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nickscoby's review against another edition
3.0
I find the topic of SES and college mobility to be fascinating and, to that end, this book was of interest to me. It is generally well written but after chapter 3 or so, it did feel tedious. Kind of like a dissertation turned book, which means that there is a lot of repetition. If I were teaching a grad level seminar, I would probably assign this text though.
marisdancer10's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
jmatsumura's review
4.0
the data presented by Armstrong and Hamilton is compelling, however, the book itself is often repetitive and self-explanatory. the complexity of threats that university women face is well documented, and the range of intersectionalities taken into consideration is well done.
special_k7's review
3.0
The book is an interesting and easy narrative to follow, not loaded with academic jargon. However, I felt like I was reading the script for a cliche movie plot, where the sorority girls are the bad people in the story. The authors came off as very judgemental of the sorority girls, mentioning multiple times how easy they have it because they don't have to work hard at school. The authors also sounded judgmental in regard to professions. It sounded like they placed more value on the typical prestigious or science fields while dismissing communication studies and fashion and such as easy. Even when recounting the jobs of the sorority girls after college the authors failed to recognize that having charisma, being able to connect to people and build a network, takes a certain skill set as well.
susiechen's review
4.0
An interesting perspective on how class and status differentially affect women’s pathways through college. There were a few times where I felt the authors spent too long on one point or would make claims far grander than their data allowed but overall, this book seemed carefully researched and well thought-out. It also causes you to think about the institutional barriers at universities that prevent lower-class and/or underrepresented students from excelling, further perpetuating the success of the wealthy.
adamtad's review
5.0
One of my favourite books I have read and I would insist on everyone who is about to enter university to read
annepw's review
2.0
I expected to relate more to this book, as a college student, but what I found almost as interesting as the delineation of different college trajectories was the look inside a big public state school. Going to a school with no Greek life and anemic party scene, I was especially fascinated by these aspects of life at MU. More generally, I think that Armstrong and Hamilton's attempt to track exactly what happens in college that fails less privileged students is invaluable. They deconstruct the black box of college and provide concrete (if unrealistic) solutions.
The failings of this book are mostly rhetorical. The authors' feelings were excessively inserted into the text and the writing was often clunky and repetitive. It was a quick read but a somewhat exasperating one.
The failings of this book are mostly rhetorical. The authors' feelings were excessively inserted into the text and the writing was often clunky and repetitive. It was a quick read but a somewhat exasperating one.
vll295's review
2.0
This book challenged what I knew about reasons people attend school. While I could see it being true in some instances, I was wondering about the others not included in this research. An interesting perspective.
claireh6's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Alcohol