Man, grow up. I came from a poor family, went to NYC schools PS 63 JHS 71 and Seward HS. Took the SAT scored 1520 out of 1600. Not bad for a poor kid from the slums of Manhattan. But as Nancy Polosi likes to say I make crumbs less than $120,000 per year. So, grow up study, do the homework, attend the classes everyday and you will do ok, maybe you will turnout to be lucky and earn more than $120,000 per year but still crumbs until you earn more than $1,000,000 per year.
In Richmond, CA, there is the wonderful West Contra Costa Ed Fund which works to prepare kids for college and helps them get through the hoops.
https://edfundwest.org/our-work/college-career-readiness/getting-ready-for-college-conference/
They give a lot of support for applying to college, and for financial aid, and also help support kids when they first go away from home to college.
Woe is me. This article is an embarrassment of excuses. I am 67 years old and grew up living in a trailer in upstate New York. Grew up at a time when there was no internet. I received very little advice from anyone (my parents were immigrants, spoke weak English and never went to college). My idea of preparing for the SAT was buying a copy of Barron's SAT preparation book, "how to prepare for the SAT" for about $8. In addition to practice SAT questions, it gave general guidance about colleges.
Anyone who claims to be clueless about college admissions in a world that not only has libraries but also the Internet has been playing too many video games on their smart phone.
I ended up with a 784 in math and 800 in physics. Graduated, and have paid millions of dollars in income taxes in my life time. Please, in this day and age, information is cheap and virtually infinite. Pity is finite and doled out only when deserved. Oh, and by the way, my parents didn't pay anything for my college. Loans, grants and working two full-time jobs during the summer (I started at 5:30 AM and ended at 11 PM, slept on Sundays) made college possible.
22
And the disabled have it even worse then what these students had to go through just to get into college. I never really went to high school, in my day, the learning disabled, mine, were taught the basics of the basics, as it was assumed we were too stupid, and failures, to do well in school. As far as I know, that's still the case. I managed to get my general diploma, a worthless piece of paper saying you cobbled enough credits to get into community colleges, and nothing else, don't even both with four year schools.
I am not rying to make light of what these people went through, I'm glad they made it, I never would've been able to even understand anything on these forms. I hope whatever their major in, they use it to become president, we need people like them in the White House. Just make sure the disabled get their fair shake too.
3
Being poor is a sin but rest assured: you are not alone. The system is designed in such a way that most poor people can be called "unqualified for work or support".
1
There is another way to get through university. By the time I was 16 I was pretty much a daily alcoholic and dropped out of high school. My parents, upper middle class, kicked me out of the house.
I took courses at a couple of community colleges in Southern California over the next several years, while working. The story is actually kinda complicated, but I ended up getting into UCLA. I had take loans for my education, but I took 24 units a quarter to speed things up. By the time I was there I was 24 and all business - it was all about classes, which I loved anyway. I ended up graduating Magna Cum Laude and got a couple fellowships for grad school.
It's never to late if you can get good grades at a community college.
6
Americans are unable to accept or even understand sociological facts . It is out of their individualistic behavioral psychology .
If Chevrolet makes only 1 green car on 20 , they will say : it is not true. I have one ! "
I am black and poor and I went to Harvard . so your logic is not true.
In Europe , people would laugh at you.
6
One’s heart goes out to Enoch Jemmott and others like him who face and overcome insurmountable obstacles simply to get out of bed in the morning and go to school. That they have to confront such horrifying bureaucratic hurdles in order to gain admission to a public college is outrageous. And one is enraged at the way in which the admissions process to better universities so utterly rigged in order to favor rich legatees, even richer non-legatees, and the useless brats of Holly wood celebrities.
But the dirtiest secret of all is how a vast percentage, if not overwhelming majority, of the children whose way into the Ivies is greased come from diehard liberal –progressive homes, and from counties that boast superfinanced high schools in high-income townships that have the hutzpah to offer amplified lip service to every liberal-progressive issue while cheating the system and doing everything in their power to quietly exclude all those they claim to champion. This is the real disgrace.
4
Oh my gosh, Enoch, you really learned to communicate! This is an important story for those who control school funds and admission policies, for all those who were luckier and can lend a helping hand to those who are trying hard to get into college.
4
Making it difficult to get into college starts even before one attends their first day of kindergarten. Republicans have been trying to destroy every single educational opportunity for anyone other than the children of their base. The wealthy, conservative, christian base. Making people believe that cutting their taxes is out of concern for their lives and families is simply code for the minute taxes are cut we will need to cut funds for education because we can't afford it anymore. That strategy has been monumentally successful. The Republican base actually believe that their politicians care about them.
3
The 1% and other rich don't feel that way and the more power we give to them through tax breaks and corporate welfare and adulation the more they will push the poor down.
1
Another very well explained LIST of reasons that community college should be free, or (substantially) lower cost. We all benefit from an educated population. The idea that those who work the hardest and have less to begin with are faced with so many obstacles is asinine. As an adult, filling out the fasfa was intimidating, I can only imagine trying to work through everything as a high schooler - with little to no help.
Thank you, for shining a light.
5
Kudos to the author for a needed and well written perspective on college admissions. NYT, please allow more space for rarely heard voices like this student's and less for reactions to tweets.
6
Mr. Jemmott, I wish you much success in your future! As a CUNY graduate, I’m glad to hear you go to Queens College. The City University of New York offers opportunity to all those who rise to the challenge, and I believe you did.
28
Congratulations Enoch on your accomplishments. Congratulations on highlighting what you had to do to learn to navigate admissions and financial aid and pointing out how hard it can be to overcome the bureaucracy and the craziness of a system that has become more opaque and difficult over time without the family support that many students have. My father in law graduated from City College back during the depression when it was free. My mother in law attended Hunter College during the same time. Both came from families that could not have afforded any other college. But with that tuition free system came the additional benefit that students did not have to navigate the financial aid system.
1
@Ceilidth: Excellent comment, but it invites the obvious response: didn't your father-in-law and mother-in-law have to meet rigorous academic requirements to get in, in those days? Are the benefits you describe possible with open admissions?
I'm a high school counselor. I have much more than college admissions on my plate. My responsibilities range from proctoring exams, to hosting school events, to meeting with students for personal and crisis counseling, helping homeless children find shelter, etc. I screen every 9th grader for substance abuse issues, I monitor hallways, make sure kids who qualify are receiving free lunch, cover classes for teachers who are sick, attend special ed meetings, admin meetings, schedule students for classes, etc. I could go on....
My department works hard to make sure low income students have access to college. We host financial aid information nights, we have local colleges come to the high school so that students can apply on the spot with an admissions counselor present. We do all we can think of to do. And they all get accepted somewhere, but then the hurdles that we cannot help them with come: How are they going to pay the deposit? Who is going to drive them there? Who can afford to take time off from work so they can even visit the campus? The number of families who simply do not have the support a student needs to attend college is staggering.
A college financial aid counselor told me that it didn't matter how high tuition goes, because most students get financial aid. . So the taxpayer is already paying for college for all. Those who think we can't afford it aren't looking at how much we are already paying, or looking at how colleges are spending.
5
I grew up in a small town with parents who attended a little college, because their parents had some money, but neither graduated. However, this was in the 60s-70s, so you didn't really need a degree. Some college was pretty good and both had what would have been considered good middle class jobs in the 60s-70s. However, I grew up in the 80s-90s. We were always just barely in the middle class, and that was with some help from both sets of grandparents as I later found out. College was kind of assumed but never strongly pushed or looked at. I think my blue collar dad, who had the opportunity to go to community college when he was younger but didn't take it seriously, would have been fine had I decided not to go. It wasn't until my junior year that my parents realized that the world had changed and that college or trade school was basically mandatory for a middle class job. But, they had no money saved and as a white, 3.4 GPA kid who was only moderately good at athletics, with parents who made just above the poverty line, I had very limited options that I could see. I ended up joining the military, just for the college money. As much as I didn't really want to do it, I'm still glad I had the experience. I'm glad people are pushing for more options for college access for everyone.
3
I came to the US alone at age 17, with two years of (very good) gimnazium education. Poor? Maybe, but I worked my way through to a Ph.D. What's to prevent others to do something like that?
6
The first thing anyone who is considering going to university is what will be your return on your investment to yourself. Go to the placement office and ask what is the starting wage for your field and ask for examples of recent graduates who have been placed in said field. Then, subtract the enormous debt your saddled with and realize universities are scams. Then ask the wage of the adjunct professors that will do the bulk of the work in your journey through the educational process. Why graduate students and adjuncts haven't unionized is beyond me-is it such a privilege to teach that you get paid a token wage? It's time to for college age people to open their eyes and see what universities are and are not.
"You get what you put in" is a myth.
2
The mere fact that these poorer students are able to negotiate through the "maze" and scale the barriers put in front of them, speaks well for their ability to succeed at college or uni.
Not that that justifies the existence of those barriers....
5
@Bruce Stafford:"Not that that justifies the existence of those barriers...."
You drank the koolaid.
The requirement to fill out a financial aid form is now considered by you to be a "barrier" that has been put in place unjustly and is oppressive.
3
They charge 6 thou for tuition and fees per semester at my old state U; it used to be a few hundred. Classes are now taught by wretchedly paid adjuncts. Higher ed is just another thing ruined in the US.
I did not apply for aid because of the complexity of it and also the fact that it could be snatched away. My parents had a house; neither of them had gone to college. I went part time, got jobs, lived with roommates in cheap little apartments. I remember one guy who lived in a kitchen and slept on a mattress resting on a door propped up by cinderblocks.
Some in our crowd took 10 yrs to graduate.
3
I can't believe the number of negative comments to this essay. This says a lot about the conservative mindset and lack of empathy. This student did everything that conservative ideology claims to value -- taking personal responsibility, pulling himself up by the bootstraps, seeking an education -- and yet these commenters still disparage him.
The fact is that it is very difficult for low-income young people to attend college. Poverty holds people back in ways that are difficult to understand for those who haven't experienced it. The lack of parental guidance in preparing/applying for college (and often animosity to the idea) is a huge disadvantage. Impoverished high school students face challenges and obstacles that suburban kids never imagine -- including responsibilities such as working to support themselves and their families, being primary childcare providers for younger siblings, etc. Simply filling out applications and FAFSA forms are daunting on their own, and application fees can even be a hindrance.
Once they get into college, first-generation students often have no emotional, much less financial, support from families. In fact, some families are hostile to the idea of college. Students may be urged to stop being lazy, drop out and get a job. They may be criticized for thinking they are better than their non-college-educated family members. It's tough -- and lonely.
Before criticizing, walk a mile in their well-worn shoes.
23
@David T:"Poverty holds people back in ways that are difficult to understand for those who haven't experienced it. "
Been there, done that.
The criticism is that the requirement to fill out financial aid forms is portrayed by the author as a "punishment" doled out to a poor person who "dares to attend college".
Can filling out financial aid forms be challenging? Yes. But the author casts that challenge as: "Loot at what they are doing to me!".
8
Spare me. I went to college as a no income student, borrowed lots of money and payed it all back. I had a great experience and learned a lot about education, people and life. Anyone who goes to college is fortunate.
7
I come from a working class background and both my parents left school at 15. Consequently I had a lot of support but little guidance in getting into and through university. Luckily for me I live in a country that has a humane tertiary education system that isn’t a profit focussed machine. It took me eight years, including dropping out once, to get a degree but eventuallly I graduated with honours in law.
I’ve always been disadvantaged in my career and studies because I’ve never had any real guidance or assistance in navigating the maze, but now I work for myself and I’m back doing a postgrad degree. I try to help the younger students as much as I can with advice and guidance because I know how important that is and how difficult it can be to get that advice when you don’t even know you need it.
5
I agree with the issues discussed in this column but I feel like the title and tone of the article is misplaced. If the writer thinks college is unfair, he will be shocked by life. Yes, poor people will usually have a harder time succeeding compared to the rich. Women have a harder time than men; minorities more than Caucasian; ugly people compared to the beautiful; and short men compared to tall men. And yes, we should work to assure poor students get better chances to attend higher education if they wish and if they qualify.
However, the grievous tone of this piece helps neither society nor students. I write as a formerly poor student who also had to navigate the system mostly on my own as well. I had one more handicap compared to the author: English was my second language. Perhaps this article would be helpful if it suggested actions like a volunteer corps to help people fill out FAFSA forms or gave concrete ideas and orgs that people who want to help can contact.
10
Hi Enoch! QC alum here who also majored in comms (and poli sci). I love your column and I hope to see the documentary, and I identify with it even though I am a middle-aged white female. Thirty-plus years ago QC was the only place my parents could afford. They did not go to college and the FAFSA nearly made my dad's head explode. He almost refused to fill it out because he was suspicious of the entire process - he suggested I get a post office job instead. I was accepted to other universities, including my "dream" schools which I never even visited (college tours - are you kidding?) In the end it didn't matter because we qualified for no assistance and the idea of debt or loans didn't exist in my world. I'm not sure my dad even had a credit card; if he did, it was never used back then. Of course, it helps that the tuition then was just about affordable for lower middle class people and healthcare was cheap, looking back on things. Best of luck to you; I suspect you will have an amazing career.
13
The idea that a 17 or 18 YO kid is dependent on the cooperation of their parents to attain college is deeply flawed. Have the kid enter their SSN and the name of the parent(s) responsible for them. Info already present at the IRS should be sufficient to do the rest.
How many poor kids don’t attend college simply because parents are not cooperative?
7
I have been a professor for a decade now, teaching for several years at two private universities...one considered an emerging but still B level university and the other one amongst this country's most elite universities. In my experience at both institutions, the students from low income backgrounds spend a large percentage of their time worrying that, after all the hassles and stress of actually apply for and receiving financial assistance to attend one of these schools, their aid and loans would dry up, be discontinued or be withheld due to changes in government programs. And sadly often this was the case. I lost several students to the fact that they could no longer access financial assistance. Additionally, the amount of anxiety caused by this uncertainty, in addition to holding down 20-30 hour a week jobs, particularly for top performing students, often caused them to ultimately drop out because every day was like walking a tight rope, with absolutely no safety net below. This is unconscionable in a country where education is often the key to changing not just one life but the lives of an entire family. My heart broke as I watched some of my brightest students throw in the towel because of money. Education, like healthcare, should be a right...not a privilege.
23
I had a very similar background, but born in 1958.
I also lived in Canarsie (East 108th and Ave K).
My father was an immigrant; neither of my parents had gone to college, and we didn't have the money to go to any school other than Brooklyn College.
But I majored in computer science; worked part time throughout college; took on virtually no debt; did not drink or do drugs; and did not have babies until I could afford it.
Most of my friends were similar, although most majored in accounting (equally marketable).
Today, my friends from college and I are living the American dream. At about age 60, we mostly paid off our mortgages; have helped our own kids pay for college; and are on the way to a retirement with very decent savings.
I salute your hard work.
My only real comment is: there is nothing wrong with Queens College or any other CUNY school.
You don't need to go to Yale or Stanford to obtain the America Dream.
Brooklyn College took me there.
Queens can take you there too.
19
@G I agree. Though I feel for Mr Jemmott's difficulties, negativity toward the government or other institutions, and bitterness toward people who attend good school districts, will not help his achieve his goals. Based on what Mr Jemmott describes of his family background, hopefully, he will learn not to repeat his family's mistakes. He will finish his education first, then a get job, perform well at the job and only after that have children with an equally financially stable spouse. There is nothing wrong with working part-time while attending community college. And, there are plenty of well paying jobs for those who go to trade school or a vocational high school. I work at a community college, and our industry partners want employees who are dependable, know how to communicate with different levels of the organization, and how to work on a team. People most often develop this from their families, not their schools.
7
I guess there are some changes since you went to the college. The prices went up and salaries did not. So your experience could be a little outdated.
5
Really? Surprisingly, but according to statistics, college degree is associated with higher pay. And the lesson should not be about when one should or should not to have kids, but rather how to ensure that smart kids could get the proper education despite their family background.
4
So here is where the government could help; A basic informational website that covers three topics:
1. Application process knowledge, in lieu of a non-existent functional school counselor program.
2. Applying for financial aid. Do's and don'ts.
3. Awareness and recognition of predatory lending.
4. Tuition debt education/realization and long term impact relative to post graduation wages.
5. Multiple career pathways; advantages and disadvantages of each; ie community college for two years then transfer (if desired) to obtain same degree as a 4 year more expensive path. Technical and trade schools. State vs private options. Case studies of each.
The issues raised in the article are important and well timed. However, the use of the term " dirty rich" is most unfortunate for this author, and sadly telling. The problem is that it is a personal attack against a group that may not be deserved and supports the type of divisiveness we don't need. Some of those "dirty rich" are far more effective in doing good than our wasteful government. The concept of "excessive capitalism" would however be a more descriptive term for a problem, as not all very wealthy fall into our excessive capitalism problem, which is NOT limited to the "dirty rich."
2
Easiest way will be transparency in the admission process. Define clearly what criteria are used for the admission. Same with aid process. Define exactly what documents you need and what office you should get them.
2
Your are right, considering how many students are helped by the Government, and how many by 'dirty' rich.
When I was a student at UC Davis in the 70s, the fees for a quarter (not including room and board or books) were $212.50. In today’s dollars that would be $966, or under $3000 for the year. The fees now for a year is just over $15,000. At a state school. This is why students graduate with debt.
10
Only the rich pay the full sticker price. And, that’s the point of their high price.
2
All government programs are an difficult maze of opaque complexity. It's all the efforts to prevent cheating. My handicapped brother gets SSDI, which isn't enough for rent, so he has housing support. Medicare doesn't cover the last dollar, so he has Mediaid, too. He needs a job coach to have a job and transportation assistance to get to it. All of these programs and supports require documentation that he is handicapped and poor. Altough he has been so for the last 50 years, he has to prove it annually --- for each service. None of them use the same forms, the same definitions or documentation. If he didn't have family to navigate the maze for him, he'd need a support professional to manage the documenting of his need for support.
If you miss a form or submit the wrong documentation (as in something that was good for some other support, but not this one), he gets booted off swiftly, but getting him reinstating takes triple the time and paperwork.
None of the offices answer their phones with less than an hour of hold time and none are open outside of normal working hours. It takes a half day to get one in-person interview done --- not only of his time, but of his advocate's time, too.
12
My poor students, ( the majority at my school), are terrified of debt. It makes sense. They don't trust banks, they don't trust anyone but their families and sometimes not even them. Why should they? The system does not work in their favor and they have to explain themselves to everyone..."Oh, you're an IB Diploma candidate?! Really?" This is constant. Everywhere. Every time. The rich move with ease through the world, we middle class people try to keep up and can fake our way through if we have some moxie. But to be poor in a land that perpetuates the myth of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is to be perpetually labeled lazy, unfit, inept, criminal or worse. People who are poor work harder than any affluent person I have ever known. My students often work 30 hours a week in addition to going to high school and taking rigorous courses. Frequently they contribute to their family income, helping to pay the rent or for groceries, something no affluent student can even conceive of. College is a dream, one we make more and more difficult. And even when there, they are made to feel less than. It is shameful.
127
@Eva Lockhart Fifty years ago the outlook for most poor or working class students was similar. We were afraid of banks, and would not know how to approach a bank to ask for a loan. We would work through high school to save for college, and then work throughout the college years, sometimes in multiple part time jobs. Going to a better out of state university meant sacrificing a few meals to pay the higher tuition, so we often graduated later than our peers, and very much thinner. One key difference between then, and now, though, was potential access to subsidized loans. Those low rate government supported loans were a lifeline. Where are they now?
4
@Eva Lockhart: Maybe there is a lot to be ashamed of, and I think it is great if your students have a good attitude. But if we are talking about students in public schools who are poor, not all of them work harder on their schoolwork than affluent kids do, or work hard on it at all.
3
@Eva Lockhart New book by Wilkinson & Pickett The Inner Level, on the toxic effects of inequality
4
"I came to realize that, in every step along the way, we had to do more because we had less. "
This is so true and so sad and so hard.
14
Very good article. Enoch has clearly expressed his thoughts. Hearty congratulations. It’s nice that some counsellors are provided in the colleges to help the students, who face numerous problems in addition to filling the forms, which doesn’t seem to be that easy. The best way is to make the forms much simpler and less complicated to fill.
So sad to learn that inherent problems within the system doesn’t encourage the unfortunate ones to come up the ladder and that only 9 % of them are able to graduate from college whereas 71 % of the fortunate ones graduate from college. Huge gap indeed. This gap needs to be narrowed down on urgent basis at least in graduation since the struggle is a long process and not a short one.
Graduating from college after choosing the correct courses is only the first step, then this graduate enters the job market, which is entirely a different experience altogether. Plenty of pitfalls and a few ladders are ahead.
Best of luck to all the graduates, post graduates and doctorates even in their efforts to succeed in life.
4
What did I learn when I went to see my "guidance counselor" at the Catholic high school I attended in the 70's? That she did not know, or care, that I was in all advanced classes. That she did not care where I went to college, and that she was there to feed the Irish Catholic children to Catholic colleges. So, it was up to me to figure out where to go, how to get in and how to get financial aid. All good lessons for relying on yourself. I have gotten my own three children into stellar schools, and have only minimally relied on guidance counselors in their schools. As others have noted, self-reliance will serve you best in the end.
