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Landers, Kerry H.

College of Education and Social Services

2005

Ed. D.

The experiences of low-income students at elite colleges remain largely unknown and enrollment among this population is small, because even attending an elite college remains unattainable or unconsidered for many. This qualitative research sought to narrate the stories of low-income students' experiences at an elite school. By telling the stories of these low-income students, I intended to make an invisible group of students visible so that they may better understand themselves and their experiences. In addition, this research will hopefully encourage elite institutions to acknowledge this population of students on their campuses and thus make changes to existing policies. The research design involved criterion sampling to select research participants. Study participants had a reported parental income of $40,000 a year or less, were college seniors, and United States citizens. I interviewed 20 racially diverse, low-income students at Dartmouth College. Dartmouth College qualifies as an elite college because of its accepted applicants' high SAT scores, the large number of applications it receives, and its low admittance rates (Duffy and Goldberg, 1998). Three different data collection methods were employed. Low-income students were asked questions based on Bourdieu' s theory of cultural capital using a combination of an interview guide approach with a standard open-ended approach (Patton, 1990). Field observation allowed me to see students in their natural environments. In addition, I reviewed Dartmouth College's daily student newspaper, "The D," to enrich the description of the Dartmouth culture and environment. The low-income students I interviewed told of the incredible journey they had made from their home environments to Dartmouth College. Attending Dartmouth placed low-income students in a foreign environment. They immersed themselves in the Dartmouth culture and rapidly recognized that they did not share the same economic, social, or cultural capital as their peers (Bourdieu, 1977). Not having the same capital made for a different "Dartmouth Experience." They describe their experiences, their sense of identity, their connection to home, and the benefits and challenges of attending an elite school.