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ERIC Number: EJ918456
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 12
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0734-6670
EISSN: N/A
The Admission Industrial Complex: Examining the Entrepreneurial Impact on College Access
Liu, Amy
Journal of College Admission, n210 p8-19 Win 2011
The entrepreneurial admission sector is comprised of commercial enterprises aimed at helping students increase their odds of admission, as well as providing general college information to the masses. As for-profit entities, a goal of companies in this sector is to maximize revenue and profit. Existing research identifies four main activities as making up the entrepreneurial realm: (1) standardized test preparation (test prep) and tutoring; (2) private college counseling; (3) mass media informational resources; and (4) institutional enrollment marketing and management (McDonough, Ventresca and Outcalt 2000). The purpose of this article is to build on previous scholarship by highlighting some of the arguments for why this sector creates the potential to perpetuate the already unequal playing field of higher education participation. It then offers considerations for how three additional areas--student financial services, packaged and customized college tours, and essay coaching--contribute to the inequity. It also provides an account of the big business revenue of these myriad activities. In doing so, it adds to the discussion of how corporations capitalize on the perception of "defensive necessity," thereby escalating the commercial incursion on college access. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
National Association for College Admission Counseling. 1631 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-2818. Tel: 800-822-6285; Tel: 703-836-2222; