A disturbing trend in recent decades is the lack of socioeconomic mobility in this country. A core aspect of the American dream is a merit-based society where hard work will lead to greater economic prosperity. Although Americans believe in this ideal — a 2013 survey found that a higher rate of Americans agreed with the statement, “People are rewarded for intelligence and skill,” than in any other of the 27 countries surveyed — this ideal hasn’t matched the reality in recent decades. That same survey also found income inequality was increasing and becoming permanent, sharply reducing social mobility.
America’s universities — including Emory and Georgia Tech — play a crucial role in reversing this trend. Access to a highly ranked college dramatically increases one’s earnings potential and likelihood of moving up the social ladder. Yet my experiences prior, during and in the two years since graduating from Emory make me doubt my alma mater is fulfilling its duty and mission to provide access to the those struggling to get out of the lower class.
My graduating class of 64 students at a Seattle high school — about as far away from Atlanta as possible in the continental United States — sent three students to Emory. Dozens of these wealthy, private high schools regularly send several students a year to Emory and other highly ranked universities.
For the past two years I’ve taught at Jonesboro High School, about 20 miles south of Emory’s campus. Ninety-one percent of students are minorities, and more than 75 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. Out of the 300-person graduating class last year and this, none will attend Emory or Georgia Tech, the top universities in the school’s own back yard.
It’s true that a significant percentage of Jonesboro students lack the credentials to thrive at top universities. But the top echelon of students at Jonesboro High — and other low-income high schools — could thrive at Emory. These students may not have as high SAT and ACT scores due to the lack of access to test-prep programs that their wealthier peers have; however, they would contribute a great deal to the diversity and richness of the community in a way students from more privileged backgrounds often cannot.
While Emory students are accomplished in many academic and non-academic fields, a significant portion don’t offer as much as more economically and racially diverse students would offer. These students wouldn’t arrive on campus principally concerned with which Greek organization to join and the bar scene, as is the case among a segment of Emory’s population.
High-achieving Atlanta area students should see admission to top schools in the metro area as a realistic goal. University admissions departments need to spend more time actively recruiting in metro Atlanta schools and less time focusing on elite, wealthy schools in other regions. Those schools have great guidance counselors and students who will hear about schools like Emory. Recruitment and information about Emory is needed at places like Jonesboro High, where counselors have too many duties unrelated to college advising to provide adequate services to our top students.
Recruiting at low-income Atlanta area schools might not seem like the most logical approach, as these students would require significant financial aid and don’t help the school boast about its national and international appeal. In a lot of ways, recruiting students from abroad who can afford to pay full freight might seem like a better approach.
But this approach is contributing to both the lack of social mobility in the country as a whole and the lack of real diversity at Emory that affects students’ college experience. Top Atlanta institutions of higher learning that open their doors to more students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds could be nationwide trend-setters that contribute to a greater chance at upward social mobility for our students who need this opportunity most.
