Capital Conversion and Accumulation: A Social Portrait of Legacies at an Elite University

Legacies, or students with a family member who graduated from the same college or university, have been the source of much debate. We add to the existing literature by providing a detailed empirical portrait of legacies at a private, selective university across the college years. We examine how lega...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in higher education 2009-11, Vol.50 (7), p.623-648
Main Authors: Martin, Nathan D., Spenner, Kenneth I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Academic Aspiration
Academic degrees
Advanced students
Bachelors degrees
Cognitive Development
College admissions
College Graduates
College Students
Colleges
Data Collection
Education
High school students
Higher Education
Human Capital
Legacies
North Carolina
Parents
Private Colleges
Social Capital
Universities
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Summary:Legacies, or students with a family member who graduated from the same college or university, have been the source of much debate. We add to the existing literature by providing a detailed empirical portrait of legacies at a private, selective university across the college years. We examine how legacies are distinctive in their admissions profiles, within-college achievement and post-graduation plans, using data from a panel study of students attending Duke University. We find that legacies enter college with an abundance of economic, cultural and social capital, but also have lower levels of human capital compared to other students with college graduate parents. Due to this human capital deficit, legacies have lower grades in the first college year, but show little academic underperformance in subsequent semesters. Additionally, legacies are less likely to plan to be a medical doctor or engineer and have somewhat lower degree aspirations than other students.
ISSN:0361-0365
1573-188X
DOI:10.1007/s11162-009-9136-9