The years that matter most : how college makes or breaks us

Record details

ISBN: 0544944488
ISBN: 9780544944480
ISBN: 0544944488 : HRD
ISBN: 9780544944480 : HRD
ISBN: 9780544944480
ISBN: 0544944488
Physical Description: viii, 390 pages ; 24 cm
print
Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2019]
Copyright: ©2019

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages [335]-370) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Wanting in. Decision day ; The mobility equation -- Getting in. Stress test ; Income-typical behavior ; Taylorsville -- Fixing the test. Reputation management ; Test prep ; Blessed -- Fitting in. The outsider ; Roots ; Pedigree ; Thanksgiving -- Letting in. The admissions-industrial complex ; Going test-optional ; Trinity's problem -- Staying in. The graduation gap ; Belonging ; An intrusive culture -- Hanging on. Who needs college? ; Lower ed -- Getting an A. Ancestors ; What is X? ; Workshop mode -- After the war. The GI Bill ; Playing for first.
Summary, etc.:	"Does college still work? Is the system designed just to protect the privileged and leave everyone else behind? Or can a college education today provide real opportunity to young Americans seeking to improve their station in life? The Years That Matter Most tells the stories of students trying to find their way, with hope, joy, and frustration, through the application process and into college. Drawing on new research, the book reveals how the landscape of higher education has shifted in recent decades and exposes the hidden truths of how the system works and whom it works for. And it introduces us to the people who really make higher education go: admissions directors trying to balance the class and balance the budget, College Board officials scrambling to defend the SAT in the face of mounting evidence that it favors the wealthy, researchers working to unlock the mysteries of the college-student brain, and educators trying to transform potential dropouts into successful graduates. With insight, humor, and passion, Paul Tough takes readers on a journey from Ivy League seminar rooms to community college welding shops, from giant public flagship universities to tiny experimental storefront colleges. Whether you are facing your own decision about college or simply care about the American promise of social mobility, The Years That Matter Most will change the way you think--not just about higher education, but about the nation itself. "--Provided by publisher.