6
Yeah, well, things are not so simple these days. I also was a very strong student at a Catholic high school in the 1980s, and the guidance counselor did very little. She should have recommended that I apply to the Ivy League or similar schools, which I was not familiar with, but did not. Fortunately, we had a very strong flagship public university in our state which I was accepted to and from which I graduated with flying colors. Competition is now much more fierce and colleges are much more expensive than they were several decades ago. Students REALLY need help with this process of selecting and applying to colleges. The vast majority of them are not getting the help they need. Those with family situations such as the writer's are really at a disadvantage in the application process.
4
"The Implicit Punishment of Daring to Go to College When Poor"
No one, not even the "institution" is punishing you for going to college. Many poor kids have preceded you and have managed to find their way through the numerous bureaucratic processes that you have faced.
Please lose the passive aggressive stance. Yes, you need assistance - everyone does. The only one making the implication this is punishment is you.
9
Wouldn't it be refreshing if for once in a NY Times article like this the author were to show appreciation for what he is getting? Over and over the "poor me how much I've suffered" gets real old. Why is it the responsibility of complete strangers to provide educational opportunities for you when your own family couldn't be bothered?
8
@eric
Why is it we should only consider immediate family members' needs and not those of the larger community? That is a very sad way to live in the world.
5
Very callous. So he should be grateful that he had many more hoops to jump through to be admitted while some of the wealthy buy and cheat their way in? The person he owes praise and thanks to is himself for persevering when the odds were not in his favor and then turning around and trying to help others.
7
@eric
Every child that we educate in this country becomes a child less likely to end up in jail, unemployed, etc. Every child that we educate becomes a child who can become a productive member of society. Investing in all children is an investment we make, as a country, for the good of all of us. The more we do to help our nation's children succeed, the more we do to help everyone: the educated go on to pay more taxes, contribute, and raise their own children with higher expectation. So, yes, complete strangers should be very concerned with making sure all children have access to higher education, especially the ones whose families couldn't be bothered. Those kids need more from us, not less.
3
He knows how to communicate!
2
So lucid, thank you.
2
I can't believe the number of "Life is hard and I could do it, so you should suck it up" responses to this piece. How is that in any way what this is about? This isn't a "woe is me" essay, it's a challenge that we can do better.
Education is a public good. I want the ambitious and talented but poor or naive kid who might be intimidated by the FAFSA to have access to assistance (or better yet: a less byzantine system), because maybe that's the kid who invents the next great technological advance, or cures cancer, or even just ascends to being a taxpaying citizen with a regular career instead of still needing public support well into adulthood -- if that kid can just get a foot in the door to build upon.
It can't possibly be better for society to instead arrange an unnecessary gauntlet and then scold the people who fail to complete it for their insufficient determination.
29
Enoch - you should be proud of what you have accomplished. But please major in something with a hard skill and a clear path to a job. A major in communications, which is long on soft skills and short on any substantive knowledge, will not lead to a secure future. There is a reason why accountants, engineers, and health care workers are not a large proportion of the unemployed. Be proud but be smart too.
7
I am appalled and disgusted by some of the negative comments I see here. Congratulations to you Enoch for writing this article and for overcoming the hurdles in front of you.
16
Somehow the children of Asian low income,non English speaking immigrant manage to successfully figure out the application procedures.
6
@Marika Many of those low income families actually were highly educated in their home countries. And many, many Asian American children come from parents who are not immigrants but are upper middle class professionals.
10
@Ceilidth That is not entirely true. It's only recently and in certain groups in the past -- e.g. the Taiwanese -- who came with high levels of education. In fact, in the 1960s, the US ONLY allowed Asian-Americans with a high level of education to come here. Contrast my coming to America in the 1970s as a refugee whose Mom didn't have a chance to attend college with my ex-boyfriend, whose parents came here from Taiwan in the 1970s, both with PhDs. The also came with a sizable chunk of change to buy property whereas we came with $10 US.
Today's legal immigrants from China often could not have come here in the first place nor stayed unless they were educated or wealthy. There are also illegal immigrants from China in the past and present without that education background.
The common thread is not education or money per se but a RESPECT for higher education that runs through all levels of many Asian societies.
3
Key point:
1.7 million students attend schools that have police officers roaming the halls but no counselors. At my high school, most of us wrote our college essays without adults or savvy older relatives to advise us what topics would make us more attractive candidates.
I grew up upper middle class. all 3 older sibs went to tony country club private colleges , Bard and Haverford. They had tons of help getting there and while there. By the time my turn came around, father had gone, mom was having a nervous breakdown, it was the 60's, my school was a pot smoking mess run by misguided Jewish leftists (Walden School, now defunct), and I, though still technically upper middle class in terms of my address, had zero help and adult guidance. I still made it in to SUNY New Paltz, just by virtue of my theatre background and SAT scores, but i had no SAT prep at all. And I did not get in to where i wanted to go, BARD, and beside my poor grades there was the utterly innane essay I wrote. Even then I was ashamed for the essay, knew it was bad, had no idea what to write, was depressed, needed help, and had none.
What I i had been sleeping on my sister's couch while mom was homeless with none of the advantages I grew up with including educated parents and good public schools.
This kid deserves props, and kids in working class neighborhoods deserve need institutional structures that prepare them for college, full stop. In the schools and out....
7
Thank you for your thoughtful insights into these inequities and inconsistencies within our schools. I am inspired by the youth program. Can you please let readers know how we can help, either donate money or time.
Thank you!
4
I am offended that only students of color are pictured in the photographs accompanying this article.
I am white. I came from an uneducated, working class family and I,too, put myself through college. Every penny. Every application. Every form. Every bus ride and long walk home from the bus stop at night.
I remain the only college educated person in my immediate family.
Not all people of color are poor and uneducated, and not all white people are rich degree wielding folks.
12
@marieka This is a photograph of students walking down a street. It does not look staged. There happened to no white students in the foreground, but there were also no Asians, no Hispanic students, no students with disabilities. Get over yourself. Or maybe this was written as satire?
4
@marieka This is an opinion piece relating one person's experience. The photos show the writer of the article and the other students in his environment. He is writing about his experience, not a general essay about all low-income college students. NYT is full of articles about working-class white families, so it's not like you don't get to see people like yourself often. Just not on this occasion.
4
@marieka
Well said, but I didn't have the nerve to say it.
1
I was a first generation college student. My parents graduated from high school, but had to go to work after they finished. My grandmothers completed 8th grade before they had get jobs to help support their families, and my grandfathers finished 3rd grade. I grew up working class in a small town. My high school wasn't accredited, which limited my choices. We had no library, no computers, no AP courses, no chemistry, no calculus, no foreign language beyond 10th grade. As for PSAT and SAT prep courses, nothing, and if there were such things (there probably were even in 1981) I didn't know about them and my parents wouldn't have been able to afford them. There was no one to help me fill out forms, and I remember being bewildered by the whole process. My school had a guidance counselor of sorts. When I went to see him about college (encouraged by my parents, who told me not to ask them because they couldn't help me or answer my questions), he asked me whether I was applying to college as a graduate student or an undergraduate student. I was confused, and didn't know difference between them. When I told him that I didn't know, he told me to figure it out, then come back. My parents didn't know, and he made me feel so small, so stupid, so ignorant that I was embarrassed to ask my teachers. I never went back to him. Sadder still is that my school was very small--my graduating class, the largest in the school's history, was 47. I opted for community college instead.
3
Sorry, bubbies, but it is doable. I was born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, and lived in public housing. My parents said I had to get a good education if I was ever to be somebody. “Make City” was the mantra, meaning get your grades high enough to get into a CUNY. So, they watched my grades, and they were good enough to make CCNY. This was the sixties, and it not only kept me out of ‘Nam, it gave me a god education, which my tax dollars have long paid back.
Now, my barber’s kid is also going to live at home, like I did, and will go to an NYC college, and also will be a successful grad, and make his parents proud.
In NY, this is all still possible. I am proud to be born, raised, and now retired, as a New Yorker.
5
I hate to break it to him, but that's what life in the US is like if you're not poor.
Middle-class people, upper-middle-class people, rich people, all spend their life filling out complex forms and following complex regulations. Tax returns, mortgage contracts, wills, trusts, property tax appeals, medical insurance negotiations - it's one thing after another. If you can't handle this stuff you will get nowhere.
7
@Jonathan Obviously you have never filled out a FAFSA. And I'll bet that you never had to fill out any of the things you mention as a 17 year old.
7
It is far harder on poor young people today than 40 years ago. I was poor from an uneducated community with a school counselor who was retiring and unmotivated. I never heard of the ACT and, although a top student, was not counseled about wgat courses to take, not that were many choices. Fortunately we had open admissions, a extension campus of the state university 40 miles away, and open admissions. Most of all, fees were low enough that part time minimum wage work easily covered them. Four years latter I graduated summa cum laude with STEM degree. Today with the “improvement” of restricted admissions, I wouldn’t even meet the initial admission standards to try to take my shot. At a state university. What is more unamerican than that?
Between inflated tuitions and inflated admission requirements at even state universities, even public education has become elitist. Everyone should be allowed to take their shot, and let the results pick the winners. With open admissions, 40% didn’t make it past the freshman year, but that is okay. Not everyone wins and gets a trophy.
5
There is little of the world we see as we step out our door that is natural, or frankly, even inevitable. It is a world someone has chosen. It is an engineered social and economic reality, carefully designed to faithfully replicate what Paolo Friere called "the logic of the present system, and bring about conformity."
Well, it does that. Kudos to young Mr. Jemmott for finding a magic key or two to open hidden doors and having the nerve to step through them.
I remember like it was yesterday 41 years ago showing up on the campus of Morehead State University to "enroll", utterly unprepared for what was to come, skinny little checkbook in hand and a paper copy of my transcript. Why they admitted that spooked little farm boy I can't even say. Pity perhaps.
It's been a long road from that moment in Eastern Kentucky to a rumptious city in Southeast Asia, and six countries in between. None of it easy, but all fascinating.
Good luck, Enoch Jemmott. Don't lose your nerve. You'll need it.
4
Enoch, my hat is off to you on successfully navigating your way through the bewildering college application and financial aid process. The overworked school guidance counselor at our kids public school wasn't any help so my husband and I had to figure it out ourselves. Even though we both have advanced degrees, we were so frustrated by it all and often wondered how in the world did students who didn't have help or parents who went to college get through this, particularly the FAFSA and the CSS? I can't imagine myself at your age or our sons doing what you did. Your advocacy for others is an inspiration and I hope this article and the documentary will bring positive results so more low-income kids can make their dream of going to college a reality.
5
My mother grew up poor in NYC in 1930's and '40's. Her mother was a savvy woman who never went to college, yet she insisted that my mother get a college education. My grandparents had no money for college, but NYC had outstanding, low-cost options, and my mother graduated from Hunter.
Having gone to college, my mother inculcated in me, from early childhood, the idea that I would go to college. In turn, my son grew up knowing he would go to college. College attendance had become part of our family culture.
How does a poor child growing up in harsh conditions with parents, or a single parent, who never went to college learn that college is both an option and, for many jobs, a necessity? How is a kid with no family culture of college, no money, and no one to guide them through the daunting process of getting into, and paying for, college supposed to figure it all out on their own?
Enoch's accomplishment is remarkable. We need to find a way to introduce more children like Enoch to the concept of college from a young age, and then we need to find a way to help them get there.
5
The problem here is not poverty but lack of parents. My high school did not have a guidance counselor, even though it was a private school. I did my own research about colleges and borrowed my parents' car to go on a road trip to visit campuses, with a friend (my father also took me on another road trip). I never took an SAT prep class. I did quite well on the SATs regardless, because I was raised to read books and my father had helped me with math homework at times. My mother helped me with my college essay. Back in the 70s no one thought these tasks were the responsibilities of programs and professionals. They were the responsibilities of the students and their parents.
3
@Anne
You are taking for granted your family had the money to own a car, pay for hotels and travel food for your road trip, as well as the experience and literacy to navigate the paperwork, including the essay. You applied from a more privileged position than the writer did but, like much of the middle and upper classes, you don't even realize it.
9
Back in the 70s, FAFSAs didn’t exist. Nor did the Common App or for-profit student loans. Times change, and education has changed with it. You would be shocked by how irrelevant your experience of 40 years ago has become.
3
@Anne His. Mom. Was. Homeless. Where do you see Enoch not taking responsibility...and paying it forward?
3
Mr. Jemmot is absolutely correct that for many low-income students the college admissions experience is a labyrinth without a map. As others have said, teachers can be a good resource in schools with overworked school counselors. So can organizations like the Posse Foundation and Questbridge.
1
Mr. Jemmott, your peers are lucky that you were able to help them. I'm sorry that you went through this rigamarole and sorrier still that it continues. You are absolutely correct that this maze is daunting and that the assistance you receive is inadequate. Perhaps you and your friends, once you graduate, can, if you feel strongly about it, set up an organization to help future college students in poorer schools. I can think of no better way than using one's own experiences to help others do better and avoid the pitfalls.
Good luck.
2
There are teachers is ALL high schools. And most teachers WILL help a student if they are asked. If they don't know the answer, they will help them find someone who does. But it is on the student to make his needs known.
With computers in all high schools and in most public libraries, it's pretty hard today to say one didn't even know where to look for help. It's out there - lots and lots of help!
If a potential college student can't find this, then perhaps they should be looking at college at all. As the for author - good luck with the "Communications" major landing you a job. You are trained to do very little.
8
Wow, just that easy hunh? I can tell from your tone you did not grow up poor/live in a poor area or had friends who struggled. When they speak of "white privilege", this is EXACTLY what they speak of. In my high school, my counselor refused to offer scholarship assistance to my graduating class because "we didn't deserve it." Right now, my son is taking honors/AP classes but he has a math teach AND his counselor telling him they won't allow him to take calculus because "he's not smart enough to handle it." (BTW, he has a 3.5 GPA in his honors and AP classes.) Perhaps it's because he's a person of color?
So good for you if you went to a wonderful school with all this beautiful help, but not everyone is so fortunate. Perhaps you should not to dictate from on high until you've walked in someone else's shoes.
8
@India: Teachers in many poorer public schools are overwhelmed with all they have to do. They're teachers, social workers, nurses, librarians, coaches, janitors, and more. They're dealing with every social problem.
Many schools in poor communities are underfunded; computers might old or they don't have enough. And don't look to public libraries--many public libraries have had to cut their hours and services, and in bigger communities, there are waiting lists for their computers.
When you're poor (Mr. Jemmott was more than poor--he was homeless) and first generation, you don't know which questions to ask (you don't know what you don't know) or who to ask for the help necessary to get through the process. Instead of throwing up road blocks and barriers, the process should be streamlined and made easier. Kids whose parents went to college, who are in wealthier or middle class communities have the money and resources to get the help they need, and they have parents who can guide them. They have computers at home, so they're not at the mercy of the public library being open only 20 hours per week, and having to wait for a computer. They will have access to guidance counselors and help with forms, essays, testing, and more.
More needs to be done to help first generation and poor kids because they don't have families with institutional knowledge. They face unique challenges that 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation college students don't face.
9
@India Did you read this article at all? Have you ever had to fill out a FAFSA application on your own? As a college advisor at an independent school, I can tell you that it's a VERY inequitable system. Independent school kids get A LOT of help that public school kids do not, and it's a very complicated process if you're on your own dealing with financial aid. Don't be so condescending.
4
The tone of the headline and, to a lesser extent, the story is so strange. No one's trying to punish poor kids who want to go to college. Is everything harder for poor kids? Of course. At least being low income is a great way to get financial aid, as I quickly discovered when I was in high school. My mother had little income, and I slept in her bed because there wasn't enough money for me to have my own room. There was no PSAT or SAT prep. I went to a big high school in which the school counselors did the best they could. It was clear that the key was to make good grades, participate in extra-curricular activities and avoid trouble. I'm all for helping poor kids, but let's also teach them life skills, including problem-solving. An article like this may encourage people with money to do more, but the downside is that it may discourage low-income teenagers from trying.
The problems start long before it's time to apply for college.
6
I'm an alum of Queens, have a BA in biology, graduated in 1992. I'm proud to say that I actually use my education every day in my job capacity. Attending school at Queens was an enriching experience, I hope Mr. Jemmot has had as positive an experience as I did. And to top it off, it was so affordable back then and my degree paid for itself many times over. It's nice to see these pictures, brings back memories of walking the quad and sitting on the library steps. Nice to see it hasn't changed.
1
A great and needed article Mr. Jemmott. And you are a very good writer. I can't imagine my kids being able to get it together at 17 to fill in the forms, find the schools, do the applications, all by themselves. Schools in NYC like Beacon and Bard all have dedicated college counselors to closely help people. Every single high school should have that.
5
Why major in Communications? If you don't come from a wealth family, major in something useful/marketable, like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Comp Sci, or Philosophy (helps getting into law school).
Every time I read about a first time college student (first in his/her family), that person always majors in something completely useless, from the standpoint of being widely employable. If you want to be an English professor, then, fine, major in English, but, otherwise, get a degree in something that pays (unless your family is rich).
20
This is the most relevant comment that nobody wants to hear. Thanks for saying it. If someone says you can do "a lot of things" with your degree, they are leaving out "that aren't related to your degree--and you could easily do without the degree." Nothing worse than being overqualified for a job AND the baggage of student loan debt.
7
@Anti-Marx A liberal arts education will serve anyone well. Soft skills are revered by business. College should not necessarily be a vocational training ground. I'm amazed how many college grads don't understand the basics of our history, our form of government, humanities or the natural sciences. Plus, being able to hold ones emotion in check and excercise reason is always a big plus, especially in today's mob driven social media environment.
16
@Almighty Dollar
A liberal arts education will serve anyone well.
Sure, but my guess is you're imagining something along the lines of St. John's great books curriculum or Columbia's core curriculum. By "soft skills," you probably mean syllogistic reasoning and knowledge of the origin of the syllogism.
I don't think the choice is between vocational training (Econ major etc.) and Hellenic humanistic breadth. I think it's between STEM and (basically) independent study majors (go interview people in Brooklyn and make a presentation based on the interviews).
2
It’s outrageous that public schools are not preparing their students for standardized testing, applications, and FAFSA. Not only is it necessary, it can reassure be increased as part of the curriculum. Furthermore, guidance counselors’ primary responsibility should be providing academic guidance. School psychologists and social workers should be helping those with family problems.
2
Thank you for passing your hardwon knowledge on, to us, and now to your peers. I am humbled reading this account.
My (white) family was dirtpoor when I was applying to college - with the family-supporting parent soon to be incarcerated for financial crimes - but I benefited by attending a school with a dedicated counselor. I was the first one to attend college, so my family had no clue, but the counsellor suggested where I could apply (mainly state schools which back then were cheap).
The applications for tuition relief and financial aid I recall as being fairly simple. I remember writing in 'zero' for the family income. It's true, there was some aid I couldn't get as my grandmother - with whom we were living - wouldn't sign the form. There were no predatory loan sharks in those days.
I feel like as a nation we have lost our way when it comes to educating our youth. Because then, even I, coming from a destitute family with a parent in jail, could attend a solid state university, which gave me a leg up into the middle class.
Where have we gone wrong?
19
At the risk of being obtuse, there is a difference between being low income and coming from families with no exposure to higher education. Admittedly, I had gone to college, but I was raising four kids solo with no child support, depending upon roommates to make the rent.
All four attended and graduated college. I studied up on financial aid, learned as many ins and outs as I could.
One of my children attended a Seven Sisters school and got a masters degree from Columbia.
I understand the intent of this article is to focus on people with no background and no clue - but I've known middle class people who made huge mistakes with financial aid too. Most people just don't understand it.
13
@Miriam Warner: Thank you for making that distinction, although I would argue that poor students are more likely to have parents who didn't go to college than middle class students. If you're poor but your parents went to college (even community college, or if they went but didn't finish), that is still having some exposure to college vs no exposure to college. At my previous job, I taught at a community college, where nearly all of the students were first generation. Basics such as going to the bookstore to buy their required textbooks (the library was tiny, and most of the faculty didn't put books on reserve) was outside the realm of their experience. I had library staff tell me that my students were showing up at the library expecting to purchase their textbooks there. The whole concept of borrowing books, or of reserve materials was even more foreign to them. One year not a single student in my classes had ever set foot in a library before taking my classes. But in other classes, students who had a parent who went to college had a huge advantage. They knew some of the drill, knew that what resources were available to them even if they were poor. That parental exposure makes a world of difference, and they got through the application process and college much better.
There is book out by Anthony Jack titled "The Privileged Poor" about poor kids who get into exclusive schools and the challenges they face. Things that are obvious to others are new to the poor.
1
State universities used to be practically free. This helped grow the economy of the entire country. People who have money ought to step up to the plate and pay the taxes that make it possible to diminish significantly the worries of college-bound high school students with few economic resources. Investing in them is investing in the future of all Americans.
