The Hidden Curriculum: First Generation Students at Legacy Universities (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780691190761)

A revealing look at the experiences of first generation students on elite campuses and the hidden curriculum they must master in order to succeed

College has long been viewed as an opportunity for advancement and mobility for talented students regardless of background. Yet for first generation students, elite universities can often seem like bastions of privilege, with unspoken academic norms and social rules. The Hidden Curriculum draws on more than one hundred in-depth interviews with students at Harvard and Georgetown to offer vital lessons about the challenges of being the first in the family to go to college, while also providing invaluable insights into the hurdles that all undergraduates face.

As Rachel Gable follows two cohorts of first generation students and their continuing generation peers, she discovers surprising similarities as well as striking differences in their college experiences. She reveals how the hidden curriculum at legacy universities often catches first generation students off guard, and poignantly describes the disorienting encounters on campus that confound them and threaten to derail their success. Gable shows how first-gens are as varied as any other demographic group, and urges universities to make the most of the diverse perspectives and insights these talented students have to offer.

The Hidden Curriculum gives essential guidance on the critical questions that university leaders need to consider as they strive to support first generation students on campus, and demonstrates how universities can balance historical legacies and elite status with practices and policies that are equitable and inclusive for all students.

Author: Rachel Gable
ISBN-10: 0691190763
ISBN-13: 9780691190761
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/19/2021
Pages: 264
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 1.60d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2020
Library Journal 04/02/2021 pg. 1
Choice 10/01/2021