The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges are Failing Disadvantaged Students

Colleges and universities have too often grouped all disadvantaged students into one catchall category without recognizing the differences between students in the same socioeconomic bracket. To prove this diversity, Jack lets his subjects speak for themselves while also providing biographical details that underscore his point. For example, because white students from the Midwest or Appalachia come to Renowned with different experiences from Latino students who grew up as first-generation Americans, they are differently affected by similar experiences on campus. For example, Community Detail, made a white student like Elise feel that her peers could “know something that you otherwise wouldn’t know” about her: “financial aid status [and] socioeconomic class” (150). Conversely, for Ogun, a Latina student, the program’s humiliation was racial, as it reminded her of the “Latino cleaning person” stereotype and caused others to tell her that her association with Community Detail was “the most Hispanic thing about her” (153). Understanding these different perceptions, however subtle, can make a huge difference in making Renowned and other universities feel more inclusive.

Jack’s goal is to introduce “readers to the Privileged Poor, a group of students that has been largely overlooked” (21). by colleges who lump all low-income students together.