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

Abstract

Low-income and racial minority students access college at lower rates than their more-advantaged peers, caused in part by lesser social capital. Low socio-economic status (SES) students’ networks of rarely provide help navigating the application and enrollment process, preventing even academically-capable students from competing in the near-Darwinian process of college admission because of their low social capital. Research indicates that counselors can mediate SES-based disparities in college readiness but provides little guidance on how counselors should help students. I conduct multi-level logistic regression analyses of nationally representative longitudinal data to investigate (a) which specific advising activities impact college knowledge, eligibility, and enrollment, and (b) how impacts differ for underserved students. I find that the outcomes respond to different treatments. Creating an education plan in 9th grade increases students’ likelihood of reaching college eligibility in math and annual review of plans increases the odds of planed Free Application for Federal Student Aid submission, with larger effects for underserved students. However, most marginal benefits are small and do not persist to become differences in college enrollment.