how i got to ucla, part 1
11.15.04 // 10:46 p.m.

Note: the following three pieces came out of discussions and readings in two of my seminars last week that focused around issues of access to higher education. Although it�s an issue I�ve confronted many times before, I was forced to think about a different way. Although the process isn�t completely linear and so clear cut, I�ve split each stag into three different entries:

  1. Predisposition

  2. Search

  3. Choice

Strong factors: ability, parental education, parental encouragement (Hossler, Braxton, Coopersmith, 1989).

I�m not one of those people who always knew that she was going to college. In fact, I can�t pinpoint the day, grade, or year when I knew for sure that I would be going to college. Was it in fifth grade when I tested into the Gifted and Talented Education Program? Maybe it was the warm spring day I attended my cousin Bibi�s graduation ceremony at San Diego State University (some time in the early 1990s).

According to the higher education research on student college choice, parents� education, encouragement and ability play the biggest role in the predisposition stage of this complex, multistage process. Was that the case for me?

No and Yes.

See, my parents went to community college and trade school, but they never attended a four year college or university. If they had these expectations of me, they didn�t let me know. However, the fact that they did have some postsecondary education as well as high school degrees (which was going above and beyond for most Mexican immigrants at their time) meant positive things for me.

I didn�t know it as a kid, but we were lower middle class. This meant the schools I attended and the neighborhood I lived in was pretty good. Because it was a pretty integrated neighborhood, I had friends whose parents did have BA�s or had siblings in college.

My parents completely supported me, but they never pushed me as the parents of my Asian peers did. So, their encouragement was not a big factor, but their education which affected our socioeconomic status did play a role.

The second big factor is ability. This is what clinched it for me. I knew I was a smart kid. I had always done very well on standardized tests, I aced all my classes, and was always put at the highest level. I tested into GATE and from that point on I was tracked with all the smart kids. If my parents were not truly aware that I was a bright kid, my teachers sure were. So, knowing I was smart and knowing that smart kids went to college, got good jobs and made more money definitely influenced my decision to pursue a postsecondary education.

Source (hey I�m a graduate student and plagiarism is NOT cool):
Hossler, D., J. Braxton, and G. Coopersmith. (1989). �Understanding student college choice.� In J. C. Smart (ed.) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. Volume V, NY: Agathon Press. Pp. 231-288.

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Me siento: icky
Escuchando: control machete, "como ves"

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s


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