Sociological Imagination Paper
Introduction
This paper will examine whether or not household wealth influences one’s chance to attend college. C. Wright Mills sociological imagination contends the need for a comparative discernment of one’s social structures (1959). Household wealth has a positive correlation to one’s college entry, perseverance, and eventual graduation. Also, this paper will provide a detailed insight into the merits of a familial network towards the achievement of an undergraduate degree. The availability of high school resources influences one’s grades which has an impact on college admission.
Literature Review
- Wright Mills sociological imagination suggests the need for every man to be their methodologist and theorist (Mills 1959: 6). As such, this paper will investigate from a detailed personal point of view the impact of household wealth on one’s college attendance. There exist success stories from people brought up in privilege and others from humble backgrounds. As such, Mills sociological imagination presents an opportunity for social scientists to be good craftsmen.
World history is a result of a history that affects every human being (Mills 1959: 12). The familial network is an essential variable that determines the choice of college, attendance, and eventual graduation. Education is an equalizer in life. Thus, a lot of study on the variables affecting one’s probability of college education attainment has been an exciting field of study in society. However, some findings are biased to personal factors based on one’s story. To forge forward and have a positive impact on the world’s history, scientific sociological research on the influence of the familial network on the choice and attending college is an integral need.
“What ordinary men are directly aware of and what they try to do is bounded by the private orbits which they live,” (Mills 1959: 3). C. Wright Mills sociological imagination portrays the need for a detailed understanding and examination of the current known sources and levels of intelligibility. The disparities in high school resources create different opportunities for students yearning for a college education. Also, the high school resources disparities create a gap in the understanding of career paths and choice of colleges. As such, it is essential to have an objective sociological imagination investigation on the influence of high school resources in attending college education.
Findings
Household wealth is an integral variable that impacts and determines one’s attendance and achievement of a college education. Federal studies contend that a majority of students from wealthy backgrounds have a high likelihood of attending college (Pfeffer 2018). Wealthy parents can hire tutors for their children, thus improving their children’ high school grades. Students from humble backgrounds find themselves lacking a lot of necessary information in the choice of a college education. Children brought up in privilege have an upper hand that provides them comfort and peace of mind that allows them to focus on their dreams and follow them through entirely. Often, high school students from humble backgrounds end up opting to complete their studies at the high school level to enable them to provide for themselves and their loved ones.
Familial network influences one’s acceptance into a college. Legacy students is an example of the influence of familial network in college attendance. Thus, some talented and intelligent students without familial networks end up missing on their college of choice due to the need for legacy students. Familial networks with admission officers is also a significant influence on college attendance. Such findings underscore the significant merit of the familial network in the investigation of institutional factors that influence one’s likelihood to attend college.
There exist significant disparities in high school resources such as books. Such a disparity in school resources is a result of factors such as differences in funding. College admission is based on a student’s grades and extracurricular involvement. Some schools have a more comprehensive range of extracurricular activities that influence one’s admission to college. Also, some schools have a better teacher to student ratio than other schools. The disparity in teacher to student ratio significantly affects the attention given to the studies of students while in high school. As such, high school resources is an essential institutional factor that significantly shapes one’s opportunity to attend college.
Discussion
- Wright Mills sociological imagination allows one to have an open image to human nature. This mitigates against the spread of unproven assumptions. The ability to view life from another angle is necessary to build empathy in modern society. People face different struggles that they may never have the chance to explain. In a world driven by negative factors such as health, C. Wright Mills sociological imagination can help an environment of peace and understanding irrespective of diversity. Mills’ need for an open image to human nature establishes a flexible mindset to life to ensure a comfortable society for everyone.
Institutional conditions have a significant impact on shaping one’s chances to attend college. Frankly, institutional factors disparities have existed for a long time without experiencing a significant shift in a change to enable equality and equity. No one chooses their birthright conditions. As such, it is vital to ensure that students across various wealth backgrounds are accorded the same opportunity for college admission. Also, familial networks such as legacy students should be modified only to accommodate deserving students. The different levels of government and private institutions should increase their funding to poor schools to better equip them with resources.
The availability and interest rates of federal student loans influence one’s college admissions. Often, students forsake college due to lack of federal loans or exploitative federal loans. As such, the government should make college student free for every citizen. Also, the qualities of neighborhoods significantly influence one’s college admission. Neighborhoods with high levels of crime discourage students from pursuing education to college levels. Thus, there is a clear disadvantage of the opportunity of college admission to students from neighborhoods with crime to students living in safe neighborhoods.
References
Mills, C. W. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. Oxford University Press.
Pfeffer, F. T. (2018). Growing wealth gaps in education. Demography, 55(3), 1033-1068.