15
I went to Baruch College, part of the CUNY system in NYC. The cost was $53 a semester plus books. Even if a loan was required, it wouldn't be much. It was a fantastic education with great professors, and quality all the way. Today the cost is still minimal, which is why many first time college students (in their families) go there. Fewer or less loans, big time education. You can't beat it.
5
I think the author is overstating the case. I went to the Queens College and web site and it is pretty easy to apply there. They have step by step instructions that are very easy to follow. So while it may be daunting to first time college applicants it is quite doable in the wired era. I might add when my children applied to college they were equally overwhelmed by the process even though they came from a two professional family.
7
Did you miss the part where the author said he was homeless whilst going through this process? Can you imagine that? The price of poverty is enormous stress, fatigue, shame, humiliation and exhaustion. It is unforgivable to overlook the effort it takes for students in very strained financial and social circumstances to succeed, just as it is unforgivable to allow needlessly complicated processes to come between them and the great equalizer that is a (high quality) education.
29
@Bill: I respectfully disagree. Mr. Jemmott indicated that he was homeless while going through the application process, and that his mother refused to fill out some of the forms required to determine eligibility for financial aid.
It is easy when you have a roof over your head and access to a computer and when you can ask someone for help when you don't understand lines and questions on the form. It is easy when you have parents who don't refuse to fill out and sign the required forms. It is easy when you have access to the other paperwork required.
4
@Bill: Not everyone has access to a computer, and if you're using the public computer at a public library, would you want to put your personal, sensitive information (social security number, income, etc.) on it when filling out the forms and where the computers are close and the person next to you or behind you could see what you've entered?
Many poor kids don't have a computer at home, computer time at school might be limited, or there are far more students who want to use the computers than available computers.
It isn't just inner city kids in poor communities. I worked in a college located in a rural poor area. These kids had most of the same challenges as the inner city poor kids, only they were rural poor. There is no public transportation, so they hitched rides with parents or with someone else who had a car. When their ride left, they left, or had to find someone else who could give them a ride home. More often they missed class because they didn't have a way to get home. Many of the students living in these small, extremely rural towns didn't have broadband, so even if their parents could have afforded a computer, the technical support didn't exist for them to be able to use one. Their only option was to use the computers at the public library in the nearest "larger" town, which restricted computer use to library patrons (which meant town residents only). That library had 6 computers, so there was no way it could have accommodated the demand.
Sadly, the deserving Enoch Jemmott still doesn't get it. College is the punishment.
For a large number of students, especially from among the poor, college is a very bad deal. They take on debt that might take them the whole of their professional lives to pay off, for a college education with near-worthless market value and, often, questionable intellectual value.
In 2010, this newspaper profiled a young woman, Courtney Munna, who illustrates that grim situation. Her heart-wrenching comment at the end of the article,
“I don’t want to spend the rest of my life slaving away to pay for an education I got for four years and would happily give back,”
In a subsequent article, Ms Munna defended the intellectual value of her education. Sure, but that is not the point. The point is that if you take on a loan, the transaction has to make commercial sense. For most students, most of the time, it doesn't.
A fraud is being perpetrated, and some enterprising newspaper ought to get to the bottom of it.
5
There are some employment opportunities that will support a decent life that do not require a college degree, some of them made possible by the taxpayers, at great expense, (look into how much it costs to train people in the military) but that does not mean that there are enough such situations to absorb the demand, or that 'become a plumber / Corrections Officer / etc. contributes much to the sort of economic thinking the nation needs to engage in. For far too long economic discussion in this country has been over simplified and twisted by partisan ideology and self-serving social Darwinist economic elite and mandarin classes on both sides of the political divide. I do think more investment in all public schools is necessary, far beyond the small percentage of privileged schools used a excuse to avoid acknowledging the need of any legitimate democratic republic to provide a serious, high quality education to everyone. There are, however, a constellation of issues surrounding the need to help people with difficulties get into and through college that need to be dealt with if college is to be effective in helping people build their lives - one of the nation's less discussed economic quandaries is the way the US history of corporate flagrant malice towards workers shapes hiring practice game-playing and covert abusive treatment in the workplace - and the resulting long-term destructive ripple effects for society and the economy. US economic policy needs to do better than this.
5
I believe this story and feel sad. Perhaps more colleges like Stanford will devote 20 percent of their entering classes to kids who r first generations in their families to attend. Also families w income under 100k get on for free including board and room.
2
I was the first person in my family to finish a 4 year college, a NY state university in the 1980's and also had no clue about SAT prep, etc. Though we were probably somewhere in the middle-class. I give the author credit for going to a public college instead of getting convinced to borrow money for a private one. For the majority of students in-state public colleges, though more money than they once still were represent great value and an opportunity to graduate relatively debt free.
10
I would like to know what is being done about the absurd cost of higher education? It is disgraceful.
6
@hannstv The costs for college started to rise significantly in the 70's. As people complained about taxes and having to pay them. The generation which was funded from WWII on until the boomers got in for less cost because we wanted education for those who could get in. Ronald Reagan lead the charge in California to charge students more and off load costs from the taxpayer. The idea that having an educated workforce would pay for itself was trashed.
Now schools at all levels are being bled dry and starved for funds.
9
@hannstv: States are no longer funding public higher education the way they did during the 1960s. There has been a shift in how education is viewed. It is viewed as a private good rather than a public investment in our (collective our) future. At one time the state picked up more of the tab (in my state, at one time, 70% of the costs were funded by the taxpayers, and now it is well below 35%. The burden has been shifted from taxpayers to students and their parents, even though we all benefit from a more educated populace, not just economically.
2
The issue is wasted brains that would contribute to the GDP and make America more competitive. By not stirring the brain and talent pot simply puts America father behind Asia. The USA needs ever molecule of educated brain power to succeed in a global, competitive world. We should be bulldozing money into education as America needs millions more STEM trained hot shots (else we lag even more as Asia mints millions more engineers and scientist). Your children will be working for China before you can say squat. This is a National Security Issue (like it or not). Wake up and educate every single person and snatch the STEM kids up by the scruff and tout, tutor and teach with gusto.
9
Information about how to prepare for college, how to apply for college, how to apply for financial aid, etc. is more readily available and cheaper now than ever before. It's called Google and Youtube. Also, there are plenty of free and low-cost test prep classes available to anyone with a smart phone or access to a computer. For example, Khan Academy has plenty of free SAT prep materials available online. And many colleges are adding special resource centers providing services to first generation college students, etc.
8
Great! Now all is needed is a computer and that thing they call the internet. My wife works with poor students. Easy access to the internet is not a given.
30
@Dave Miller
Thank you. My wealthy sister in law once commented that public school kids from poor neighborhoods were afforded the chance to attend college through a program she was associated with. She could not understand why it was not a success. It was not a success because people such as my sister in law had no clue about the fact that these kids and their families had no clue about how to obtain the necessary supplies and clothes, and simple transportation to get to these colleges! "Going to college" involves a lot more than just paying tuition.
1
@James Grosser: Yes, all you need to do is go to YouTube or Google, and you can get all of the information you need. Nor are test prep courses cheap--I took a GRE test prep course in the early 1990s, held at one of the local colleges. At that time, it cost me about $50.00 for 8 weeks of GRE prep. I've seen the costs of these courses skyrocket, putting them out of range for working class and poor families.
YouTube and Google are great if you own a computer at home or have access to computers at school or the public library. If you're poor, rent and food are more important than a computer. If you're poor, your high school may not have enough computers, and your public library might be closed, have limited hours, and only a few computers with long waiting lists. Google and YouTube are great IF you have the technology to use them. If you're poor and living in a very rural area, you don't even have broadband, so even if you had the money to buy a computer, there's no way to access the internet. At one job I had at a rural community college, most of my students lived in tiny, rural towns without broadband, so the only time they got to use computers was when they came to campus, and we didn't have nearly enough computers to meet the demand. Most students graduated without ever having used a computer because we didn't have the money to buy them and upgrade them or to buy enough of them to meet the demand. The public library in town couldn't help either.
1
To state the obvious, and I'm sure others have already, no one owes you a college education. The state owes you a high school education. University education is advanced education and not all are able or inclined to go on for further studies. Filling out applications is part of your education and a test of your abilities. Perhaps being "poor" and not being privy to these various schemes to help you apply for admission is keeping you honest. Getting coached on what to say on an application is actually cheating. An essay for an application is a test of the applicant's ability, not that of a helpful guidance counselor.
Maybe each state has their own procedure on applying and some may make it easier than others. I didn't get any help from a guidance counselor. I pretty much considered them to be useless. Most of my classmates who attended LSU had no problems with the application process. We didn't have to take a test or submit an essay, which made it easy. The test was our first year of college. Lots dropped out. I dropped out. It took me ten years to get my degree, but I got an advanced education in the process. I worked lots of jobs related to my studies, like internships, but real world, not sponsored by the university. My parents didn't help me apply. They of course encouraged me and paid the cheap state tuition but they certainly didin't help me fill out applications. Neither one of them had a college degree.
6
Many years ago, I blindly went through the student loan process a couple of times, but with less difficulty than the author. I also came from a working class neighborhood. I graduated with advanced degrees and a comfortable salary, but also with a boat load of debt that may take me well into my retirement years to pay off. Hindsight is 20/20, but I now cannot for the life of me understand why people who cannot afford to pay for their education (like me) clamor to put themselves through years of debt for very little financial benefit in the long run. I have a friend who became a Corrections Officer (no degree required), and she makes as much as I do with overtime. She owns her home, travels often and can retire after 20 years on the job. She is also debt-free. She sent one kid into the Navy and is making her other kid work her way through Nursing School. Both kids are bright, of good moral character, and have bright, debt-free futures ahead of them. My cousin went to work for the New York Port Authority straight out of High School. He is 52 and getting ready to retire soon. He owns a house in the suburbs and enjoys a comfortable, well-paid lifestyle. He will retire with full benefits. I might retire closer to 70 with a poorly funded 401K if my debts are not paid off. The quality of one's life is not in direct proportion to the degree one attains, and going into deep debt to get an education is not the answer to living a better quality of life.
11
This letter is a call to action. I have a daughter in 2nd grade who will have many of the benefits of being in the upper middle class bestowed upon her as she nears the college application process (assuming kids are still going to college in ten years).
It would behoove me to find one kid, every year, who needs an adult to mentor him or her through this process, essentially doing for that kid what I will eventually do for my daughter.
Where do I start?
5
@Frederic Mokren:"Where do I start?"
Since you feel so privileged may folks in your economic position should be charge 3x for college expenses.
The 2x overpayment can be given to those lower economic class kids who dare to attend college but are implicitly punished for doing so.
Sound about right?
1
@Frederic Mokren We do already, you know, pay "2x overpayment". That's part of the discounted admissions that are used by many schools. It's part of the premise of the higher tuition at state institutions that is subsidized for lower income students.
What Enoch Jemmott has written about is that is still not enough, that the barriers to finding the information, getting the admission, on top of all the other challenges faced by children in the bottom 10% leaves even the most able of them at a significant disadvantage.
1
@Frederic Mokren: I'm glad that you've decided to personally mentor and guide a poor kid, or a first generation kid through the process. As other posters here noted, even middle class kids whose parents didn't attend college are at a disadvantage.
If you want to mentor one student per year, good for you. I'm not familiar with your area (Bellevue), but I what I would do is contact your high school. There might be kids who would be first generation whose parents can't help them or advise through the process. If you really want to make a different, find a poor community, contact that high school, and speak to the appropriate school administrators (perhaps the guidance counselor, if there is one, if not, try the principal or superintendent). Tell him what you want to do, and go from there. There are bright kids everywhere who could do better with some mentoring and guidance.
For several years, I had admonished many minorities and students of poorer families to strongly consider attending "good" colleges and universities in Canada, right next door and also in UK.
The significant advantages accrued to substantially lower costs, more culturally rich environment since Canadian and UK colleges accept a greater diversity of students than is traditional here, and the issue of safety since overt and subliminal racism and violence against minorities, especially blacks has attained historic proportions in USA.
Equally valuable and important is fact the minorities' achievement in foreign western academia is more well received, since these students are generally not accused of having any advantage of "affirmative action"or "sports scholarship" that the majority of white Americans look derisively down upon.
There are no affirmative actions programs or sports scholarships in Canadian or UK colleges -academic qualifications only.
NY Times had a story about 7 or 8 minority students being accepted into Princeton University, who had academic qualifications but needed financial assistance. Most white students still denigrated these new-comer minorities as undeserving of the opportunity they received.
I understand that most minority and poor USA students think inherently that schools in no other country can rival those in their home, based purely on being indoctrinated all their and their parents' live s as being in "the Greatest nation on Earth" (sic).
4
Poor kids can’t be that far from home in many many cases, as they often have to help out at home and travel costs are all out-of-pocket. Canadian schools are not the answer. It’s not about USA being the best, it’s about demanding a bare minimum for our citizens.
10
@wanderson It may be that in the current feminist -totalitarian atmosphere, many people will react with hostility to anyone unwilling to let the characterization " the majority of white Americans look derisively down upon" {beneficiaries of affirmative action}' pass by unchallenged, but the poison being spread by both the left - through feminist intersectionality - and various elements of the right, through appalling hate rhetoric, and angry resentment of years of lefty "real 47%"- style bigotry against poor rural people and other cynical cultural wargaming - as well as callous social Darwinism on both sides - is really all a plutocratic divide and conquer game. It does no real good to anyone, however it may feel in the moment, to oversimplify and demonize other people, and to thus write off the idea of dealing with them or engaging with them more than necessary - it just helps to solidify rigid ideology. Highly convenient ideology for corporate interests who would rather not see people of modest-and-even-less income levels pushing back in a unified, thoughful way against large-scale public policies - on corporate governance, on anti-trust, on games using exotic financial instruments, on abusive practices in the workplace etc. , etc. - that structure the economy in ways that shift wealth upwards, cloak and protect rapine towards the powerless, and wind up crippling large numbers of human lives. White 'deplorable' poor rural people may be more sympathetic than you think.
One would think there would be laws to crack down on predatory lenders. This administration doesn't even have the guts to crack on predatory vocational colleges. The writer rightly complains about the cheating scandal with rich kids getting in on fake credentials. However, it is the rich kids' parents paying top dollar plus a lot extra that allows the colleges to give poorer students a break on their tuition. Dr. Dre bragged about his daughter's acceptance without cheating. He didn't mention the $70 million donated years earlier which benefits all the students not just his daughter. I am sure that Jennifer Gates and Eva Jobs paid full price at Sanford, while their parents made other donations. Again, poorer students benefitted. By writing an essay which doesn't conform to the perfect image, the colleges are alerted to these students who were not aided by coaches and professional essay writers. It could work in their favor. They are looking for diversity.
3
The parents and students behind the admissions scandal should do community service helping underserved high school students like the author navigate the college and financial aid application process. They could also use their collective wealth and influence to create a Kahn Academy-style resource for completing applications, writing essays, and filing the FAFSA.
5
@Christian There are already tons of free materials on all of these topics. For example, just go to Youtube and type in fafsa.
1
If a simple tax form or FAFSA can throw you, you are in for a world of hurt. Life gets much much harder. I didn’t attend school on a regular basis after the age of 13, yet in the short time I did attend high school I had the intellectual wherewithal to take the aSAT. No preparation beforehand or meaningful high school education yet I managed to score well enough. I had to drop out of high school and only attended community college and then trade school yet I had the hustle to get into a well regarded law school. I did this all while supporting myself by selling plasma (no scholarships) because I was disabled as a child. The point being you make your own luck. For the life of me I cannot fathom the outpouring of pity for this kid. Sometimes adversity breeds character.
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@Uncommon Wisdom. It's always been hard. People seem to take it more personally now, where we used to think that's just the way things were in an impersonal universe. We didn't expect life to be fair, but now they not only expect fairness, but get darned mad if they don't get it. I honestly can't say who has the right of it, but I wish the young man good fortune.
7
@uncommonwisdom: College and law school are about 7x more $ (adjusted for inflation) now than 25 years ago. You wouldn’t make it now.
11
@Uncommon Wisdom
While I am happy things worked out for you I am astonished at the lack of empathy. Many people who grow up with modest (or less) incomes have a healthy fear of banks & financial institutions - they do not trust them largely because they or someone they know have been the victim of some kind of financial depredation.
I too successfully navigated the SAT and the financial aid process, and worked my way through college, but I realize that at lease part of that was luck. And I agree with the author that it should not be as complicated as it is. It is bewildering to many 17 year olds and just as scary to their lower income parents.
The inverse of this situation is that the better-off and well-off can have worse grades than the author, and yet get into better colleges, because their parents can pay for the SAT tutor, do tons of "extracurricular activities" because they have the time while the low income students probably worked after school; and if all else fails, bribe (legally or illegally) the colleges they are applying too.
Sorry, I don't think you always "make your own luck."
11
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Friedrich Nietzsche
4
@Glenn Thomas
Nietzsche didn't offer that aphorism as a truth.
He cited it as an example of the military mindset.
12
My HS senior has to turn down her admission to USC. Why- because we are not poor and not rich. USC informed us we were responsible for the entire 80k a year tuition. They explained our assets (mainly our house) was to great to justify reduction in tuition. Though our income is definitely upper middle class, we don't have a spare 320k for each child. Meanwhile, my child's classmate gets to go to UVA for free (or the Ivies if they are accepted tonight) because they are need base.
People need to realize these astronomical costs are not just hurting the poor. The poor have disadvantages getting into the colleges, but when accepted they get to go. The middle class get into the colleges, but can not afford them unless they drown them self in debt.
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@Sikorsky There are plenty of state universities that will give you a good education for a lot less money than USC.
Academic reputations are just that, reputations. To paraphrase Dwight Eisenhower, "beware of the educational industrial complex"
10
@Sikorsky
"the poor...when accepted get to go." Actually, no. Please don't try to compare your upper middle class predicament, while real, to that of the poor, who often can't afford to go even when accepted, even when they get loans, even when they get scholarships. Some people get full ride but you should talk to some of the other poor, accepted students. Many have caps on aid lower far lower than tuition let alone living costs. Your child will get into some school you can afford, even if not the first choice. But don't pretend that she won't be able to go to college at all due to costs, like many poor students. It's not "hey, let's go get poor so we can go to any school we're accepted to awesome!" Seriously. We feel so sorry for upper-middle-class people who are forced to unfairly compete with the poor, who just have such an easy time with the free rides they get that you wish you had. Yeah. If only.
22
@Sikorsky Our son had to turn down USC and Middlebury for the same reason yours did. One of his very wealthy friends got a free ride to USC, however, since he was able to get a “merit” scholarship. I often wonder if very wealthy kids should even be qualified for these “merit” scholarships. Like you, we make too much for aid, but too little to afford college. We scraped and scraped and we finally made our last college tuition payment in January. It does come to an end. Hang in there.
8
40 years ago, I had almost the same experience at my high school, one of those public so-called good schools. No counseling whatsoever other than one 20-minute meeting. And I had no idea about financial aid of any kind - figured my only choices were schools that I could pay for, which you could do in those days, at least. As a working class parent of a college student, working with her to navigate the thicket of forms, applications, scams, etc that this author so succinctly described was practically another full-time job. We 100% need to change this so the US can make the most of everyone's talents, which will benefit us all.
9
My parents were not college graduates the process was overwhelming but I was lucky to get accepted at local state college with tuition at a very low rate (it was the late 1960's)
I later went to the State University completed a BA
I was very lucky to be eligible for the GI bill under my disabled father which helped pay for tuition
I completely understand that the process of college applications
can seem overwhelming to working class families.The high schools should provide more assistance to those in need
8
There is a huge problem in this country with students whose parents did not go to college and cannot help them through the process or even understand what they are going through. Once in college, parents sometimes work against the student trying to complete studies, encouraging stopping to go to work and start earning money, fully supporting him or herself.
Most of the information I needed about getting into college, going to high school outside Reading, Pa., was available among my peers or in books, except from the so called guidance counselor who tried to discourage the aspirations of kids were either weren't straight "A" students or from well off, professional families.
The idea that college is the ONLY answer for those with aspirations of attaining higher level employment is also part of the problem. 4 yrs. in school? That's actually just 2 1/2 years on campus. The 4 yr. degree was designed for the sons and daughters of people who would then assist the graduates into professional level employment. Someone with a degree with no work experience and few, if any, professional contacts is not in much better shape than someone without it, at least at the start. We need other ways to certify people as excellent without spending four full years of their highly energetic youthful years.
Colleges at all levels should be working to address these problems. The people who need the most help, those from non-rich families, are currently getting the least.
9
@Doug Terry,
There is nothing wrong and no shame in going from high school to a community college. Having levelled up their skills, from a CC it is a much easier step to a state university or private four year college. Not to mention that, at least in California, the two years of lower division work at a CC costs less than one semester at UCB or UCLA. President Obama mentioned figuring a way to make community college tuition free for everyone. That is far more achievable and desirable than an inappropriate moonshot for making four year colleges tuition free.
11
@Charles Becker
There is no shame but there are definitely things wrong with community colleges. First, going away to school helps the student to grasp that this is a new, different and important phrase of life. Staying put, students get distracted by working. Give a young man a car and a girlfriend who is not in college and the CC effort fizzles out in many cases. That's another negative to think about: when one is immersed in the college experience, dropping out is less likely.
