend to only associate with others in sororities.
    As graduates, those with degrees in business seemed to have the smoothest path directly into a good job.
    The author makes a bit of a case that the college/university structure needs changes. One suggestion is that fraternities and sororities be banned, but few schools are willing to do that. Another is that the schools provide more support to those seeking mobility.

    The shocker remains that, per this book, most who go to college go, primarily, to socialize and party. And, without that group, most colleges would probably have to close their doors.

    That would end a lot of fun for a lot of college students, many of whom are simply in their extended adolescent stage..
    44 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ron
    5.0 out of 5 stars it is an excellent book that shows the importance of not being seduced ...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The wealthy leave nothing to chance while many in the middle class and lower class believe that the nurturing is over when they drop off their kids off at college.

    Wealth buys privilege and the connections that most do not have. Trying to keep up with the upper class party lifestyle is a receipt for academic and career disaster because most do not posses the money and connections to facilitate internships, apartments, cars, and jobs provided by the upper class parents. Large universities with greek life and known as party schools provide ample opportunity for unprepared students to end up dropping out with a mountain of debt.

    The book would have benefited from a longer study than six years. What they observed and reported is riveting. It deserves an update to see if some of the students who were downwardly mobile turned their lives around. As it is, it is an excellent book that shows the importance of not being seduced by the activities that are not scholastically oriented.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • DS Farrell
    5.0 out of 5 stars What and How
    Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I have not finished reading this book -- because I have to keep putting it down to THINK, which means this is the best possible kind of book.

    I graduated from Midwest U in the '70's, first generation college grad in my family; and reading this book, I realize that maybe I was able to do so because I didn't live in a regular dorm (and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be in a sorority).

    As an academic who has taught for the last 30 years (most recently at a Midwest U branch campus), I appreciate both the method and the content. The fine melding of the two elaborates on class issues I've noticed and experienced during this time. Reading this book has led me to revisit my own experience at MU with a much deeper understanding of my life then and now. The authors have given a great boost to the field of sociology.
    19 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mark Lloyd
    3.0 out of 5 stars Endnotes don't work
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    On my Kindle edition the endnotes do not click through to the appropriate page that includes the note. Instead, pressing an endnote link merely advances the page forward by one page. This is frustrating because the book is research based and includes a lot of notes worth checking out.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Cliente de Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely important book
    Reviewed in Spain on April 7, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A must-read for anyone concerned about the future of higher public education in the US. Describes the damaging allure of the "party pathway" through college.
    Report