Good will hunting: social integration of students receiving forgivable loans for college education in contexts of high inequality

Abstract

This article explores the black box of college adaptation and social integration of low SES students entering higher education under a forgivable loans program. It does so by studying a context of extreme educational and economic inequality. The magnitude of this study offers an unprecedented window to observe interactions between different social classes in college. Drawing on two different fieldworks, this study is based on 19 focal groups in 8 cities and 12 universities, and in an in-depth study of one elite university. Results show that low SES students actively mobilize different types of personal resources to integrate to the college environment, but they face strong objective and symbolic barriers. Results show also that regular students, on occasion, act as cultural guides for low SES students, helping them in the process of college adaption, and that colleges’ characteristics and diversity influence beneficiaries’ social integration and well-being.