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Counselors, Information, and High School College-Going Culture: Inequalities in the College Application Process

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  • Karen Jeong Robinson

    (CSU San Bernardino)

  • Josipa Roksa

    (University of Virginia)

Abstract

While socioeconomic inequality in postsecondary outcomes is well documented, limited research explores the extent to which seeing a high school counselor can help to reduce inequality in college destinations. In particular, previous research rarely considers the high school context in which counselors and students interact as well as the other sources of social and cultural capital available to students. Using the Educational Longitudinal Study (ELS: 2002), we find that seeing a counselor plays a significant role in predicting application to college, and while this relationship is attenuated, it remains strong even net of other sources of information. Moreover, the relationship between seeing a high school counselor and whether and where students apply to college is largely similar across high school contexts, with some indication that high school counselors may be most relevant in schools with moderate college-going culture. Finally, presented analyses provide insights regarding the extent to which different factors contribute to socioeconomic inequality in the college application process.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen Jeong Robinson & Josipa Roksa, 2016. "Counselors, Information, and High School College-Going Culture: Inequalities in the College Application Process," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 57(7), pages 845-868, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:reihed:v:57:y:2016:i:7:d:10.1007_s11162-016-9406-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11162-016-9406-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Heather T. Rowan-Kenyon & Angela D. Bell & Laura W. Perna, 2008. "Contextual Influences on Parental Involvement in College Going: Variations by Socioeconomic Class," The Journal of Higher Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 79(5), pages 564-586, September.
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    5. Eric P. Bettinger & Bridget Terry Long & Philip Oreopoulos & Lisa Sanbonmatsu, 2012. "The Role of Application Assistance and Information in College Decisions: Results from the H&R Block Fafsa Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(3), pages 1205-1242.
    6. Benjamin L. Castleman & Lindsay C. Page, 2014. "A Trickle or a Torrent? Understanding the Extent of Summer “Melt” Among College-Intending High School Graduates," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(1), pages 202-220, March.
    7. Caroline Hoxby & Christopher Avery, 2013. "The Missing "One-Offs": The Hidden Supply of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 44(1 (Spring), pages 1-65.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cavalletti, Barbara & Corsi, Matteo & Persico, Luca & di Bella, Enrico, 2021. "Public university orientation for high-school students. A quasi-experimental assessment of the efficiency gains from nudging better career choices," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Meredith Phillips & Sarah J. Reber, 2019. "Does Virtual Advising Increase College Enrollment? Evidence from a Random Assignment College Access Field Experiment," NBER Working Papers 26509, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Dan Fitzpatrick, 2020. "Challenges Mitigating a Darwinian Application of Social Capital: How Specific Advising Activities by High School Counselors Shift Measures of College Readiness But Not College-Going," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 61(5), pages 652-678, August.

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