I had a friend whose son went to Montgomery County Community where we live. He made it through there and went on to get his Electrical Engineering four year degree at U of Maryland. Bravo. He is an exception to what often happens.
A lot of people at community colleges are on the eight year plan, taking a course of two per semester and hoping, eventually, to get an Associate's degree. During those eight years, they miss the advantages the degree would confer (if any).
Can CC be a leg up for someone not quite ready for a four year school? If so, great. If it is merely a half way house where, as an old news story in the Times put it, "dreams are put on hold" then it fails to live up to its promise.
@Doug Terry,
I'm not so sure that what you point out as drawbacks really are. FWIW, after retiring I went through two local CC's before transferring to UC Berkeley along with many of my classmates, although admittedly a rather small minority of my cohort. I didn't stay at Berkeley, but I'm in the final semester of my degree program at a closer and less intense state university. So I have some firsthand experience to base my thoughts on.
Just about half of students who start out in California State Universities fail to complete their degree within six years. The CSUs are aware of this and working diligently on it. But time spent at a CSU without completing one's degree is a LOT more expensive than going to a CC only to realize that one is not cut out for college at that point in one's life.
The moving away from home issue is a doubled edged sword. At CC I saw plenty of kids doing what you describe. At my current CSU (about 4X more expensive) I see almost as many kids who have a serious commitment deficit.
So I consider that cluster of issues to be a wash. As for the quality of instruction, I found CC's to be equal or superior to four year schools. The real value of CC's is threefold: 1) a cheap way for HS grads to find out if college is for them, 2) transfer-pathway programs, and 3) vocational training and associated AS degrees. I am indifferent as to whether the RN caring for me has an ASN, BSN, or an MSN.
Perhaps we will have to agree to disagree on this.
Higher education used to be an engine of economic development. It's still the most effective anti-poverty program. When former welfare recipients get a college degree they almost never return to public assistance.
But the neoliberalism of the 80's and 90's turned college education into a profit center. As states cut support and raised tuition the banks were waiting in the wings to fill in the gap with loans, ever increasing loans.
This trend continued as Joe Biden made sure that student loans would not be dischargeable as other loans are in bankruptcy.
The result, 1.4 trillion dollars in student debt with banks raking in the profits and the federal government assuring their profits by guaranteeing the loans.
Now commodifying education begins at the application level. If you can pay for it, you get counseling, test prep and tutoring as well as essay writing support.
If you can't, well Wall Street doesn't worry about that. Their tax cuts come out of what used to be state support for higher education.
This is a shameful system that needs to be changed and so far Bernie Sanders is the only candidate that gets it.
I hope the American people get it.
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@Drspock Not for Bernie, not one bit, but not for Biden either. But what was going on in the 80s and 90s wasn't neo-liberalism (whatever that is) but a concerted effort on the party of the GOP and others to assert that education was a 'personal good,' rather than a societal benefit (which it is), that people should be happy to pay for, with as little state support as necessary. For example, under Republican Governors, CA's great educational K to Higher Ed was de-funded and hollowed out -- and made hideously expensive.
17
These difficulties also don't magically disappear for those that manage to get into college and manage to finish. They will go thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in debt and may have a great academic education but will still be as clueless about how the white collar professional world works. They will not have rich parents to make donations to various institutions in trade for their newly graduated son or daughter getting some prestigious internship (that may well not have even existed prior to the donation and which nobody else was eligible to apply). If they find a job they will be subjected to losing it on the whim of a boss who has a friend whose unmotivated child really just needs one more leg up and will really get his life together if given this job. So they will end up with a B.A. or M.S., or maybe even a Ph.D. working at the Gap during the day and driving Uber at night to pay off their loans.
10
Upstream from all these problems are the corporate bosses who since the 1970's have found many ways to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. That has devastated state budgets which are no longer able to adequately support public education. The only answer will be to elect officials at both state and local levels who will fight to reinstate the tax responsibilities of the big corporations. Anything else is trivial and temporary. As for the privates with endowments of over, say, $1 billion, they should pay the tuition for every student they admit or else pay taxes on the endowments--which they don't have to pay under present tax statutes!
9
I looked online for information on how to fill out the FAFSA, and I found this:
https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/fafsasimplification/index.html
It does look like they try to break it down for you.
I think the numbers Mr. Jemmott gives for college completion by quartile are dismaying, but I wonder whether they show that "the system," if that means the educational system--at the level of higher ed--is "crafted" to keep people like him out of college. My question would be this. How many students registered in Mr. Jemmott's classes actually show up to every class and complete the courses?
If many do not, then perhaps this shows that there are economic and personal burdens on those students that prevent them from doing it. But then how is "the system" the culprit? The professors are patiently waiting for the students to show up to class, and would be happy to grade their work. It's the exigencies of the students' lives that get in the way.
8
more of the bourgeois nonsense that keeps the unwealthy people at a safe distance. much like the layers of legal precedents that have developed through the ages, any hint of social variation, cultural difference and ideological purity are used to maintain the 'social order'. keeping people ignorant, uneducated and fully submissive is a trademark of a society doomed to fail. while it took a few decades for women to gain access to the most primirive of civil rights, the ongoing affront to human dignity remains active and silently hidden as a tool to keep the wealthy in a state of bliss. and the flow of wealth to participate, seems linked to the importance that the certificates and degrees are deemed pertinent. how many thesis topics or PhD/Masters can be fully original, with value for the future of our species?
3
If you are around people talking college speak from around the mid 10th grade, you will figure it out. The problem is that in many schools the goal is graduating. I hear "D" for diploma far too often. Schools, teachers, parents must take on the responsibility of speaking college, i.e. help students set post graduate goals, treating high school as a step toward higher learning (not an end goal), and encouraging a range of experience so that when students go to college they don't waste time and money on classes they are not interested in. Also expand Running Start to give ambitious students a way to test their mettle and accumulate entry level credits.
1
My heart goes out to Mr. Jemmott for his perseverance, courage, and for writing this.
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@Dorian Benkoil and eloquence
This is a HUGE factor in truly unlocking the potential of our kids, and changing the world around us. I often have called for the "destruction of the resume", and what I mean, is the the requirement to move past judging people by credentials. If you are low income (like I was attending Yale), I couldn't afford to do summer internships - I had to go home and bartend or dig holes to pay for school. Thankfully I played a sport in high school, and played well, otherwise there was no way I get in. SAT? We did it the day after we heard about it (no money or time for tutoring). Resume-building not-for-profit work during high school? No chance! I had to save money for college.
14
Getting into College is hard. Who knew?
I can tell you from experience that life isn't easy and there are many days I wish I was still in college. One will have to overcome a lot more challenges in life than navigating the college application process.
9
@Terry
The point of this excellent op-ed is that "navigating" for people 16, 17 and 18 can create a barrier to college that either can't be overcome or which could lead to failure. The whole college experience wasn't designed for poor kids or kids from families who weren't college graduates. It is modeled on the needs of those from the economic upper middle class and wealthy families and the idea of inclusion is, really, just an after thought of the last few decades when many more jobs started requiring a degree as a minimal requirement for entry.
If we want a society that promotes upward mobility, instead of downward, and creates the possibility for economic and social equality, then colleges themselves should take the lead in helping to find a way for those who might find it foreign territory, as difficult in some ways as moving to a new nation where you don't speak the language.
15
@Terry
I think your comment is grossly unfair. I believe the argument Mr. Jemmott is making, bravely and articulately, is that there are far heavier burdens on poorer students, needlessly so. He’s not asking for a feee pass, just some help. The kind of help wealthier students receive in abundance. In short, access to tertiary education should not be predicated on money or social capital.
Bravo, Mr. Jemmott, in successfully navigating the system, and good luck. You’re a great writer and your voice is important.
37
@Terry Do we really need to tell a boy whose mother was homeless and who was navigating high school while sleeping on his sister's couch that "life isn't easy"? I think he might just know that.
1
I faced the same challenges even though I am white. So, I joined the military for the GI Bill Benefits. A couple of years after my discharge, I began attending my local community college as an "emancipated" adult. I was on my own for the application process and obtaining financial aid. I graduated after 2 years and moved on to the nearby state university. I graduated 2 years later with a BA and a very high GPA. During all 4 years of college, I worked 28-32 hours per week. I wonder about the author and others like him. I don't recall reading any mention of him working part time.
7
@Glenn Thomas
We need a way for kids to become emancipated without waiting until they are in their mid-20's. I work with so many kids whose parents have never filed taxes due to paranoia or who, like the author, have parents who are so flaky that they will never be able to fill out the FAFSA. It's one of my biggest frustrations in working with low income kids. The military is a great option for some but not for all and they shouldn't have to lose another 5 years of their life to their parents' poverty and/or dysfunction.
11
@StephinSeattle,
If they learn from their own experience and make sure they do better for their kids than their parent(s?) did for them, then that is the American Dream. I can't even imagine the sacrifices my immigrant grandparents made so their descendants wouldn't have to start where they did.
5
Steph - My parents were pretty dysfunctional and I began college just before turning 21. But I cannot overstate or overemphasize that giving oneself a couple of years in the real world and,perhaps more importantly, taking the time to further mature can be of immeasurable value upon entering college.
12
I am from Brazil, naturalized as American citizen. I was appalled at the labyrinth that the kids have to go through to get to college. I agree 100% with the author. When my children have to complete the FAFSA form it is a whole family affair, going even beyond the family and including our accountant. I cannot even imagine what it must be for a 17 year old to complete the FAFSA by himself. We live in what is considered one of the best counties in Georgia for public education. Ask me how much advising my kids received in high school on scale 0-10. I'll answer 0.0001, which is NOTHING. I have friends that enrolled their kids in private schools and I was always amazed at the level of advising their kids received. It is time to recognize that education for everybody is a right, specially in a country like United States. There's no excuse not to provide every student with the proper tools to get into college.
16
"we had to do more because we had less."
Nope. You had to do more, because you wanted more. More free tuition, more free room and board, not to mention the preferential treatment on acceptance due to race and disadvantaged zip code.
"the college application and financial applications were too hard to navigate [paraphrasing]"
I'm sorry, but if you think those applications are too hard, you are really not prepared to go to college.
12
@Baron95
The FAFSA is notoriously complicated and difficult to navigate. It's not like these kids have Daddy's CPA to rely on. Since you are commenting from Westport, CT, you may not be able to relate.
From Wikipedia . . .
Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is 29 miles northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 26,391 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, and is ranked 22nd among America's 100 Richest Places as well as second in Connecticut . . .
18
@Baron95
"I'm sorry, but if you think those applications are too hard, you are really not prepared to go to college."
This is exactly the problem with our 'higher ed.' It's inundated with students either incapable, unwilling, or not ready to do the hard work of learning.
Our Bachelor's degrees are only half an inch above illiteracy, if that.
God forbid you give a B to someone who "tried his best," especially if considered a minority (anything but a healthy straight Asian or Caucasian). You could lose your job, unless you give them a 'second chance' and award an A (Ok, A- will do) for the effort.
We are creating a mediocrity's paradise governed by idiocracy, and i'm scared to see how fast we're succeeding.
3
@Baron95
Allow me to summarize, in the words of Judge Smales: "The world needs ditch diggers too." How is trying to get the funds when one has nothing asking for more "free" stuff? The author should be glad his mother has a shelter in which to sleep? He has to spend an inordinate amount of time my children (don't know about yours) didn't have to spend to apply for college and financial aid? As I often tell people who judge the poor as lazy and living it up on taxpayers' money, quit your job and apply for welfare and food stamps. See how long you last.
1
This is so true, and precisely why the rich tend to stay rich (generation to generation) and the poor remain poor.
I grew up in a blue collar neighborhood, with neither parent having attended college. I was the oldest child of my other siblings. In high school, I understood that college was a good thing to strive for, but otherwise I was utterly clueless. I was not familiar with the term 'ivy league' and likely never even heard that term. I didn't know that there were such a thing as private colleges vs state colleges. I didn't know about GPA, how to navigate financial aid, or have any clue how I or my parents might pay for any college I may have gotten into.
I haphazardly applied to a few nearby colleges (likely ones that my other clueless blue-collar classmates had applied to....), with no strategy in mind. I knew that I was hoping to become a Spanish language interpreter, but beyond that, it never occurred to me that I might want to understand which colleges might be better for that career, vs others. In the end, I decided not to go to college, as the idea of having to take all kinds of other courses, all in order to get a degree to be a Spanish language interpreter, seemed 'dumb' to me.
For those here who complain about 'whining' in this article, as they say, you don't know what you don't know. Sure, there can be exceptions...folks who overcome their upbringings/family histories, but most people, poor AND rich, follow the trajectory by which they were raised
31
I grew up in a very rural tract of southwest Michigan, starting college in the mid 1990's. I was very fortunate because my mom worked as a library serials clerk for the nearest university (WMU) and I grew up in the culture of the college. My friends struggled, much as Jemmott describes in this article, to make heads or tails of the college admissions process. Some got into community college. A few, like myself, went on to university, but many did not graduate. I think of the lost potential a lot. One does not need a university education to live a good life, but the value of returning educated individuals to a struggling community is immeasurable. America likes its poor to stay that way, so that it can keep doing what it's doing--affording its choicest spots to the wealthy.
14
Disagree with his comments. Let me play the violin!
If you want the education it's up to the individual to fight for it.
Although not homeless, there were five kids in my family. There was no money.
Try community college. It worked. Took three years to complete 60 units. I didn't cry or bellyache. Just made plans to get it done. Worked 16-20 hours per week, took the bus.
Then transferred to a state college that was within commuting distance. This took another three years.
No outside help.
In summer worked six days a week. Found employment at a grocery store. Purchased a used car my senior year. I survived.
I didn't cry or complain. That was the way it was.
Sorry, but don't feel for your situation.
13
@bobj
Depending on when you went to college as well as your living situation, you may have been more able to afford community college on your part-time salary. With the inflation rate effecting spending power as well as the rise in cost of college tuition, the option for many to work part-time and pay tuition, books, transportation, etc. is more limited.
It certainly CAN be done as you mentioned that you did it. I do feel for those in poverty, poor living situations, unstable housing scenarios, etc. that just don't have the stability necessary for the kind of chance at CC that you had.
7
@bobj My husband has the boot-straps story too, but rather than feel superior he acknowledges and appreciates the people along the way who contributed to his success. It's always interesting to me that some people beat their chests, while others turn to offer a helping hand.
10
In what way is writing a smart, interesting personal piece equivalent to complaining or crying or asking for sympathy? This sort of misreading—along with comments that wrongfully call editorials, op-eds, and memoirs “articles” or “news”—only reveals the jealousy, pettiness, and misdirected anger of the commenter.
2
When I applied to college in 1970. I faced the same kind of challenges. I was a member of an upper middle class family. I didn't need to apply for financial aid because my family could pay tuition. However, my parents had not been to college and could offer no help with the admissions process. I was only allowed to apply to the University of Houston, an urban commuter college. I took the SAT and got an okay score-enough to get in. I filled out the application. I had no idea what I was doing and now consider it a miracle I got accepted considering I had no help with the process. It turned out well and ultimately went back 7 years later to UH and stumbled into and MBA. Now UH has standards and I doubt I would have been accepted or been able to afford to go because like everyone else, tuition has sky rocketed.
6
Enoch Jemmott, I hope you graduate, but more, I hope you’ve been given a decent liberal arts education, not simply a technical glimpse of a trade you might want to pursue. You write well. Your thesis is sound. The system favors wealth. But that rarely helps the wealthy. They do well to start. That’s all. They are often hollow where it matters.
I did not bother to graduate. I did not. Many reasons. I was from wealth. Left home at ten. Was committed. My parents were famous. Troubled. Brilliant.
Living among the most disturbed was invaluable. Living in poverty can be. Living surrounded by money is rarely valuable. It corrupts the soul.
Enoch Jemmott, our culture was rigged in the 1940’s, following the war. It’s now simply corrupt. More so than ever. At the top.
Admissions favors the faculty of the ritzy college. That faculty seeks tenure and security. The calling, education, is affected by money flow. Gone is the impoverished college. They are failing. Two dropped in Vermont recently. No wealthy alumni. The rich will get richer. Foreigners come full pay.
The corrupting influence of money and government, greed and self-dealing favoritism on campus is common.
It’s complicit. It’s blatantly obvious.
Freshman AOC and Colorado Senator Michael Farrand Bennet being their just anger to the Floor. Rep. Cortez spits fire and integrity. Sen. Bennet roars his informed outrage and brings impressive maturity.
There is hope. Take your time. Run for office. You get it. Chin up.
6
I appreciate what the author went through, and shared some of those struggles myself. I'm the first person in my family to go to college (let alone achieve advanced degrees), and navigated my share of byzantine admissions requirements and financial aid forms to get there.
At the same time, I'm not sure how much can really change. Yes, the children of affluent families got into college with fewer headaches and hurdles than Mr. Jemmott and I. Of course they did. Life's easier when you're rich. Also, water's wet. If you want to simplify the process, all right, but tell me how. Don't just put it out there like a mission for someone else to take up and accomplish for you - talk about how admissions and financial aid can be simplified while remaining in concert with everything from upholding academic requirements to compliance with financial regulations.
8
"I came to realize that, in every step along the way, we had to do more because we had less"
As they say, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
7
Yup. No free lunch. You want a thriving economy AND income mobility AND social equity? You pay for it... by making sure a good quality education is the free lunch for your youth regardless of household income or socioeconomic status.
10
@ariwo,
A "good education" with not much else attached to it is a ticket to a mid-level job, stuck in a cubicle earning a high 5 figure - low 6 figure salary … never getting ahead, always struggling to keep one's head above water. The magic ingredients are a) understanding how thing work, b) energy and perseverance, and c) entrepreneurship (three things that can be learned anywhere, yet very rarely taught in school).
5
@Ancil
"As they say, there ain't no such thing as a free lunch."
Unless you're a 'minority' (no healthy straight Asian/Caucasians allowed - take your seat in the back, you greedy privileged dastard).
1
It's uplifting to see so many comments from people who were able to overcome personal and economic adversity to apply to and attend college. But just because you were able to, doesn't mean every else is. This goal shouldn't be how to help more kids navigate insurmountable hurdles - the goal should be getting rid of those hurdles to begin with. Even for people who have financial literacy and the time to navigate the application and admissions process, everything can be overwhelming and hard to understand. It's time for this country to have universal affordable post-secondary education that's available to every high school graduate without making them jump through hoops to get there.
26
Instead of arming poor kids with college counselors, we should insist college make for a simpler, more transparent, admissions process that doesn't require that much more than filling out forms, which prospective college students should be able to do.
14
@Robert Sadly, rather than "instead of," I think "In addition to" might be better in practice.
3
White privilege is real.
I dare you to tell me it's not because I see its blatant influence in society.
And those kids whose parents paid to for them to enter elite schools is proof.
In America, you can buy your way in and out of anything and everything. The dollar is the bottom line.
So much for dreams and ambitions that are realized by work and determination.
4
@Grace Wells Dr Dre donated 70 million to USC so his daughter could attend - where is white privilege?
1
@Grace Wells
"White privilege is real."
Jesse Smollett.
1
@Grace Wells Privilege is real. The kids of wealthy, regardless of color, have it easier. It has always been that way, across cultures. The adult wealthy, regardless of color, get away with more. Look at rich blacks, like Jussie Smollett, R. Kelly and Michael Jackson---do you seriously think a poor black would have gotten away with what they have? Or a poor white guy?
1
Boy, the number of responses in the Horatio Alger mode took me by suprise. Napolean invaded Russia, did he so much as bring a cook along? Personally I have been helped and encouraged in large and small ways throughout life by a many people. The only response I can think of is to try and do the same. Nice work Enoch, don't stop.
26
I hope that when this is shown in Washington, the politicians who see it don't cry, "Well you see, anybody can attain the American dream if they just try hard enough, so there's nothing that we need to fix."
5
I hope multi-level-marketing queen turned Sec of Education, Betsy DeVos will be forced to watch this documentary. Right now the only thing between DeVos/Trump and undermining every child who is not part of the ruling class are the courts, but even that won't last forever. Predatory lenders should be prosecuted instead of protected by our current conservative government.
6
@Ann Smith Betsy DeVos didn't grow up the Amway heir -- that was her husband's family. Her family manufactured car parts.
@Robert They owned companies that manufactured car parts. Her father was a billionaire.
@Robert Yeah, so she's only been the multi-level marketing queen now for 40 years. The point being that even charter school advocates acknowledge DeVos is responsible for the biggest school reform disaster in the country. Detroit had the lowest reading and mathematics scores "by far" over any city participating in the survey. The FOR-PROFIT system she designed had no oversight. And the for-profit colleges (like Trump U) lied to students about job guarantees and then those same students were forced to re-pay loans at outrageous interest rates. Fortunately the courts have stepped in.
3
This guy has done well for himself considering the issues he has faced. But his children will have it much, much better because of his efforts. (though being a "communications major" may not be as firm a foundation as, say, a major in a STEM or business field) Hopefully his children's children will do even better and may even be subject to being called "privileged" by the Social Justice Warriors. That means they achieved success. It takes about three generations to climb out of the depths of poverty and lack of opportunity. To do so take a lot of hard work but it pays off eventually. Immediate success or gratification is not part of the way it works, though. It is a long, hard slog.
