Checkpoint: Higher Education's Role In Polarizing The Middle Class And The Educated Elite
Adene Sanchez
Background
Modern society in the United States has long considered higher education a pathway to success, promising social mobility and economic prosperity with a college degree. However, this deeply entrenched pressure to pursue one often has consequences that affect everybody, including the working class, resulting in a significant divide between the middle class and the educated elite. From exclusive networks and political power to crippling debt and underrepresentation, the impact of education on different groups of people is more important than ever after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, prestigious, expensive schools that boast low acceptance rates and high post-graduate earnings rates are some of the worst culprits in this case. Examining its multifaceted influence on perspectives, values, and opportunities is essential to understand and remedy this pervasive issue. Only by sorting through the complex pieces of education's mark on social stratification can the United States move toward a more equitable future for all its citizens, regardless of income or schooling.
Earnings Rate By Educational Attainment, 2022
The Ascent Of The Educated Elite
Once a shining example of the American Dream and hope for upward mobility, elite universities have morphed into tightly guarded fortresses of a new aristocracy. The once-standardizing classrooms offering knowledge are now echo chambers of privilege, solidifying class divisions and abandoning the working class on the other side of their gilded gates. This ascension of the educated elite is a strategic consolidation of power that reshapes the foundation of opportunity. The currency of this new aristocracy is not just wealth–––it is also credentials. More and more employers are raising the bar for applicants, making years of work experience, master's degrees, and even PhDs no longer the esoteric pursuits of academics but the prerequisites for a mid-level job. This "credential inflation" or "degree inflation" creates a vicious cycle where employers demand more specialized degrees, giving those who can afford the absurd cost of access more of an advantage.
Unemployment Rates By Educational Attainment, 2022
However, beyond financial barriers is an invisible blockade built of social capital: legacy admissions, favoring applicants with family ties to the university, perpetuate a system where privilege begets privilege. Elite schools such as Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, University of Chicago, Stanford University, and the Ivy League all consider legacies at a much higher rate than that of other students. These connections provide a stepping stool to success, granting students access to internships, mentors, and networks often unreachable to outsiders. Furthermore, this opportunity gap extends into the job market, where technological advancements and globalization shift the skills required for success. Automation and Artificial Intelligence rapidly replace manual labor, leaving the working and lower classes vulnerable to job displacement. Meanwhile, with access to specialized training and cutting-edge technologies, the educated elite are prepared to face the influx of change.
Economic Implications Of Higher Education
While praised as a gateway to social mobility, higher education can paradoxically deepen the wound it claims to heal. Rising tuition costs, inflating student debt, and the increasing credentialization of well-paying jobs create a stratified obstacle course within the working class. Many Americans get stuck in a financial quagmire, struggling to reach their goals while bogged down with monetary troubles. The cost of college has skyrocketed, outpacing inflation and wages and recasting education from a public good to a commodity for the few. Such economic inequality disproportionately burdens low-income and minority students, piling a mountain of debt onto their shoulders and hindering their ability to accumulate wealth and contribute fully to the economy.
20-Year Average Tuition Growth Among National Universities, 2004-2024
The conventional narrative that touts college as the only purveyor of success overlooks alternative pathways to finding a promising career and funding a comfortable lifestyle. Vocational training programs and community colleges also offer valuable skills and credentials, usually at a fraction of the cost, and provide other viable avenues for upward mobility. Redefining the metrics of success that American society holds dear to matters beyond just income–––considering job satisfaction, skill development, and overall well-being–––can shift what people desire most out of their employment. Indeed, the education system needs reform to escape its tendency to reinforce existing disparities. Prioritizing funding for community colleges and vocational training, promoting debt-free pathways, and encouraging income-based repayment models can give lower-income student hopefuls a leg up in the race. Similarly, rethinking admissions criteria to focus on potential and skills rather than just standardized test scores can assist those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Cultural And Societal Perspectives
The education a person obtains has the power to sculpt their entire worldview and values. The vastly different perspectives of the educated elite and the working class have separated them just as much as the substance of their bank accounts. This divergence doesn't solely spring from income brackets; it is also about the underlying ideologies that universities weave into their curriculums. An unspoken code of conduct and a cultural capital, not simply academic prowess, dictates education's gatekeeping. Universities expose their students to specific discourses, artistic expressions, and social circles. Education fosters a distinct identity that affects political leanings, cultural tastes, and vocabulary. Elite universities, focusing on critical theory, global citizenship, and social justice, often nurture a more progressive outlook. At the same time, the working class, often raised on practical skills and traditional values, may gravitate towards more conservative stances.
Average Total Debt Of Graduates Who Took Out Loans, 2008-2022
These different ideologies lead to new, tangible changes in social networks, which now separate along lines of shared beliefs and values. The working class may attend community events and faith-based groups more often, while the educated elite engage in online discourse and specialized forums. Furthermore, cultural consumption also becomes a marker of separation. High-brow art galleries and esoteric publications cater to the educated elite, while the working class enjoys mainstream entertainment and local traditions. Cultural segregation, however, is not a harmless byproduct of education–––it reinforces the same divisions that it reflects. With their privileged access to knowledge and discourse, the elite view their values as universal. Unfortunately, this habit ignores the experiences and perspectives of the working class. This phenomenon further widens the schism between classes, sabotaging empathy and understanding between the two groups. Educational reforms should, instead, incorporate diverse perspectives and lived experiences, facilitating critical thinking without sacrificing cultural sensitivities.
Summary
Despite the "othering" that higher education encourages, there remains hope in recognizing the intricate relationship between education, socio-economic status, and societal divisions. First, funding for educational reform in the shape of vocational training and community colleges is necessary. Rethinking admissions criteria for all universities, including the elite, is also crucial. Second, empowering dialogue by stimulating cross-cultural discussions and shared spaces for interaction will be imperative. To spread the value of critical thinking among everybody, respecting multifarious perspectives, will bridge the ideological divide and build empathy between classes. Finally, of course, is advocating for new policies that address the financialization of education and leveling the playing field for all prospective students. The educated elite and the working class must work together, as individuals and communities, to remove the barriers reinforcing privilege and build a more inclusive higher education system.
