The Determinants of Mismatch Between Students and Colleges (original) (raw)
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College Match and Undermatch: Examining Variation in and Consequences of College Choice
Research in Higher Education, 2018
Recently, multiple studies have focused on the phenomenon of " undermatching " —when students attend a college for which they are overqualified, as measured by test scores and grades. The extant literature suggests that students who undermatch fail to maximize their potential. However, gaps remain in our knowledge about how student preferences—such as a desire to attend college close to home—influence differential rates of undermatching. Moreover, previous research has not directly tested whether and to what extent students who undermatch experience more negative post-college outcomes than otherwise similar students who attend " match " colleges. Using ELS:2002, we find that student preferences for low-cost, nearby colleges, particularly among low-income students, are associated with higher rates of undermatching even among students who are qualified to attend a " very selective " institution. However, this relationship is weakened when students live within 50 miles of a match college, demonstrating that proximity matters. Our results show that attending a selective postsecondary institution does influence post-college employment and earnings, with less positive results for students who undermatch as compared with peers who do not. Our findings demonstrate the importance of non-academic factors in shaping college decisions and post-college outcomes, particularly for low-income students.
How robust is the evidence on the effects of college quality? Evidence from matching
Journal of Econometrics, 2004
We estimate the e ects of college quality using propensity score matching methods and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. Matching allows us to relax the linear functional form assumption implicit in regression-based estimates. We also examine the support problem by determining whether there are individuals attending low-quality colleges similar to those attending high-quality colleges, and ÿnd that the support condition holds only weakly. Thus, the linear functional form plays an important role in regression-based estimates (and matching estimates have large standard errors). Point estimates from regression and matching are similar for men but not women.
How robust is the evidence on the e ects of college quality? Evidence from matching
2004
We estimate the e ects of college quality using propensity score matching methods and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort. Matching allows us to relax the linear functional form assumption implicit in regression-based estimates. We also examine the support problem by determining whether there are individuals attending low-quality colleges similar to those attending high-quality colleges, and 4nd that
Mismatch and the Paternalistic Justification for Selective College Admissions
Sociology of Education, 2013
Although some scholars report that all students are better served by attending more prestigious postsecondary institutions, others have argued that students are better off attending colleges where they are about average in terms of academic ability and suffer worse outcomes if they attend schools that are “out of their league” at which they are “overmatched.” The latter argument is most frequently deployed as a paternalistic justification for ending affirmative action. We take advantage of a natural admissions experiment at the University of California to test the effect of being overmatched for students on the margin of admission to elite universities. Consistent with the mismatch hypothesis, we find that students accumulate more credits when they attend less demanding institutions. However, students do not earn higher grades and are no more or less likely to drop out of schools where they are overmatched and are less likely to drop out than they would have been had they attended l...
Understanding Differences in the Choice of College Attended
The Review of Higher Education, 2004
Two recent reports by the Institute for Higher Education Policy describe the increasing "economic stratification" of the nation's higher education system. In The Tuition Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together, the Institute (1999) ...
Match or Mismatch? Automatic Admissions and College Preferences of Low- and High-Income Students
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2018
Match or Mismatch? Automatic Admissions and College Preferences of Low-and High-Income Students * We examine the role of information in the college matching behavior of low-and high-income students, exploiting a state automatic admissions policy that provides some students with perfect a priori certainty of college admissions. We find that admissions certainty encourages college-ready low-income students to seek more rigorous universities. Low-income students who are less college-ready are not influenced by admissions certainty and are sensitive to college entrance exams scores. Most students also prefer campuses with students of similar race, income, and high school class rank, but only highly-qualified low-income students choose institutions where they have fewer same-race and same-income peers.
This article evaluates the "mismatch" hypothesis, advocated by opponents of affirmative action, which predicts lower graduation rates for minority students who attend selective postsecondary institutions than for those who attend colleges and universities where their academic credentials are better matched to the institutional average. Using two nationally representative longitudinal surveys and a unique survey of students who were enrolled at selective and highly selective institutions, the authors tested the mismatch hypothesis by implementing Sigal Alon, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel. Her main fields of interest are sociology of education, social stratification and mobility, and quantitative methods and statistics. Dr. Alon is currently studying the U.S. postsecondary education system to evaluate the impact of social policies on race and class disparities in the access, experiences, and performance of students at selective and nonselective institutions. She also developed a conceptual framework for examining the role of financial aid in facilitating the success of low-income students and students of color. University. Her main fields of interest include stratification of higher education, the sociology of employment and labor markets, and social policy. She is currently investigating the consequences of the Texas top 10 percent law on college admissions. Her recent publications include The Color of Opportunity (University of
Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 2018
Academic undermatching—students enrolling in colleges that are less academically selective than those for which they qualify—is a barrier hindering college degree attainment. Given the many reasons students undermatch, this phenomenon is likely to continue; yet, we know little about the characteristics that may be related to degree attainment for this population of students. Utilizing the ELS: 2002 national dataset, we developed an operationalization of undermatch and then applied this operationalization to the BPS: 04/09 national dataset ( N = 11,260). Using logistic regression methods, we identified institutional and student characteristics that are associated with degree attainment for undermatched students. Starting at a 4-year institution, completing at least precalculus, having at least one parent with a college education, being female, and being socially and academically integrated into the institution were positively associated with degree attainment. Our results emphasize t...