6
@Tim Fitzgerald
yes indeedy, a topic that gets columns space in "The Times" must have some social merit!
At your age, as a low-income student, I also thought colleges just wanted to keep me out. Or, as you said were "crafted to keep low-income students like us out of college."
As the years have passed and all my education is finished, I realize that colleges just want money. It does not have to do with you. (Some reading this will not understand why I am making this seemingly obvious point.) When you are 18 years old and struggling to apply without a fat wallet, it can be easy to take it personally. Just remember, they are businesses and they need $. If you take it personally, it is just another 'thing' to make you feel bad about yourself.
That said, you are doing a great job fighting against the unfairness of this process. Do not ever give up in your quest for higher education if that is what you seek. Education from a reputable college or university will always be worth it.
11
Its where these poor kids chose to attend college that is the sticking point. It is an incredible jump for a kid from a poor background to attempt to succeed at an Ivy League or elite university. Perhaps a better fit would be a state university. A kid who attempts to move from a low income area to an expensive private institution is attempting a move that in previous eras would have taken two or three generations. No wonder so many fail in the attempt. Of course, its natural that a poor kid would desire such a move, but is it a realistic alternative? One can desire that people succeed at such jumps, but very few do. More attempt the move, fail, and are disillusioned by the process.
3
@octavian
the mindset of any society that presumes an elite class is better than the heather mobs is playing with fire. these are short term events, as even the most intelligent gains of our society have brought us to the brinks of breaking the very balance of nature we seem to overlook.
1
If everyone with equal talent had an equal chance of getting into Harvard after 2 or 3 generations, Harvard would be 20% black, 20% Latino...
Thank you Enoch and the NYT for sharing this article. For the poor or middle class these days, getting into and affording college can be a grueling challenge. However, the focus on elite schools does not serve the general public. We have outstanding community colleges all over the country which serve as a stepping stone to the state colleges or universities and eventually to graduate schools, or to trade schools.
Let the rich have their Ivy League degrees. It reality life depends on the person and not the degree. I have degrees from some of the very best schools in this country (four to be exact). Now, 25 years into retirement, which included going back to college for another Master's Degree to start all over again at age 65, my friends and neighbors are no poorer or wealthier than I am. And, no one gives a rip as to what school we went to or our bank account. Indeed, several have only a two year degree and became very successful in fields like Real Estate with a retirement nest egg far greater than my own.
The key to sucess is to have a vision and follow-up on that vision regardless of the circumstances. No one wants to hear about excuses and whining about life. Just follow your dreams, rich, poor or middle class.
6
@David Michael
you say " It reality life depends on the person and not the degree."
Tell me - just how many Supreme Court Justices during your lifetime do not have a law degree from Yale or Harvard?
4
@David Michael: Community colleges are an excellent way to begin. I attended a community college in the early 1980s, then transferred. I was lucky. My parents were working class poor, but still encouraged me to at least go to community college. My high school wasn't accredited, so going away to college or out of state wasn't an option. The community college I attended charged $350.00 per semester for tuition back then, with a small registration fee and a nearly free ($1.00 for the year) parking permit fee. There was no computer, nor were there computers in the library. Textbooks were extra, but still manageable in terms of cost. I lived at home, commuted to school, and worked full time. I paid my parents rent (less than market rate) and was expected to do household chores, contribute towards the groceries and utility bill, pay for my car expenses. It was tough because the minimum wage job I had only paid $2.75 per hour w/o benefits. My parents helped me with used car that constantly needed repairs, but that was all they could afford to do for me. I got through community college debt free, but did have to borrow to complete college. Today, that same community college now costs nearly $10,000. Everything has gone up, while state support has plummeted. Tuition is higher, fees and textbooks are higher than tuition. Parking permit costs have increased more than 50 fold. A minimum wage job won't pay tuition, much less fees and books. CC is getting costly too.
1
In the context of neglected kids navigating the maze of paperwork to get into college (and these are the exceptional kids), just imagine what the "normal" kids from those neighborhoods are up against, even when it comes to something as "simple" as getting a job or renting an apartment, getting a driver's license or health insurance.
Imagine a young man who goes to jail for drugs, is on probation, has to regularly show up for court hearings, drug court, drug tests... and if he fails at any point (which is likely), he goes back to jail. And good look finding a decent job or housing with a criminal record. The system is stacked against them.
3
We need to end college. No, I'm serious. "Colleges" and "Universities" used to be a right of passage for the aristocracy in order to get a princely education before taking their rightful place as rulers of their cultures. Now, college is career training. Make career training public institutions that are equitable and accessible to the community and not just to the rich.
4
Well written and illuminating! Nice work. When can we see the documentary and where?
When it comes to a free college these students would benefit the most. As would our nation.
As far as college counseling goes, most public high school counseling is pretty bad regardless of where.
3
Maybe our current Secretary of Education can read this excellent essay and watch his documentary. She could use the education!
14
@Exile In
Ms. DeVos wouldn't care one bit. He's not her demographic. In fact, she might try to find some way to take away what he's accomplished.
The points of the article are well taken, but the long term view is missing. The Asian view, lay the foundation and sacrifice for the next generation to go to college, even the poorest do this.
17
@emullick -- We don't get to choose our parents.
4
@Jorge
But we do get to choose for our children.
I completely agree that many colleges have a hidden criteria for the students they 'prefer'. However, it's not all about low income students: In 2011, at 54, I attempted to enroll for a history degree (on the advice of a history professor on seeing 30 feet of history on my personal bookshelf). I'd been through 3 years of college in Europe in the '70s, had served in the military as an engineer, run a successful diary farm in the Midwest, fought wildland fires for 12 years and taught myself software development to where the product three of us built was eventually sold to universities across the world. I was also going to pay cash. But according to admissions, my credentials were not enough. My '70s European qualifications were considered 'worthless' today. My business experience was considered unrelated. My life experience; living on 3 continents, working undercover and being deported and arrested from two countries, including old Soviet Russia, was completely ignored. As was 16 years of self-taught software development that that university actually utilized. All worthless. My history professor friend later told me why. "They don't want people who've actually done stuff. It scares them." Which was ironic, because my father had said exactly the same thing 20 years before. He'd worked for Imperial College London all his life. Ironic, too, that same university lost 25-percent enrollment, and is still suffering. Professors laid-off. Administrators still there, of course.
18
The government should make this a much simpler process. There should be no need for complex paperwork to receive government grants for college. All the government should need is the applicable social security numbers, a simple credit check, and simple figures about bills that don’t show in a credit check. They could run a back end that automatically approves and sets an amount.
3
Thank you, NYT, for running this column on what many people experience, but seldom publicized. The barriers to higher education affect not only the people who could benefit from higher education, but add to our nation’s loss of the potential loss of the expertise educated professionals and citizens could contribute more benefits to our wellbeing.
12
I agree that the entire process is intimidating and frustrating. There is often an expectation in wealthier families that there children will go to college, accompanied by a parent(s) that will help with the process and who probably have experience doing so. All that really helps overcome barriers experienced by families with those resources, time or experiences. I get it.
I was poor, Hispanic, single mom who didn't attend college, and - PAY ATTENTION - I didn't have the ability to look up information or get help through the internet. If you think it was hard for you, imagine that. I didn't it all myself, then paid off (not huge like I read about today) my student loans (as did my wife). College is hard. I hate to be so cold, but if you can't figure out how to get through the admissions and financial aid process, you're going to have trouble with college.
By the way, I know of several nonprofits in my medium-sized city that can help students navigate the process. Google it.
15
Public higher education, including vocational training, should be free, at any age, for all.
5
@Dali Dula Every person on earth would like free higher education. It has to be accompanied by a specific plan for how it is funded. Take a look at a university financial statement sometime. There are ways to get a very good education without paying a fortune. Most people I know did it that way.
5
@David Yes a plan would be needed but if we're such a great country, why can't we do it? Many other countries provide free education up to graduate degrees. Priorities, it's war for the US, investing in your citizens for Finland, Denmark, Germany and others.
7
@Dali Dula
In France, all education is free up to University where most of the entrance fee are from 200 to 600 euros ( approx $220 to $ 660 ) and that includes health coverage.
2
A lot of middle class kids, too. My dad worked away from home a lot; my mom was chronically ill, so my parents gave no guidance. The overworked school counselor told us each 2 schools to apply to. Some people were lucky and had family or older friends to give them hints. All I knew was every state seemed to have a state university and that there were a few other colleges. That was the extent of it.
6
Why is college so expensive? What happened in the last 20-30 years to make them uncomfortable even for the middle class? I have not read a satisfactory answer to this question.
14
@Pat: States have been disinvesting in public higher education for nearly 40 years. When the state contributes less to public higher education, more of the burden of paying for it is shifted to students and their parents. Long gone are the days when a working class or poor student could work full time during the summers and January breaks, part time during the semesters and pay for college, or mostly pay for it, graduating with no debt or small debt. Those days are gone and they will never return. We are at the point where only the wealthy can afford to send their kids to college, and yet more and more employers are requiring college degrees in order for candidates to be considered for jobs. Some make sense--engineers, nurses, teachers, accountants, etc. should have college degrees. But I saw a job posting for a receptionist that required a Bachelor's degree. Employers use the college degree required to weed out applicants, and because they don't want to train workers.
This article is exactly what was so disgraceful about the college bribery scandal. Higher education is supposed to be a stepping stone to social mobility, which means the poorest and most vulnerable students ought to have a chance to go with the full support of the state, nation, society or community they live in. But for poor, first-generation college students, especially those without parental support, they're met with more hardship and penalty than support. That's really not okay, especially when kids who don't even care about the education sail in on trust funds and bribes. Students like Mr. Jemmott should be celebrated and fully supported. Choosing higher education is ostensibly a constructive life choice worth supporting, not penalizing.
12
When I worked in an alternative public h.s., we had a counselor dedicated to exactly what he describes. She served several programs and she really knew her stuff and how to help students get what they needed. She met with every senior. I believe funding for her position came partly from the community college system. What was painful to see was when she tried to work with youngsters already recruited by and lined up for loans to sleazy for-profit programs, few of which are still around.
1
Mr Jemmott is an articulate young man who well expresses the confusion and lack of support that characterizes college applications for the vast majority of high school students ... of all ethnicities.
Keep on pushing; that is the only way you will escape your poverty.
That said, let's be clear.
Not all white folks have SAT tutors, have parents who understand the application process and are willing to help their kids the through the process. Mr Jemmott's description of the lack of useful guidance at the high school graduating level exactly describes my own experience decades ago.
Yes, even back several decades, the kids in the wealthy suburbs had advantages. We knew it then, just as people seem to know it now. Life is not fair.
Mr Jemmott knows life is not fair. He's doing something about what he can control is his life. His is an example worth emulating if he keeps on pushing to accomplish goals.
But, to the adults involved in this discussion.
Would you penalize the parents in the wealthier districts for investing their time and resources (intellectual, work habits, as well as financial) in their children?
Alternatively, would you create the social and civic environment in the schools today so that instead of cops on the payroll we'd have college advisors? That would be a great trade off of costs.
The tax money invested in urban school districts is comparable to the tax money invested in most suburban districts; may be more than rural districts.
17
@TDurk Very correct about funding in rural areas. They would give their left leg to have the per pupil funding of urban schools. Pretty much everything in life is easier if you’re rich than if you’re poor. Any surprise there? Mr. Jemmott appears to know that quite well. And you are also correct in that we shouldn’t penalize parents that throw resources (legal ones) at their kids education. Bravo to the Asian parents that get the high acceptances rates to the competitive NYC exam schools. Instead of quotas we should be studying how they do it. The traditional family unit can be a mighty force in that respect.
3
@TDurk So true. Rich districts often don't have the transportation, security and remedial needs of a poor district; if the poorer district could just not have to fund one of those three categories they could offer AP classes and college counseling.
1
@tdurk. Many good points but you are incorrect on distribution of funds. NYC taxes go to Albany do upstate schools can have jazz bands while we have 32 kids in a class- a supreme court decision found that NYC did not get its fair share of education dollars. In New Jersey, rich suburbs use property tax revenue to pay for football teams an APs while Paterson, Newark and Jersey City get much less$$ per student. Just read recent articles in NYT in Paterson.
I’d vote for NYC to secede from the state in a heartbeat because of the way our tax $$ get siphoned upstate to pay for upstate schools and away from our own poorer residents.
This is an excellent piece highlighting a legitimate gap between low income and high income families. These are kids that want to make a better life for themselves but the process is overwhelming. I wish you well Enoch.
If anyone knows of non-profits that are helping with this issue please respond.
8
@Johnd
The AVID program in some public high schools is designed especially to address the situation Enoch writes about. Volunteers are always welcome!
1
@Johnd
We are: Friends of New York City Nurse-Family Partnership. NFP pairs nurses with first-time, low-income mothers from pregnancy until a child is age 2 to support: healthy pregnancies, nurturing parenting and economic self-sufficiency. That is where we come in, providing tuition subsidies, Metro Cards, laptops to help the mothers go back to school. Most of them are part-time students and no other supports or subsidies are available.
None of this is new - my friends and I faced all these same barriers 40-some-odd years ago, except for the exorbitant cost.
15
Ummm the cost is 10x. Tatmeans NOTHING is the same, duuude.
I totally sympathize, I was one of those poor unfortunate high school students trying to navigate that world on my own. To make it worse, I was in the country for barely two years with limited English language skills, but I'm also living proof if you persevere and don't get discouraged, that you can succeed.
18
Stunning writing, just beautiful. I'd say Queens College was very lucky to get you, Mr. Jemmott. And I'm sure we'll be seeing your name many times in the future. The world needs your voice.
14
Thank you, Mr. Jemmott, for a well-written insightful piece. I admire your hope and persistence in working through a difficult process with nearly insurmountable challenges and writing about it so eloquently without a drop of self-pity or bitterness. To turn your experience into advocacy to help others is truly an inspiration.
11
Way back when, I couldn't afford to take the SAT, and couldn't afford the fee for making a college application. It was 1955-6, the first year of the NMSC. I was selected to take the preliminary test in the Fall. It was the first test I'd ever seen that was multiple guess and fill in the blob. Somehow or other, I got by that first hurdle, and was told to take the SAT in December. (And if I couldn't afford to, NMSC would pay for me to take it with the proviso that I couldn't submit the score anywhere, and would not know the result myself. Fortunately, I was high enough in my HS class to be able to apply to my state U free. I wrote all the essays that NMSC wanted with no advice, help, or even reading over by anyone. Somehow or other I received one - a 'full ride.' (Even included spending money!) U? worked out just fine for me. I later won 3 successive NSF fellowships and a doctoral fellowship for my final year in grad school. Frankly, I feel that I am one of the luckiest people around. I know that that was a different era, but difficulties remain for the financially challenged. Good going, Enoch.
16
I couldn't have done it without the school counselors. The hardest part was persuading my parents: that I needed to take college prep classes; that I needed "outside activities;" that they should shell out money for college applications; that I needed to take the PSAT and the SAT; that they had to fill out financial disclosure forms. Probably it's the hardest thing I ever did.
8
You reside in NY, which spends an average of $22,366 per pupil per annum. Even NYC spends almost $18K now. If, for that kind of scratch, you're not getting college prep help, perhaps you can ask how the City manages to scrape together the $$ to pay the Chancellor a paltry $353K. Perhaps, just maybe, the people (Democrats beholden to the teachers' unions, not students) you elect are not wholly focused on your well-being?
And, perhaps, instead of castigating "the system", you might have a word with your parents. (the word "father" does not appear in your essay.) You also seem internet savvy; did you not look up SAT prep on Amazon, where for $10 you can get the same Barron's book that I used back when (top 1% scores, thank you very much.)
But you're right about the process being complicated; it should be easy to get aid, with the caveat that when you want something from the taxpayers, you have to be willing to give back. Fortunately, we have just the thing: ROTC. Or the GI bill. We should certainly make it easy for soldiers to attend college. If you're not willing to serve, why should the taxpayers give you one thin dime?
7
@Brenda There was a time in our country when people from every strata of society served in the military. However that is no longer the case. What you are suggesting is that the primary educational opportunity for economically disadvantaged students should be through the military. Perhaps every young person should be expected to provide service in the military or some alternative with an educational opportunity attached.
4
@Brenda You're making quite a few assumptions in your comment, foregoing many historical facts. First, as the pictures show, this is a young man of color. Fact: 67% of black children are raised in single parent homes. Second, he stated that his mother was homeless, so technically, he had no parental guidance or support. So, my guess is he certainly had no easy access to a cell phone or computer to google something. Third, low income schools have less in general than middle or higher income areas, so it is possible that his school didn't even have a resource center for him to use a computer. Fourth, he started that he quickly saw a way he COULD pay back; he became a youth mentor for others in this same circumstance. Lastly, at 16, 17 and 18, sleeping on a couch, having no parents around, would ANYONE be questioning the financial dispensation of public funds, or spend his time figuring out how to make a future for himself?
Things have changed in many ways since I went through this process in 1970 - 1972, but in some ways they seem the same.
I THINK the point I'm trying to make is that there is severe income inequality; we all have to look at differences today that no one wanted to actually admit to in the 60's, 70's or 80's, and come up with BIG, long-terms plans that eliminate what causes the inequality, plus plans to provide for the results and what it is doing to our population of color and all low income people.
6
People who somehow manage to get a college degree despite all the obstacles tend to be excellent employees and citizens and because of their experiences they empathize with people.
Conversely rich kids (I know more than a few who are now quite old) tend to be parasites on society. They really have no clue of the struggles of most of their fellow citizens. They live empathy free, shallow lives. One that I no longer socialize with because he was a friend of a friend who died, actually stated that taking care of his inherited money is akin to having a grueling, 80 hour a week job. He was on his boat sitting off a Caribbean island smoking a joint when he made this statement.
11
This is the real college admissions scandal... Thank you for an insightful and personal on-point take.
16
The US superior education is clearly segregationist .
There are clearly colleges for poor students and colleges for rich students . And they are bad and good universities ( except that the word " university " shows up here quite false...they are the contrary of anything universal ) , colleges for poor students are bad, they offer "poor " education, and colleges for rich students offer much better education : the best .
A few poor students manage to attend the schools for the rich .
But absolutely not one rich student would attend a school for the poor.And depending wether you come out of a school for the poor or come out from a school for the riches defines your future wealth or mediocrity .
4
@JPH
Hogwash
@Albert Edmud Really ?
You know rich students who go to colleges for the poor ?
Well written and timely article, more relevant to the reality of many students than the plethora of stories on the elite school scandals. I too was in your shoes, back in the 70’s, filling out all the financial aid paperwork, learning everything for myself as I went along. I immigrated to the US at age 6, single mom, first generation. I am forever grateful that the system worked. I received federal and state aid and attended Hunter then Queens college for a masters( paid by my employer). I required no loans, and was employed right out of school in the healthcare field. Full circle, I find myself filling out Fafsa and financial aid applications to lighten the load for my children, as they now attend elite universities. Good luck to you, Enoch, you are on the right path and the hard work is worth it.
8
"When you’re 17, and pretty much doing it all on your own, the sight of all the hurdles you have to jump can be demoralizing, even paralyzing."
Well yes, life is hard and scary, and this is how it's supposed to be. Otherwise, we'll all degenerate back into savagery.
If you didn't feel mature enough at 17, who prevented you from taking a job, learning about real life (including what tax return is), and figuring things out for yourself? Instead of waiting for and counting on freebies that neither you or your parents earned.
In your pretty essay, Enoch, you seem to be making an assumption that if others have it easier in life, you're entitled to the same.
Here's a lesson for you (like totally free): this assumption is only true in the liberal Disneyland not in life.
People who can't take care of their children should not have them (contraception is cheap). When they do, their children are not entitled to other children's parents care.
14
@al Watch the documentary. If a high-achieving student from a low-income family wants to go to college, they should be able to. Parental achievement and education shouldn't prohibit an intelligent and hard-working student from matriculating to college. Students are not asking for a handout, they're asking for an equitable solution.
Very few families can afford college without financial aid, even families that saved through college savings plans. Look at statistics on students who file for financial aid, it's the majority of students at most schools.
16
@al I disagree. In a country as rich as ours, who your parents are should not matter in your attempt to prepare yourself to make a reasonable living. Helping people make it in life will help us all in the long run. The author of this article obviously has talent and is worth investing in. Let's decrease the defense budget and make education free for all. Maybe we won't get involved in so many endless wars.
7
@al
You have missed Mr. Jemmott's point. He DID do the hard work that it took to prepare for, apply, and earn admission to a college. The point is that it what a lot harder than it should have been.
The college admission process is daunting and requires information that most 17-year-olds do not have. Should college admission be dependent on one's luck - whether the applicant has parents who know the process or a school that has adequate counselors? Please explain how that is the best system for determining who goes to college?
And finally, do you really think that life is "supposed to be" both "hard and scary" so that we won't slip back into "savagery"? It seems to me that savagery is what makes life so hard and scary.
