Selling Hope and College

Merit, Markets, and Recruitment in an Unranked School

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Education & Teaching, Higher Education, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book Selling Hope and College by Alex Posecznick, Cornell University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alex Posecznick ISBN: 9781501708398
Publisher: Cornell University Press Publication: April 25, 2017
Imprint: ILR Press Language: English
Author: Alex Posecznick
ISBN: 9781501708398
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication: April 25, 2017
Imprint: ILR Press
Language: English

It has long been assumed that college admission should be a simple matter of sorting students according to merit, with the best heading off to the Ivy League and highly ranked liberal arts colleges and the rest falling naturally into their rightful places. Admission to selective institutions, where extremely fine distinctions are made, is characterized by heated public debates about whether standardized exams, high school transcripts, essays, recommendation letters, or interviews best indicate which prospective students are "worthy."

And then there is college for everyone else. But what goes into less-selective college admissions in an era when everyone feels compelled to go, regardless of preparation or life goals? "Ravenwood College," where Alex Posecznick spent a year doing ethnographic research, was a small, private, nonprofit institution dedicated to social justice and serving traditionally underprepared students from underrepresented minority groups. To survive in the higher education marketplace, the college had to operate like a business and negotiate complex categories of merit while painting a hopeful picture of the future for its applicants. Selling Hope and College is a snapshot of a particular type of institution as it goes about the business of producing itself and justifying its place in the market. Admissions staff members were burdened by low enrollments and worked tirelessly to fill empty seats, even as they held on to the institution’s special spirit. Posecznick documents what it takes to keep a "mediocre" institution open and running, and the struggles, tensions, and battles that members of the community tangle with daily as they carefully walk the line between empowering marginalized students and exploiting them.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

It has long been assumed that college admission should be a simple matter of sorting students according to merit, with the best heading off to the Ivy League and highly ranked liberal arts colleges and the rest falling naturally into their rightful places. Admission to selective institutions, where extremely fine distinctions are made, is characterized by heated public debates about whether standardized exams, high school transcripts, essays, recommendation letters, or interviews best indicate which prospective students are "worthy."

And then there is college for everyone else. But what goes into less-selective college admissions in an era when everyone feels compelled to go, regardless of preparation or life goals? "Ravenwood College," where Alex Posecznick spent a year doing ethnographic research, was a small, private, nonprofit institution dedicated to social justice and serving traditionally underprepared students from underrepresented minority groups. To survive in the higher education marketplace, the college had to operate like a business and negotiate complex categories of merit while painting a hopeful picture of the future for its applicants. Selling Hope and College is a snapshot of a particular type of institution as it goes about the business of producing itself and justifying its place in the market. Admissions staff members were burdened by low enrollments and worked tirelessly to fill empty seats, even as they held on to the institution’s special spirit. Posecznick documents what it takes to keep a "mediocre" institution open and running, and the struggles, tensions, and battles that members of the community tangle with daily as they carefully walk the line between empowering marginalized students and exploiting them.

More books from Cornell University Press

Cover of the book Growing Up Muslim by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Empire of Dogs by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Tearing Apart the Land by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Behind the Kitchen Door by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Biological Systematics by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Playing the Market by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Victorian Interpretation by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Germany's War and the Holocaust by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Losing Hearts and Minds by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Murder Most Russian by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book The North Korean Revolution, 1945–1950 by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book American Power after the Financial Crisis by Alex Posecznick
Cover of the book Russia's Unfinished Revolution by Alex Posecznick
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy