Degrees of Risk

"While some see college as an insulated bubble free from real world risks or problems, for many, it is a high risk, high rewards gamble in which the rules are unknown. In this project, sociologist Blake Silver sets out to show us what this uncertainty means in the lives of students today. Silver interviewed more than 100 college students at a large and diverse public institution that prioritized choice and flexibility over structured guidance. As a result, students described anxieties around choosing and changing majors, selecting and failing courses, finding and losing funding. Risks, too, characterized decisions made in the absence of support, such as whether to transfer institutions, take online classes, or what to do if an internship didn't come through. Amid this pervasive culture of risk and uncertainty, organizational arrangements affected students from different backgrounds in uneven ways. Students' orientations toward insecurity weren't guided by personality or preferences: They were dictated by the ways personal and family resources came together with university resources. While privileged students with external resources described positive experiences charting their own path through college, students with fewer resources were faced with a decision between playing it safe and attempting to make the most of college with little to orient or support them. He observed that some students' aversion to risk constrained their access to opportunities. And he witnessed the anxieties of those who attempted to maximize the opportunities available to them, spreading themselves thin without any assurance their efforts would pay off. Collectively, these stories help us understand social and cultural assets in educational settings in new ways. When insecurity is woven into policies that promote flexibility and choice over structured guidance, college advantages those who are most comfortable with risk-taking and exploration, while disadvantaging those for whom insecurity poses a more immediate danger. Silver closes by identifying promising policies and practices that can mitigate uncertainty and instability in higher education"--