10
This should be required viewing for Betsy DeVos and all her evil minions, especially those she hired to fill the Department of Education from the predatory college loan business. I hope Congressional oversight on this evil woman will help protect those like Enoch Jemmott from DeVos' efforts to dismantle public education and make life much more difficult for those who are low-income or have learning disabilities. That DeVos' goal is to hurt those who need the most help should make her the target of a Special Counsel investigation as well.
24
@Alesia Stanford
problem is DeVos and her family don't care, this president and their inner circle do not care. we the tax payers pay for their lavish weekends at this president's investments properties and rich people donate money to this president's campaign for re-election. none of them care. VOTE in 2020 for CHANGE!!! Every American needs to save the date - and vote for change in 2020.
2
THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE, NYT.
More of this kind of piece, by folks likes this young man.
15
Yes, Enoch. The financial forms are over-the-top exasperating! I experience this even as a 75-yr. old guy applying for loans. But the good news is that the persistence and intelligence you've shown will get you through the next obstacle you face. And there will be more. Clearly, you have what it takes and the generosity to share it.
7
And when many of these poor kids become poor adults because they couldn't afford college or couldn't navigate the hurdles Mr. Jemmott describes, some politicians will have the nerve to call them lazy, or underachievers. They'll argue that providing them social supports in the form of subsidized housing or Medicaid just creates a "culture of dependency," or say they shouldn't get them without being tested for drugs first. But they'll happily spend billions of dollars a year incarcerating them if they resort to crime after being shut out of the primary path to middle-class success America has to offer. What a country.
19
“Right now, the system feels like it is crafted to keep low-income students like us out of college.”
Don’t take it personally. The complexity is due to modern accounting, banking and government requirements. Agree that there should be more support for students.
9
Well said! I work for College Advising Corps where many of our students face similar issues. While some of our schools are in urban areas, many are in rural where we face additional problems like no internet access at home and transportation issues that isolate students and families. It's been incredibly eye opening seeing the differences between my experience as a lower-middle student in a resourced school versus my low-income students in rural Central Virginia. I thought I had a challenging time navigating college admissions by myself but it pales in comparison to their experiences and the knowledge gap within college access.
The documentary is amazing as well. My co-workers and I watched it and opened up the viewing to the university community (our program is partnered with UVA and AmeriCorps). So proud of Mr. Jemmott and the other students featured in the documentary.
8
The same problem is shared by your brethren in poor country districts. For me, this was northern Michigan. Fortunately, I had a mother with a genius IQ who drove me relentlessly. She'd been on the dean's list for the 2 years she could afford to go to at Michigan State University (MSU).
Most of my college prep. was self-study: math to calculus; additional chemistry classes I talked the school into letting me put together my own program; and hours in the poor city library reading and tutoring with a helpful town librarian. Study for the ACT and SAT was what I could scrap together. I scored very well on the ACT and PSAT and got into MSU on the first week of November. I was the first in my class to be accepted.
I won a scholarship; saved $3000 from jobs I did in high school but that did not prepare me for all the remedial work. I carved my way through and graduated in a select group of 55 out of 600. Most of my classmates were from upper class families with all the support I needed. I paid off my loans quickly but that was then this is now.
7
Just about everybody who I grew up with dropped out of high school and somehow I managed to make it to a junior college in Brooklyn. My mother, a widowed immigrant from Germany, raised my brother and I and had no idea about college and thought the best I could hope for was being a secretary. By 18 I was married with a child and soon divorced but somehow made to CCNY without any counselor or mentor help. Went on to NYU to earn a Master degree also without a mentor or counselor and while working full-time and raising my daughter. I am the only person in my family to earn a higher degree and that includes the neighborhood friends I grew up with. If you want it bad enough you figure out how do it.
Due to the passing of my daughter, I have been raising her 3 children who go to community college to keep costs down. One is now transferring to an excellent 4 year university. I can tell you they also did not receive any real counseling in high school nor in the community college but this time they had a grandmother who could figure out the system, an advantage that many other families do not have. Things have not gotten better if you do not have money and good advice. I see all the better off families hiring high end college specialists and tutors for the SAT. FAFSA has been the best thing that has happened to underprivileged kids in years. I missed out on getting grant money while in college due to not being mentored and naive but it won't happen to my grandchildren.
7
I applaud Enoch for his essay and his perseverance (he's a senior in college) and can relate. I come from a hardworking Vermont family but we were poor (needed free lunches) and we not only had no money for college but also had no understanding of college's value and how a potential student would apply, seek financial support, etc. My folks never talked about college, my future, or my high school studies. I did it on my own with lots of luck and personal drive, but i didn't do it well looking back. (My public high school of 1600 kids had 1 counselor and was limited help, but then i didn't know what to ask.) It was hard finding my way into college, then working through college (and grad school) to make money to live and pay expenses. i made many mistakes. I saw many student friends/colleagues who had supportive families with money and/or knowledge and college life for them seemed much rosier. I went to my state university, then a private grad school, and then years later an ivy MBA. While the ultimate outcome looks good from the outside i lived it and can attest to how chellenging it is when coming from a lower socioeconomic family without money, knowledge, and know-how. I hope that our governments, both Federal and State, recognize these issues and re-prioritize education and helping all who want to improve their lives. It's good for the country.
23
Schools should have a class in prep for college admission that includes instruction on taking SATs, selecting colleges, and applying for admission, scholarships and financial aid. Schools should also teach citizenship and basic personal economic skills.
Children at a young age should learn to take pride in learning and developing skills. Too many students are in a constant sense of rebellion as if the schools exist to please adults rather than as an opportunity for themselves.
This article is a hero’s story that exposed too many hurdles that need to be corrected.
7
A very important contribution to the discussion. I would add an epmphasis that the pressure doesn’t stop with admission. I came from a poor rural community where we had a circuit riding counselor for poor little towns. He helped me apply because I had the best grades. My other high school classmates were already written off or had beauty school or the military offered to them as their only options (not bad careers but not everyone’s universal dream). I got into a state university and had a single small scholarship to start. For each year for the next four years I lived in anxiety completing the mystifying Fafsa and waiting for my “aid package” to see if my enrollment could continue. I didn’t know if I’d get to graduate until the beginning of my last school term. And then began the countdown to get a job before the loans became due.
“We had to do more because we had less.” Such a ringing true statement by the author. So true.
10
After reading this, I thought, “You’re a fortunate person to be able to do it so easily”.
Try it my way...
I dropped out after eighth grade. Got a GED at 18 in my first stint in prison. Total of ten years there. Kinda missed out on the 80’s.
Add to that a recurring hard drug addiction.
When I did end up going, I found out I didn’t qualify for Federal help becaus of money owed to them. So, working a minimum wage job full time, supporting a son and wife while we were on welfare and no family support, I buckled down and put every waking hour after and before work doing everything I could to get caught up.
Then, repeating the above formula, I started college at community college.
Pell Grants And student loans and no sleep, I pressed on for the next six years, in my 40s, to complete what I started.
I’m 55 now, working in IT and am doing ok.
There’s so much more that people go through to make it than being poor. I would feel fortunate to be in your shoes.
Kudos to you, you deserve it.
9
Mr. Jemmott, I do not know you, but I am proud of you. At your age, I could not have done what you did to get yourself into and through college. Congrats on your upcoming graduation! Your future is bright.
14
Based on the quality of your writing, you are well on your way to a successful career. Well done.
9
@Oh Please
"The current NYC Stuyvesant scandal is just the tip of the iceberg."
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Come on @Oh Please. Stuyvesant "Scandal"? There is no scandal. There is a problem in that African American and Latino students are not prepared to the same level as other students - especially Asian students.
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Many Asian students have exactly the same disadvantages - poverty, parents who have little academic background, and poor English language skills. That doesn't stop them from having initiative and finding out how to obtain financial aid.
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The success of this column's author obviously demonstrates that when taken advantage of, the resources are available for success.
25
MrJemmott does us all a favor by pointing out that the emperor has no clothes e.g. these immoral unethical illegal wealthy scammers are the least of barriers to college access and completion. No one in my family graduated from college- high school yes, but no one was available or had any knowledge concerning how to get into medical school- except a counselor. Without her help, there is no way I would have gotten in
9
Well written. I have had to help young people with the college/financial aid paperwork. These are not easy to fill out. Very confusing in fact, and if your family is in disarray, then good luck. I love the peer-to-peer idea, and see no reason why that should not be in every school. More mentors at high schools is a must. Be that employment counseling or psychological help. This great nation can at least afford that. Schools are supposed to be equal opportunity. Let’s make them that way.
8
Excellent article. Many will recall the several decades of free tuition offered by the City University of New York (CUNY). Albeit, one had to have very good grades in order to gain admission. Many CUNY graduates became significant contributors to our society in various areas of life. An overall benefit to society.
In 1970, the Open Admissions policy offered free admission to CUNY colleges to all city residents who had less "sterling" grades. Even with arguably lower admission requirements, many graduates became significant contributors to our society.
Years ago. I tutored high school students to improve their reading skills. My "assistant" was another high school student who was black and who had a 96 GPA. I strongly encouraged him to apply to Harvard since his GPA was as good as any other applicants to Harvard. He demurred, refusing my help, saying he'd never get in.
He never applied to Harvard. What was much. much sadder (and maddening for me) was that he never thought he had a chance to get in. HE NEVER THOUGHT HE HAD A CHANCE TO GET INTO HARVARD WITH A 96 GPA.
Imagine how many other bright students our society has lost to societally-induced lowered or non-existent expectations? It begins with an expectation that one can do well and will be supported in their efforts to do well.
CUNY pulled off free college for generations of students. Expectations must be raised. It can and must be done again - the overall benefit to society is priceless.
7
@MC
I was a beneficiary of the CUNY Open Admissions policy in 1970. I went to Queens College and the semester fee was $43. While I had a modest career a good many of my friends and classmates went on to make significant contributions to society.
The CUNY admissions process should be simple and the tuition free or nominal. It's good for everyone.
3
@MC
I went to CCNY which was the flagship college in CUNY from 1967 to 1972. When Open Admissions was instituted the quality of the school began to decline substantially. The percent of students who graduated fell precipitiously.
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Tremendous amounts of money was spent on those failing students; they left school without degrees and the money which was taken from working class taxpayers, wasted. High quality high school graduates of all levels of income were forced to apply elsewhere and many of their families fled New York City.
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Today CCNY and other parts of CUNY are a shadow of what they once were.
3
Go Enoch! You’re off to a brilliant start. Thanks for this very informative article.
4
This very well written and moving essay should be mandatory reading for anyone determining education policies in this country.
24
@bruno
You mean people like Betsy DeVos? What makes you think they care?
1
Oh yes, tell me well. I knoweth, and I feel you. Crystal ball: it will take 30+ years on average to pay off $34,000 and when you do, it will be double. Oh, and I was age 30 when I graduated with a BA.
3
Where's our Education Secretary in all of this? Cutting billions of dollars from education funding. Yes that's a B. Are we learning about how to practice Privilege?
5
How about making Enoch Jemmott a regular, paid contributor to the NYT’s editorial pages?
50
Tell it, Mr. Jemmott.
Somewhat surprised that the Times is publishing this piece:
It's not about an elite college.
The author is not a student at an elite college.
Despite the fact that the author is a POC, the piece focuses more on class than identity politics.
Keep it up, NYT.
5
@Michael What is 'identity politics " ?
Can you explain the concept ?
Thank you.
@JPH A lot of people think that if race or gender is mentioned, then the topic is identity politics. The idea that race or gender matter never occurs to them. Read the story about the astronauts in the NYT today to know that gender matters.
1
@newyorkerva It seems that a lot of American topics are pre established cover up labels . Like this no need to think...and the abuse continues.
That is the effect that is looked after.
My children began college in the early 80's. My husband and I, both professionals with advanced degrees, steered our three children - all excellent students - away from the high school guidance counselors because the only schools they recommended or were familiar with were the state universities.
We knew our children had the potential to attend excellent private colleges/universities, so we navigated the processes ourselves. Without bribes, influence or legacies, our children were accepted at the colleges of their choice All graduated (one Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude), and two continued on to earn advanced degrees.
How splendid that Enoch, with virtually no real assistance of any kind, managed his way into a fine college and is now assisting other students with similar difficulties through the complex pathway to college entrance.
Enoch - we are proud of you, your achievements, and your continuing work as a peer college counselor. We believe that you have a productive future ahead, so now - AND in advance - we congratulate you on what you have already accomplished and what you surely will go on to achieve!
16
The best part of my daughter's graduation from Yale was saying good bye to FAFSA. I dreaded the experience. Once, I cried filling it out this dense and confusing application, which is required all four years. That Enoch Jemmott and his peers navigated the horrors of FAFSA tells me everything I need to know about their prospects for success. - Bill's wife, Colleen
9
Our society must make it easier for poor kids to find help getting into and succeeding in college. Back in the Sixties I tried. Lived on boxes of Mac n cheese and peanut butter sandwiches, lived in a 1-room basement with a shower in the kitchen. No parents. Knew a guy who lived in a chicken coop. Winters in Colorado were cold. Things were tough. My grades were poor. Wealthier middle-class students had fun, got better grades. I envied them. It took a long time to get my degree. Too long. The Vietnam war was a distraction. Worse for the guys that went. Life can suck.
7
I've crafted what many see as a successful academic career on the basis, first, of a BA at a state university. But, as I moved through grad schools to my PhD, I slowly became aware of how much a working/middle class background w/ limited exposure to advanced education, cost. My parents got through the financial forms okay; my university was open admissions & I was a high achieving student. That helped. But I had no idea of other options that would been better fits. I had no idea how to approach private colleges, nor did my parents. I had no idea about non-govt. scholarships till I got to grad school. I had no idea that it was generally a bad idea to go to grad school where I had been an undergrad. No idea how to cultivate mentors & other supporters early in my grad career, so I missed lots of funding & experience oppys. I've clawed my way to the middle of my field, I think. But it surely could've been a lot easier & has been for many colleagues who knew the culture of the university better b/c of various levels of privilege. All this is to say that injustices of the university system exist from bottom to top so that even 1st gen students who manage to get through a BA/BS often don't understand that/how they can go further with their education. This means the system is run by the most élite, who struggle to see the barriers they reinforce in everyday classroom & admin practices. It's not just about access to undergrad. Access & representation must change throughout.
12
Sorry if I can't get teary eyed at this sad story, even if I am a typical liberal Democrat. I grew up white, Jewish, and blue collar (my father was an immigrant longshoreman; my mother a high school graduate) in lower middle class neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Hudson County NJ. I graduated in 1971 from the very large, less than mediocre Bayonne HS. The school had no one to aid students in applying to college other than the regular understaffed guidance counselors who had very little experience with elite schools (probably less than half of the 700+ class attended college, most of them to local Jersey City State) and I did my college search entirely on my own, including the application and financial aid process. I had no tutor or other assistance for the SAT other than a Barron's practice test; I scored over 1400 (which is over 1500 since the test scoring was recentered in 1995). With no connections, no athletic talent, and applying from a crappy public school in the NYC metro area, I didn't get into Harvard, Yale or Princeton, but I attended Colgate with moderate financial aid and then Cornell Law School. With the internet and other resources, I assume this process is even easier today and I have little patience with the whining.
7
@Marlowe your empathy and understanding shown for a young man who has not only managed to beat the odds but also has shown a gift for his ability to explain it AND to make a documentary film about the situation is truly pathetic.
The difference between the application process in 1971 and 2014-15 is significant. But the real significance is your inability to offer encouragement and praise. You must have become a very bitter person.
9
@Marlowe The competition is much more intense now, and the process is much more complicated. You have no idea, so quit judging.
5
This is not a new problem nor is it limited to people of color. If your parents or mentor (if any) is not interested in higher education you are at a disadvantage. If your parents are not wealthy you are at a disadvantage. That's life. At some point in your life, you recognize what counts and work toward it. If you realize that the dummy giving you orders is not more intelligent than you but has status by virtue of a BS in Basketweaving from an Ivy college you get it and get further education. It does not take a rocket scientist to react to adversity by observing the world around you. The answer is not to reduce standards but learn what you can. A survey once showed that the original 400 had lost at least half it's members over a 10-15 year period. That's the beauty of the American system. Changes in status do occur. Inherited status does not survive on its own. (As in the Royal family of England) The writer seems to have negotiated the system well. Good luck to him and those he can help.
4
Make America great again? Perhaps by regressing to the FDR era during which my dad, an Italian immigrant with initially no English proficiency, was able to gain admission to Stuyvesant HS (one of the top schools in NYC) & then attend St. John's Univ. in Queens; he subsequently practiced law until his death. Progression from poverty to bilingual proficiency to university to a profession was apparently easier in the 1930s than in 21st-Century US. Not the characteristic of a country remaking itself in greatness; rather a defect of a society in decline. Sad
28
Sigh....yes, things can always be improved. But, as a 70 yr old male who grew up in a low income household, but who wanted very much to go to college, I worked to make that happen. Counselors? Give me a break. I did not have access to them way back when nor did many others who went to college.
Sure, I had to start with a 2 year degree and then went on for my BS in engineering. Yes, it was hard. I worked full time and went at night. But I would not be denied. Sometimes you have to work really very hard for what you want. The real issue with higher ed today is that it costs too much, many of the degrees are worthless, and a large number of people who start never finish.
8
@Wilmington Ed You have no idea what the process and competition are like now. It's a whole different ballgame so stop with the holier than thou. These kids are "working really very hard."
4
So sad that years of "equity and outreach" training for admissions departments has utterly failed to weed out these biases facing low income students. In the early 1980s, when I was figuring out how many applications I could afford the fees for, my major suitors (MIT, CalTech, Rice) generously offered to waive my fees. Stanford sent me three different post cards, based on my test scores, which I returned in expectation of getting an application. I waited and waited. Finally, I sent in the fourth one with my HS guidance counselor's address and an application was sent. He noted that this problem occurred for low income zip codes and anyone (like me) who had a trailer space or a unit number associated with their home. Later on, thousands of miles from home and with parents who didn't know the least thing about the financial aid process, I received nothing but contempt and derision when I needed to advocate for myself in the financial aid office. Like the article says - if you dare try to better yourself through education, the system and the people in it will punish you for your efforts over and again (even though we hear plenty of BLAH BLAH BLAH why don't THOSE people just GO TO COLLEGE blah).
15
I was the first in my family to go to college - my most vivid memory of the application process was having to lock the door of our one bathroom and write my application essay sitting on the toilet lid, using the laundry hamper as a desk. Our household was jam-packed with everything from infants to my grandmother and there was no other place to go. I knew I had to go to a college where I did not live at home - I wanted to go to the hardest college I could get into and afford, but it was clear to me that staying home and doing so would lead to failure. I managed it, I went, but it was a very difficult transition
My point is that getting into college is not necessarily the hardest part - getting through college is. The most promising students, many winning a full ride, chose to stay at home and go to a lesser college under strong pressure from their friends, families (older children help out with younger - they are also supposed to work and pay rent) and also from abject fear of not fitting in with other students at a private four-year. This is why posse programs, that help students from non-traditional and underserved backgrounds navigate the financial, educational and, above all, social challenges of going to college "away", and coming through it all with a degree and important life experience at the end. I think the NYT and other news outlets should promote the kind of support colleges with posse programs provide.
14
We are all prey at some point in our lives to the phenomenon of "not knowing what we don't know". So we should all have some compassion for kids from poverty, who pretty much don't know what they don't know when it comes time to apply for attend college. The writer here figured it out, but that attests to his exceptionality or perhaps some luck in running across one or more exceptionally committed and caring helpers . It does not serve as proof that anyone should be able to navigate the system as it is.
17
Only electing Democrats will change this. Republicans prefer a caste system where children of the rich get the well connected admissions that keep them well connected, and the poor don't get the same opportunities. For them, white rich kids are preferred leaders; darker citizens are fine if they just learn a trade (to support white people). The current scam involving some liberal parents is not the same as a systemic government policy like this and others.
trump encourages insults to 'liberal' universities, divides us on the subject of campus free speech, and sneers at 'elites', whatever that means. Meanwhile, his followers cheerfully insist that mean liberal ideas should stay out of higher education, and only they should be those elite university professors. Hmmm.
Land of Opportunity? Beware the consolidation of power into the hands of the few rich. It's happening in front of you, while trump throws scary shadow puppets to further fan the division.
18
I love this article but it also sad. My father came here from Sicily, attended Queens and then City College, and became a CPA. By making him a professional, he always said he contributed more to society than he would have if he had no access to education. Europe obviously realizes this and makes university education free. Here we make it criminally difficult, wasting and losing contributions to our future economy and culture. I am absolutely disgusted by this greedy system that amounts to shooting our nation in the foot. Meanwhile we read about celebrities and CEOs and their spoiled little brats gaming the system.
15
@LI YES! Nobody frames the issue this way: when we unfairly restrict opportunity, we are also restricting the number of people available to solve problems or help society in some way, and we're all worse off for it.
6
I hope that part of the solution is getting rid of the Betsy DeVos types and possibly getting people like yourself to be well supported by the Dept of Education as a consultant to high school students looking for some help. There is no reason that high school students should be bombarded by the many predators of our current educational system. I despair about getting FAFSA improved. You may recall that there was some talk about making tax returns easier.
7
Because my parents were going through financial hardship when I was applying for college, I couldn't apply for financial aid with their help. I couldn't apply for financial aid on my own until I proved financial independence from my parents for two years. I was on an academic scholarship (I worked my tuchis off in high school because I knew my parents could not afford to pay for college) but had no idea how much books, food, dorm, etc, would cost. I worked 1-3 jobs during that two years to support myself while attending school full time. It was more than educational to wait tables and clean up after the students my age who were out spending their parents' money and enjoying their college years. I struggled in school due to the long work hours and stress of still not being able to cover my bills. When I was finally able to get financial aid, I dropped down to working 20 hours a week and my grades improved dramatically. I was the first person on either side of my family to graduate from college and went on to get my PhD. The inequity of this society is staggering.
9
This is all part of the process the GOP is using to keep immigrants and the poor--especially blacks and Hispanics--from rising in American society.
There is no other reason for this to be so complicated.
As we look to other civilized Western countries for what to do concerning health care, we can also look to what they do about letting their citizens get an education. It's usually a simple process, open to everyone, and paid by taxes.
Let's take Denmark, the bane of conservative Republicans.
"Higher education in Denmark is free for students from the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Similarly, if you are participating in an exchange program, your studies in Denmark are free. You also do not pay for tuition if you at the time of application have a permanent residence permit."
God forbid it would be that simple in this country.
11
@Joe, all praise to Denmark, but they have one of the highest unemployment rates in the world for people with at least one college degree. Thanks to the EU, they can now leave and go elsewhere, but in that small country there is intense competition for non-blue collar, non-service jobs as a result. We are a large country - such a thing really should not happen here, but in a way, it already is, as college degrees are devalued to the point where even graduates of good, respected programs are lucky to get $12 per hour (and that would be living in New York or the West coast). Our entire economy has to change from service- based to. . . what exactly? Somehow, all the innovation we were supposed to be right on top of did not benefit our own society. I know people with years of experience in the hottest imaginable tech fields (such as network security) losing their jobs to be replaced by someone cheaper. I think I know the answer about what our economy is based on - "shareholder profits."
@Anna Base Sure, but those a POST graduate problems. People like Enoch are just trying to get to step one: being able to get an education in the first place without going broke, jumping through hoops, or fighting red tape every step of the way.
This is a really poignant story and though I'm an old white guy, it has a very familiar feeling. I attended state schools because for whatever reason I couldn't get in to the fancy brand name schools. It took ten years to get my bachelors because I'd work a while, go to school, then go back to work, and so on. I graduated with very little student loan debt. What debt I did have was on a repayment plan put in place by President Carter. But when President Reagan was in office, the loan terms were cancelled and the loan called, even though I was current in my payments. (Beware of Betsy Voss!) Fortunately I maxed out my cash advance credit cards, etc., to pay it off. Much later, my MBA was paid for by my employer, with time off to attend classes. (Imagine that kind of commitment to employees today. I look out my window and wonder if I can see pigs flying through the air.) But then my industry was exported to China. I retrained by going to medical school to become a primary care doc. Student loan stuff really hit the fan - easy to get, impossible to pay back. I live out my senior years in therapy because suicide is a financial planning tool. I quit doctoring. It costs more to practice than I can bring in because of the way insurance companies work and the costs of running a practice. I could get a salaried corporate doctor job and be required to see 40 people a day to do procedures that aren't necessary and write prescriptions for people they cannot afford. Not.
26
Institutions of higher-ed live in the past, because it benefits them financially. The first two years of college at public institutions should be offered on-line and open to all for a nominal fee. There is no longer any reason to travel to an expensive classroom to view a computer presentation that can easily be viewed at home, to the benefit of student time and learning as well as the environment.
8
Thank you Mr. Jemmott for sharing your storing! It was so eerie to see this familiar story through your eyes.
In 2008, I became the second person in my family to apply to college in the United States. While both my parents were accomplished Chemical Engineers in Mexico, their college experiences did not reflect my experiences. My older brother had attend college locally, but the process had changed so much six years later when I was applying to school.
I remember being very confused when submitting my FAFSA application. Most of the terms were unfamiliar and while I could search for resources to help me, it was hard to translate the little I could grasp into Spanish for my mother.
I was very lucky to have applied to Brown University on a whim and that there there was an admissions officer who understood. Delayed in my paperwork, I received a call from Mercedes who wanted to check in. I explained that I was working on my FAFSA and would submit it shortly, but that I was just very confused. She asked to speak to my mother, but I hesitated because of the language barrier. She insisted and shortly after, I heard my mother reviewing the application with Mercedes in Spanish.
I am forever thankful for Mercedes. She offered me an opportunity like no other and in turn has opened so many doors for me. My time at Brown is one of my most treasured experiences.
74
One of my friends, a single mom who had left an abusive husband, had he audacity to try to go to college and improve her life while she was collecting federal benefits. The benefits programs imposed requirements on her that nearly derailed her college education. At one point, she had to go to a mandatory benefits “training” that was the exact same week as finals at school, and no amount of pleading could get the training rescheduled. Most of her state college professors worked with her needs, but she failed and had to retake one class because she couldn’t take the final at the appointed time.
171
The same thing happened to me! Except I was fortunate to do my mandatory 20 hour/week volunteering with a local group of midwives who were very aware of my situation - I was a single mother, senior in college, high honor student, already accepted to graduate school and working pt in the student lab as a tutor. They told me to quit (in my senior year! GPA 3.9) and take the associates degree so I could learn how to clean hotel rooms. 100% true story.
32
@al, there are no details given about Ann's friend's marriage - such as how long they had been married when she had a child, when the abuse began, etc.
But you're 100% sure you know everything and can judge this woman. Perhaps you think the abuse was her fault too? Often abusers put on a very good front. And often a pregnancy or child triggers the abuse.
What I read is that Ann's friend has had some major problems and setbacks in her life. She is trying her best to improve her life and her child's future by getting an education.
Yes, she needs help doing so. I'm a taxpayer and I'm fine with that - I consider it an investment in human capital, as it means she's more likely to have a more financially stable future for herself and her child.
The mandatory "training" is most likely another of those time-wasting burdens that government agencies impose on poor people to punish them for being poor - and to make sure they stay that way by creating more obstacles.
PS: If everyone waited to have a child until everything in their life was perfect and they were guaranteed a secure future, NO one would have children, ever.
13
@al Some say taking responsibility is having the baby. Contraceptives don't always work. People are told to go to college and get a job.
These things are simple. Al, don't criticize people when they are taking responsibility for their lives.
Even when someone is trying to pull themselves up, someone is out there trying to cut their bootstraps.
2
It was even hard to figure out before FAFSA or even the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, now Pell Grant. Had my college not had a Financial Aid director who encouraged me, heck, found a need-based scholarship for my tuition I would have never made it to graduation in 1977. When the BEOG became available, as Tony Harris said on CNN, "We wore that thing out." As the poor died in Viet Nam, a guilty country made the first money, albeit miserly, available for poor kids to attend.
I certainly got no help from my school counselors. I was a "C" student with a high SAT, though I took it the last time it was offered. Didn't know until two weeks before classes began that I had funding. The Senior counselor even discouraged me because I wasn't a serious student, as one counselor said, "The most prolific skipper in the history of Columbus High School." I was bored, disillusioned and a wild child in a wild time.
But I made it, and it made me. I did not become the teacher I'd studied to be, never got a grasp on the class-control concept, but a career of human service work was open to me because of that 4-year degree. And helping people, making enough money to live on, was all I really ever wanted to do.
14
I believe that this article is well written and makes several reasonable points. However, there are countless resources, many of them free of charge, that are available to anyone and everyone who is applying to a college. For the low income students who are excelling in their high schools, colleges will seek out those students and make them offers which would be practically impossible to refuse. For the below-average and marginal students, there is no shame in attending a local community college and gaining the requisite background/resources to navigate the complexities of college financial aid, etc. Small steps always come before big steps.
38
@MarathonRunner The article makes many valid points. The lack of guidance in the high schools in advising persons with family problems and no money for college is very difficult. I was an A student in a Catholic High School, and the only help I got was from a relative towards the first semester at the local community college.
26
@Babsy
some people are late bloomers. i know several people from middle class backgrounds who had C- and occasional D grades in high school, but went on to very successful careers eventually obtaining graduate degrees and now earn in the six figures. difference was their parents paid for their college, they lived near good public universities and they were able to obtain internships at good companies during their college years. in other words their parents and their community supported them even when they weren't thriving - they stuck with them and eventually the outcome was very good. when someone lacks supportive parents with resources and a community that offers good jobs along the path - it is very difficult to turn a late bloomer into someone with a successful career.
i also know people that barely got through high school and their freshman year of college, dropped out, but eventually went on to complete their college degrees in subjects they excelled and now have successful careers. these young people i know that did this had parents that were supportive and had the resources to help them with love and patience to "find their way" to an eventual college degree and a career.
17
@MarathonRunner There are resources but they cant help you when you dont know they exist, which is the point of the article.
I grew up in a middle class, two-parent household in Virginia and I still had many of the same issue that the author did. Neither of my parents went to college and neither of them knew the process any better than I did which left me alone as a 16 year old to try and plan the next 4+ years of my life and navigate the college admissions system.
90
I was on a college admissions committee once, and the public school applicants in a nearby large city had a xeroxed letter in their files that said something like this,
"The schools of the city of X does not have enough counselors to write individualized letters for our students. We hope that you will not hold this fact against this applicant." Meanwhile, wealthy suburban students, to say nothing of private-school students, had counselor letters describing the students' strengths and activities and personalities.
Level playing field? We have a long way to go. Recognizing the problem is a first step, so thank you, Enoch Jemmott, for helping.
This experien
96
@Howard The playing field isn't remotely level. And that persists as an issue long after college. One tiny sliver of good news is that some colleges now will give students a cash reward if they accept an unpaid internship. This means that students, who otherwise couldn't possibly consider an unpaid internship, can present to their school details about their upcoming internship and, if chosen, receive the equivalent of a stipend. This is one example of schools recognizing that they can make a difference.
4
@Howard
Why should the playing field be level? People with money will spend that money on their kids. That is the way the world works.
I was first generation to go to college. Mom graduated from high school; Dad did not. His mother was illiterate. Our rural school district is rated C- by Niche.com. I inherited none of the "cultural capital" that kids from affluent school districts and college-educated parents did.
When it came to college application time, my sister and I were flying blind, on our own. We lacked legacy, big bucks donations, connections, mentoring.
Al Lubrano, in "Limbo," writes,"White collar people just have the know-how, from their backgrounds, to get fellowships and other assistance on campus we didn't have," Lubrano quotes one "straddler" across class lines. "Because it's part of their class consciousness, second- and third-generation college students know how to manage their time, how to figure out what to focus on, and how to work their way through" - with a boost from their parents, he continues.
JD Vance, in "Hillbilly Elegy," writes, “One way our upper class can promote upward mobility is not only by pushing wise public policies but by opening their hearts and minds to the newcomers who don’t quite belong.”
Those CEO's, top shelf attorneys, TV actresses and other members of America's elite in this scandal cheated the system and stole college placements that legitimately belong to kids like I was - honest, hard-working, yet clueless - and students of my children's generation.
They deserve what's coming to them. And those who follow the rules deserve better.
127
@James My parents were out of their depth, even in the 1980s, to deal with this stuff. But I got my education, as did my husband, and when it came to doing this for our kids, we had no problem navigating it. It was a pain in the rump and a hassle, but nothing more. A couple of years in I somehow felt guilty about that ... that it was so easy ... so I pinch hit for some of my son's friends. It takes very little to give a boost to those who just need a roadmap.
17
@James
"One way our upper class can promote upward mobility is not only by pushing wise public policies but by opening their hearts and minds to the newcomers who don’t quite belong.”
And why on earth would they do that?
The whole and only point to be in the upper class is to stand above the rest (this enviable place gives you power and opportunity).
In a competitive world like ours, the more "newcomers" you bring 'up' the lower your descend to the "newcomers" level.
12
Doesn't affirmative action help? Speaking as a first generation college student, who had to figure it out on his own going to a paltry state school.
1
When I was in college as a music major I worked three jobs. Our conductor/professor decided the choir would go on a ten day performance tour. I begged out explaining that this would prevent me from earning enough money to pay the rent. After a great scolding, he kicked me out of the class because I had “no respect for the sacrifices needed to get an education.” I found a more sympathetic conductor and changed classes. I did get my degree. My experience was not isolated. Many other students with work and childcare issues often found it difficult to navigate an academic culture wherein the assumptions and privileges of wealth were simply a given.
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@Trish
Thanks Trish for sharing that! I think also what helps is at the public colleges and community colleges there are lots of classmates that are an inspiration to their fellow students! I also paid for my own college education through various part time jobs as I was from a big family with no money for me to go to college. It was in an era when a semester of tuition at the local public college was $400! I remember being so overwhelmed in my sophomore year with Biochemistry that I was going to drop out.
Thankfully, a good friend of mine whom I will always remember, encouraged me to stick it out. She was 27 at the time, married, and she and her boyfriend had both gone back to college after years in dead end low paying jobs. She was so upset that I would be dropping out that she talked sense into me about what a bad idea that was. Thank you Jennifer if you are out there reading this!! Luckily I graduated with honors in 1981 and have had a good career. I chose the school I did because I could get there by bus and because part time jobs allowed me to afford my tuition/books. Nobody helped me to get in but in those days the paperwork was fairly easy and affordable to go to a public college. My dad and mom made too much for me to get loans but not enough to help me pay for college. And my dad was very well educated and smart so he was a resource for any questions I had.
6
My dad left my mom with no support, a mortgage payment and 10 kids. College was never discussed in our house because it didn't seem possible. Out of the 10 kids, I was the only one to attend college, thanks to my 11th grade English teacher who convinced me I could handle college and she spent God knows how many hours helping to make sure it happened. I needed help at every turn. I showed up to college the day classes started without a dorm room assignment or a class schedule because I didn't know I was responsible for taking care of those details myself. College is daunting for students from impoverished backgrounds. I'm a college professor now and although I treat everyone the same in the classroom, outside of class, I'll spend as much time as needed with students who are poor, minority or who come from first-generation college families. Poor students do not require hand-holding for four years, they need to be lucky enough for a few caring people to intervene in their college journey in high school and in the first semesters of college.
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@Ralph braseth Bravo and thank you! Bread cast upon the waters.
18
@Ralph braseth This is so true! I'm currently visiting the person who pulled me out of poverty 45 years ago and encouraged me to go to school. I was living in a group home and she felt sorry for me. She made college seem like a shining palace and inspired me to place it as a priority. She offered inspiration! I started out with night classes at community college and it literally opened the world for me. 45 years later, I am grateful to still sit at this woman's table. She changed my life! This is what is so excellent about the author of this article, his recognition of need and his decision to give back as a peer counsellor. This was an excellent article.
32
I am financially literate and I have trouble navigating the dreadful FASFA. I can't imagine someone under the circumstances described dealing with those obstacles. Its amazing that 9% do get a bachelors. Not because of ability, but the financing and bureaucracy.
Community colleges, which are common gateways, are far more expensive than they used to be. I'll spend around $4000 (OR, 2019) for a kid to go to community college a year. When I went it was around $120 -(CA in the 1970s)
I've noticed a lot of improvement on the cost of books in the last 2 years. Prior to that, some classes had book costs that exceeded tuition. Some of the teachers are publishing their own books (math and science) or using old editions in class sets that can be borrowed from the library for the quarter. Good going teachers!!
10
He's right. The FAFSA process is a train wreck.
15
It’s too bad we can’t work out a deal where people willing to pay a bribe to get their kids into a prestigious college instead if paying the bribe to some hack/greedy coach, pay for a needy student’s free ride.
11
I appreciate Mr. Jemmott's comments and readily acknowledge it is an immeasurably more difficult to enter college and even more so to graduate if one is from a lower SES class than from a higher one.
However, before he or anyone else thinks this is unusual, I've got a story to tell him.
My father grew up in Red Hook, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who barely spoke English (at home they spoke Yiddish) and was of college age during the great depression. He could have attended college for free at CCNY but his father was out of work and my father needed a job to support his family and the Tammany Hall congressman from his district got him one in Washington,DC. So off he went. He worked days full time and attended first college and then law school at night. There was no financial aid to register for.
He was far from alone in this as most of his friends were in similar circumstances and yet all managed to not only make it through college but also get postgraduate degrees.
I'm not saying things are easy now for students from poorer backgrounds with college aspirations. I'm just saying there is nothing new in it and many people have overcome it.
10
@Steve you cannot compare the times. The politics and the results of redlining, the deterioration of education in poorer neighborhoods, among of a host issues takes your example out of the comparison. I respect that many European immigrants struggled, my family's family did too. But they were white and society has changed. Read Outliers by Gladwell. Luck and timing factor heavily into life's trajectory. Life is not fair. Today's struggles are vastly different. Money rules everything.
5
@Steve
Stopping patting yourself on the back in public about your experiences in the early 1950s. You’re not the only commenter here doing it. None of you were contending with the bloated, supercilious bureaucracy that controls these kids futures now. You worked hard.... in a time and place where hard, simple work resulted in reliable benefits. That’s not the Catch-22 situation they face now. It was just hard, not endlessly duplicitous. And you had access to day jobs that actually paid your way. Those have been shipped to China. They were shipped out 2 decades ago.
4
@Debbie
Wow! What a strong judgment against @Steve for describing his father's experience. The situations may not be exactly the same but they are comparable: there are always obstacles along the way to your goals, and the difference between those who accomplish their goals and those who don't are largely up to perseverance. To focus on factors beyond our control is to give up. Fine, some goals have to be modified depending upon circumstances, but still, the recognition that I have control over my life is ultimately empowering.
3
Well done!
4
Maybe it was easier when I went to Brooklyn College when it was free, but I went there because my family had no money to send me anywhere else and I got a fine education. I worked part-time and summers for spending money and no one was around to help me fill out the applications, etc. And there were really no special programs to help us because most of us were in the same boat.
5
Real learning does not depending on big and fancy universities. In fact, many small colleges,especially community colleges, can provide a much better educational experience than the high flying universities (at a much cheaper rate) - especially for undergraduate work. I know, I did it. Many very successful people never attended university or dropped out or just avenues of learning and success on their own. Too bad there are educational counselors who do not understand the fundamental principals of learning/education. DJM
2
"We vaguely knew that college was crucial for future success...."
My personal life experience, as well as published scholarship (www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/whats-college-good-for/546590/) prove that this is not true.
For academically inclined students college is a good choice. But the payoff only materializes if college changes the working class student and sets them on a different path with a different worlldview, different values, and a different self-image. The children of the 0.1% don't matter for a variety of reasons (numbers, motivation, etc).
For those who don't thrive on academics, whether working class or 0.1%er, it's far better to get out in the world, make themselves valuable, and get on with life seeking that same change in worldview, values, and self-image. That was my choice in youth, and that of my thousands of co-workers.
5
This is the tragedy that has unfolded in America.
It is the same with voter registration.
The irony is, that those who seek relentlessly to discourage voting and education, are taking a hammer to the foundation of our economic growth, and damaging themselves too in the process.
The only explanation I can think of is, that they imagine they will be able to fly away in their private jets to their private islands once they have scraped as much money as they can into their off-shore accounts, when the crash arrives...
36
Excellent article. And the problem doesn't only exist at the college level. Many cities have extremely unequal public schools, and parents have to apply for places for their children at magnet schools.
Guess what - poor parents, immigrant parents, mentally ill parents, 4 part-time job parents. etc. tend not to know about these better schools or have the time to craft an application. The current NYC Stuyvesant scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.
14
Judging by the quality of his writing, Enoch Jemmott has successfully negotiated the labrynthine college admissions and financial aid process and has a fine future ahead of him.
Access to good mentoring is crucial. First look to your teachers. I do not know too many teachers who would refuse to advise a student on a college application or help them decipher a financial aid form. Then go to the principal. Reference librarians at public libraries would be glad to help.
Mr. Jemmott unfortunately tends to interpret opportunities as obstacles, an orientation forecast by his unfortunate choice of title. The opportunity to attend college with financial aid is never a “punishment.” Students in many nations to not enjoy these opportunities. Queens College is a great school.
A university student once told me that she had to submit a sonogram—to prove her pregnancy—along with her financial aid application form. I also noticed that some enrolled students never showed up for class, but they did not drop the course until the final week. It was about maintaining their fulltime status. I inferred that students frequently gamed the financial aid system. It is not only the wealthy that engage in deceitful practices.
Children of immigrant parents—who speak little English—also have to negotiate this mound of paperwork. Mr. Jemmott will soon understand that filing paperwork like this is part of what it means to be an adult.
Think opportunity, not punishment.
You are almost there.
3
Norway and other European countries value their citizens and have made their country great by ensuring everyone has access to education through university and work in their field as well as health care and 1- 1/2 years or so of maternity and paternity leave so their children are not plagued with abandonment trauma for the rest of their lives.
58
Thank you for a great and informative article that illuminates the formidable obstacles facing college admissions for those not lucky enough to have wealthy parents.
9
I feel exhausted just reading this piece! In my day, I got an entrance scholarship for good grades in high school, starved my way through university, got a degree and repaid society many times over with my contributions. I guess my elders believed in the social benefits of a good education back then, but not those who set up this rigged system.
35
Thank you, Enoch Jemmott--you are clearly already a leader. I am grateful that people like you are rising in your generation to soon take control. The world under your guidance will, I'm sure, be more fair and make much more sense.
24
This sounds just like what I went through in 1960 in far West Texas, 16 and untutored. There was no Internet, of course, no magazines about colleges, so I just signed up at the local community college. Mind you, I was salutatorian and a winning debator, but I didn't know how to translate that into scholarships. I still beat myself up about it, as if it was my fault I didn't "find opportunity." It sounds as if all that has changed is that there is more complexity in the process. It's heartbreaking, and the jerk who wrote that difficulty isn't punishment needs a lesson in empathy.
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@Jean
What's really changed in the system is the cost. It was close to free to go to community college and state college wasn't that bad either.
I think there is a lot more emphasis on loans. It's a money maker for the financial industry. They get government guarantees then charge high interest.
38
Sounds like if anyone can affect change in the system, it's you.
Good luck, young man. Lots of us are rooting for you.
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@Astrid
I agree w/your sentiments, Astrid, that this young man and others like him will likely be leaders in making life a bit more fair, in future.
But wouldn't it be better if we didn't wait for them to do it? We, too, can push for and contribute to that change.
We who are not experiencing these burdens and barriers are perhaps better placed to work towards more equality of opportunity.
10
@Astrid
"Sounds like if anyone can affect change in the system, it's you."
Fat chance. He appears to be driven by envy and wish for an easier time. The two essential ingredients of the psychology of entitlement.
This psychology is by far the most destructive power known to man.
2
@al
“Easier time”? He still has to fulfill all of the academic requirements and effort that any other student at CUNY to complete in their four year degree so I don’t see how he’s gotten an “easier time”. How does the desire for a less onerous and byzantinian college application process make him “driven by envy and wish for an easier time”? If this were the case, then would the IRS simplifying the process of completing our taxes make all taxpayers more entitled?
Also, I’m not sure where you’ve inferred that he is filled with envy, a desire for an easier time or a sense of entitlement. Can’t you prove your assumptions? In fact, in the article it describes how he pays it forward by helping others with their college applications. That shows humility.
10
I remember the first time I filled out Fafsa. What a nightmare. My father wasn't even in the country for the filing deadline. Good luck finding his tax information.
Although, in hindsight, I only needed my parents information because I was claimed as a dependent on their tax forms. If your parent is homeless, they probably aren't filing tax returns at all. I would think filing for emancipation is easier than tracking down tax records.
That said, I think we should begin to question why low-income families "vaguely knew that college was crucial for success..." Is it? Is it really?
Or perhaps a different question: Why is college crucial for success? I can speak honestly here. Most Jobs really don't require a college education. A degree is simply a rubber stamp for most white collared positions. That and young adults need to find something useful to do in that awkward age of between 18-24.
A high school education, properly learned and administrated, should be enough. Maybe another 2 years of specialty training in a specific field. That level of expertise is adequate for 80-plus percent of the jobs on the market. Why does everyone need a 4-year college degree?
Ponder that one.
15
@Andy ... as an older person and perpetual student with many credits but no degree, I can tell you why it is important. When you are young, people will pay you based on your youthful energy, appearance, and what *they perceive* is your ability to do the work; ie., "if they like you." When you are older and your youthful vigor and appearance are gone, people hire you based on your experience. However, when employers decide what to pay, the higher paying jobs (salary and/or hourly wage) will be based on the level of education that you have completed, as evidenced by your degree. Have a GED, High School Diploma or AA? Sure, you can get hired but you will be paid at that level. Bachelors degree? Instantly puts you in another category. Masters or PHD? You are now elevated to an even higher level of pay, especially in education and even in some government jobs. You may have the intelligence of a rocket scientist, but if you want to be paid at the level that other rocket scientists are paid, you will need the degree that goes along with the title. Get the degree! Get the degree! Get the degree!
8
@twf
You're not wrong. I was asking you to question the wisdom, or even benefit, in such a system. I'll give you an example.
I have a friend who works for a local union. Every few months he requests additional training. He takes a class. He passes a test. With a high school diploma and few online seminars, he makes more than the combined income of most degree holding dual-income families. My friend will openly admit he's doing exactly the same job as before. He just gets paid more.
So what's the value of a degree? Simply to say you have a degree. That's not the way academia is supposed to work and I am an academic.
4
@Andy -- Unfortunately, yes -- the value of a degree (beyond the learning) is simply to say that you have a degree. I don't think it's right either, but for those of us without a silver spoon, money is what we work for because life is a whole lot easier when we can pay our bills. (I know that some people believe that work should be about doing what we love, etc... but that is the beginning of a whole different conversation.) Also, could you send me the name of the company and union that your friend works for?? I could really use a job like that! ;-) thanks for responding. t
2
Thank you for this article. As a person who had a relatively easy pathway to university, I often wonder why don't more low income high school students pursue university given that student loans are available. I look forward to learning more by viewing the documentary.
9
I am struggling with this article. The resources available for the poor to go to college and even grad school are much more available than they were in the early 90s when I went to school. I had to pay full freight at a private school with no financial aid or loans which meant working multiple jobs, and maxing out my credit cards. A sports injury in my last year and the resulting surgery and expensive legal bills left me on the bring of bankruptcy for over 18 months after I graduated. I don’t mind all the public resources available to the poor now and I contribute significant amounts of scholarship money to three schools that I am connected with but don’t tell me you need even more public resources to get into college (or that the ultimate goal here is free college) because that means significant more taxes to pay for something that previous generations never had.
3
@Anon ... what I got out of the article is that more direction is needed. The resources are there but the "what to do next" is missing.
7
@Anon
I admire the ability, energy and tenacity that got you through university. But the reality is that middle and upper class young people don't need to be especially able, energetic or tenacious to get into college, to finish, and to start their professional lives w/no or manageable debt.
We now have an employment lement context where even jobs that do not require university - level skills and knowledge do demand university diplomas, or give preference to those who have them. Many jobs that could support a family w/o a college education have disappeared, and others have been highly devalued. To then say, let most upper-class kids gain that advantage easily, while lower-class kids must struggle mightily, many falling by the wayside, does not seem fair to me.
6
Enoch,
Thank you for having the strength to share your story. Clearly, the FAFSA needs to be made user-friendly.
Many readers will want to know how you will pay for college (including housing expenses) and, very importantly, what you hope to do with your degree.
Consider making a New York Times login (it's free) and letting us know your professional ambitions.
You've crafted an enormous opportunity for yourself here to have Times readers writing in and offering you all manner of professional support, if only we knew what it is you're wanting to do after you graduate. Perhaps you don't know - and that's okay. Just write in via the comments so you can hopefully have an outpouring of support & advice from a group of people with crazy connections.
Wishing you nothing but the best.
11
Difficulty, however real, is not the same as punishment.
8
This piece hits home and speaks some serious truth. My experiences were so similar, albeit in a rural area. I had absentee parents and lived with my grandparents, yet as my parents were still my legal guardians, I had to submit their financial information. They raged - how dare I disclose their personal information! My chance of receiving any kind of aid was contingent upon their cooperation. Worse still, the “better” schools required information from divorced parents, under the philosophy that a divorce does not absolve their financial responsibility. What a great thought - except it’s entirely false for disadvantaged kids. Your parent absolved themselves of all responsibility your entire life, leaving you to raise yourself? Too bad. Track them down, get them to disclose their financial information, then get penalized as they have never, will never, contribute one scent to you, let alone contribute to your education. With no support system, no one to turn to on how to navigate such complex systems, I felt so behind my peers every day.
109
@Karen at MIT I had a housemate who had great difficulty with this. He was raised in a rural area, his mother the sole grownup on the scene. His father had been last spotted living on the street about 5 years before. Good luck with that.
5
That was my story! Perseverance was all I had ...
4
Truth! Great article. Thank you for your candor.
8
I went to Queens College back in the mists of history. There was no need to fill out complicated financial assistance forms. The College was free [or nearly so]. A seventeen year old on his/her own may have trouble with FA forms, but that's life - also known as the deep end of the pool. The Asian kids have to translate them - at least you were spared that. You're in, you're a senior. Graduate. Conquer the world!!
6
That's classic USA, right there. The more you need help, the less help you get.
47
@Matt No.
It just proves that if you don't ask...you don't get.
That's Rule #1 in life itself.
By the way Enoch? Take some business classes and make sure you get a b.s. A B.A. in Communications might get you your first job..but after 3-5 years..few employers are going to be looking at you for leadership roles unless you have a strong business acumen to go with your ability to write a story in the NYT.
Good luck
1
Sounds like you earned your way into and through college.
And sounds like you'll be 100x better off for it.
Kudos!
I wrote my own checks for college applications, bought my own bus tickets to go visit 3 college campuses, and paid my own way through school. I was shocked when I found my mother made $9500 a year as a store clerk..when I was making $5000 a summer working 3 jobs.
The entitled one's are what they are. I don't pay much attention to them now anymore than I paid attention to them then. Some of them became friends, and some of them I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them.
I found out early in life it's not the size of the W-2 that counts, it's the integrity, honor, decency, and work ethic that is the only currency that counts.
20
@Erica Smythe
Except if you're upper-middle or upper class. Then your parents W-2 and cultural currency make a HUGE difference.
Not to a person's intrinsic value, ever, but to their opportunities in life.
5
Even after 48 years this story remains compelling for me. Not much has changed. I remember meeting with my high school counselor in 1970. We were talking about college and he asked me what my thoughts were. I told him I wanted to apply to Stanford. He responded by writing a dollar amount on his yellow pad and pointing to it said, "This is what it costs to go to Standford. Your family cannot afford that." He then suggested that the local junior college or state college as a better, more realistic option for me. As fate would have it, a recruiter came to our school from the Claremont Colleges and met with a handful of Hispanic students. In addition to talking to us about the schools he encouraged us to apply, offered his assistance and promised that he could arrange to have application fees waived. I followed through and ended up being accepted to Pomona College. I did all of the financial aid work myself, my parents had no experience with this process. There was no network of parents to consult with could turn to for advice. I remember clearly doing all of the paperwork and taking the forms to them and asking them to simply sign the forms. It is unfortunate that this experience persists. I am grateful to Enoch Jemmott for having the conviction to see the importance of telling this story, especially in light of the current scandal which exposes the inequities, social and economic, which continue to plague the college admissions process.
159
@David Espinoza David, you will be happy to know that Stanford now offers free tuition to all admitted students whose family income is below about $120,000.
4
@David Espinoza Chirp! '82
Similar story here. In 1969, my high school counselor advised me to apply to my local junior college, even though I had good grades and a National Merit Commendation. Luckily, a girl down the street had gone to UCLA so I applied there. It changed my life.
6
I was a highly recruited high school basketball player in 1979. The college coach told me to go into take my SAT and just sign my name. I did and was admitted to college. I went on to graduate 4 years later.
1
@alexas
Alexas, you wrote in, so I know you're trying to make a point. Could you make it clearer for us?
well, the fact that financial and administrative documents are an annoyance and a chore to complete is pretty much a universal complaint.
i agree that teens should receive some support or guidance in this process, and forms should be made plain text and simplified as far as possible. (for example, in place of documenting parental finances, just give their tax ID number.)
for the rest, given that there are many inexpensive paperback books available on the SAT or applying to college, this article has the savor of post millennial whining. but provided Queens College has safe spaces, trigger warnings, ethnic sensitivity and student support groups, i'm guessing Enoch will do just fine.
3
@drollere I think you missed a big point Enoch was making in his piece. It is not about the annoyance of the paperwork, its about the support and knowledge a student and his network needs to fill them out. That knowledge is often beyond the scope and resources of many kids.
Its not about it being 'annoying' its about the process being inaccessible, incomprehensible, expensive, and very needlessly complex. I remember applying to college as the child of upper-middle class but still immigrant parents and we spent a good portion of the process with big questions. We had the resources to get the answers, but I can easily remember the feelings of bewilderment before someone we paid helped us. I was lucky.
The process is too complex and too onerous on everyone. It should not require sophisticated financial literacy (or a second round of applications for grants and financial support for low-income students) to access an education if you are academically qualified. Full stop.
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@drollereWhining? No, the man wrote and outstanding piece on the difficulties of the process.
12
He was living on his sister's couch. That would seem to negate your assertion that he's a whiner.
15
This is the considered, real-world perspective our national conversation around higher education sorely needs. The communication degree is clearly working out for Enoch.
11
I went to college and law school. The FAFSA application process is so complicated And so counterintuitive. I don’t see how any 18-year-old could handle it without help. I almost gave up.
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@Paul Ruszczyk
"I don’t see how any 18-year-old could handle it without help. I almost gave up."
I felt the same when I had to file my tax return for the first time.
Went to my uncle for help. "If you're big enough to have money, you're big enough to do your taxes," was his reply.
I couldn't stomach giving what little I had to a tax preparer.
Buckled down, filled out the forms (there was no free software those days), and filed.
Life's not supposed to be free or easy, and I hope it stays this way.
1
Al, did filing your tax return require you to track down your homeless mother and convince her to provide you with miles of financial documentation? Anyone who thinks a FAFSA is like a tax return has never filled out a FAFSA.
7
Backs in the 70s, in Britain, there was no tuition to speak of, and just about everyone who earned admission had a government grant for living expenses. This meant most people had no more than 3 changes of clothes and couldn't afford the central heating which just about nobody had in those days, but we still managed to study, eat and get to the pub regularly.
The American way, which seems designed to ensure lenders get paid, really is a marvel.
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Before I retired, I was a psychologist specializing in learning disabilities. I started a side-business offering tutoring, SAT prep and help with college applications. The students I served were mostly well-off and privileged, from very good public and private high schools. These students, by and large, felt that the help they received, which their parents paid for, was "normal" and had no idea that there were less well off students who got none of that kind of help (although I provided free help to some low-income students also). That was twenty years ago. I ended the tutoring business but when my immigrant, low-income niece needed SAT help and college essay help I assisted her. She also attended a high school in a well-to-do neighborhood and received a lot of help with her applications and essays from a school program called AVID ( wonderful, national program that gets underprepared students into AP classes and helps them with college prep). She got help from her school and from my wife on the FAFSA application. She is going to graduate in two months with a BA degree from a state university. She, from a food-stamp, public housing family, made it, but it would have been nearly impossible for her to do so without assistance. Most of the privileged world, parents, students and others, have no idea how much help that privilege brings with it compared to students from poor families, living in poor neighborhoods and going to underfunded schools.
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It looks like you struggled mightily for your college education. I think college admissions should be based on merit, and perhaps a sprinkling of demographics like in-state favored to out-of-state at public schools Rigorous academic standards should apply with “C” grades as the median, without recourse to changing grades by harassing the teachers. I have reviewed the mean/median grades published at my highly rated alma mater university recently. Grade averages consistently in the A- and B+ ranges across disciplines with virtually nothing below a “B” ever given. Math and hard sciences had slightly lower averages. College should be a free ride for all students, but they need to be held accountable for their work.
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@Pat
In much of Europe, college is tuition-free, but admission is by test only, taken and graded anonymously. This seems to be the fairest way. There are ample opportunities for public education in skilled trades and apprenticeships for those who are not academically motivated.
4
I was a first gen student in the late 80s, before anyone used that term, and I encountered many of the struggles that Enoch describes still happening today. There are enormous barriers around higher education for kids from lower income families. While we talk about being a meritocracy, we actually have a strongly-entrenched class system. Education can help one move between classes, and it can impede one from moving between classes. We need to do better. Thanks for helping your peers, Enoch. I will tell you that this is so tough, but it is helping you develop "code-switching" and coping skills which will help you greatly as you move forward in life.
27
My family was poor, below the federal poverty line, my parents were divorced and never attended college. I went to a rural high school in Pennsylvania, but neither my brother nor I had much trouble. We both went to private schools and I can say for me at least, Syracuse University not only helped me navigate all that, but gave me free tuition on top of it. Attending SU was one of the most important events in my life. I'll always be grateful for the confidence they had in me and the many chances they gave me.
9
Excellent expose on the real crisis in college admissions and how the poor are discriminated against before they even get into college if they are able to get in.
I applaud Mr. Jemmott for this piece as it sheds some light on a very real problem with overcoming the divide of "the haves" and "the have nots." It's really unconscionable that the very rich use their money to lie and cheat their way to even further advantages than this society already affords them. Money and power corrupt! We need laws that protect the rights of minorities and the disadvantaged to allow bright young men and women with so much to offer this country an ability to reach their potential. We have a long way to go and we need this government to make college a right of every person who wants to attend. We need to fund free tuition and fees for community and state colleges and to streamline the admissions process. If we can give away tax benefits and tax cuts to the top 1% of Americans and to rich corporations, costing this government billions of dollars in revenue - then we can most certainly provide free college tuition at community and public colleges in this country.
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I grew up in a middle-class family. My father had gone to college. My high school went through race riots and was, shall we say, not academically demanding. My "guidance counselor" was well-meaning but useless, and steered me to a college well below my level. I don't even know if we had SAT prep courses. Maybe we did, but I didn't take them.
And yet applying to college was easy for me. I had support from family who'd gone through the process. The applications themselves were challenging and intellectually provocative, as they should be, but I didn't have to worry about more than that.
Reading Mr. Jemmott's article shocked me. What he said made perfect sense, but I had never thought about it from the perspective he described. Thank you, Mr. Jemmott, for broadening my view.
Part of what I learned from Mr. Jemmott's article is that our system, well-meaning as it is, is itself an obstacle. Why does there have to be so much paperwork and process? The only reason I can think of is that we are terrified of giving help to someone who just might not deserve it because line 37.b on form 22F shows income that's a little too high or doesn't prove to a scientific certainty that this person is pure.
We waste so much and hurt so many by demanding so much. We spend billions to save millions. It should be simpler. We applaud ourselves as the richest country in the history of history. Let's act like it.
171
After graduating from college, I worked in a department at a large university in Massachusetts that supported the Financial Aid, Admissions and Registrar Offices. One of my jobs was to write programs to tract all of the various forms required for financial aid applications, and this was back in the 80s! One of the running theories in the department was that the Federal GOvernement was trying to bury applicants in paperwork in order to limit the amount of federal dollars awarded. The coutner argument, I am sure, that all of those forms were necessary to prevent fraud, etc.
Sounds like things migh be much worse and more complicated now.
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@MC
The vast right wing conspiracy is obsessed with rooting out those who are “underserving” in their eyes. Financial aid at one time was actually something readily available to actually help anyone get through college with minimal debt. Along the way, republicans did things like require that you be a “dependent” until age 24 unless you, idiotically enough, have a child! This means that your financial status is based on your parents income until you are 25 years old! You can’t get financial aid unless you are desperately poor, not a grant at any rate. I’m not opposed to helping the very poor, not at all, but where does this leave kids from struggling families that while not below the poverty line, certainly cannot afford the sudden and hugely inflated tuition costs that Republicans have brought us through their control of States. Yes, I know they were voted in, and that’s what I really don’t get.
The real tragedy is that all this kind of thing happened under both Rep and Dem administrations as Dems endeavored to “compromise”. See where that has got us.
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@MC
"We applaud ourselves as the richest country in the history of history."
Hmm..., makes me agree with your statement that you went to a college below your level.
We're about #13 or 16 in per capita GPD (google it, if you have time). To me that means we don't have a penny to spare.
3
Beautifully written by an essential voice in education.
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I discovered when I worked for legal aid that being poor is very time consuming and very expensive. one example: there is no family plan for mass transit. if you have no one to watch your kids you have to take them with you for simple errands or doctor visits.
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@Keevin
The late artist Willem de Kooning once said:
"The trouble with being poor is that it takes up all your time."
He, as you did, should have added the words "very expensive."
11
Thank you - least of all for validating my frustrations and suspicions; most of all for bringing these struggles to light.
5
Thanks so much to this student for sharing his story. I am impressed by his tenacity in the face of overwhelming barriers. Time and again we see those with the least resources being the most willing to give and help their neighbors, as Enoch has to help fellow students navigate this crazy system.
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@Erin:"I am impressed by his tenacity in the face of overwhelming barriers. "
Fill out those forms - just another way "the man" tries to keep you down.
1
At my kid’s high school is such the pressure from parents for children to go to college that stress and anxiety among students have reached alarming levels. The school district is doing all it can to address this issue, in particular reminding parents that college is NOT the only option. If a family can’t afford it, there are hundreds of other opportunities
2
@Common Sense Guy, True, college is not and should not be the only option. Meanwhile, children who are academically prepared should at least be getting basic information and guidance from their high schools about college application. The schools seem to be offer nothing for kids like Enoch Jemmott. In this internet age, can't the headmaster or teachers offer a few links to the students? Perhaps they no longer know what colleges are looking for. For instance, who knows what Harvard means by "good human qualities" and some such esoteric things? If admissions were based on academic readiness, perhaps the teachers would know how to help the students.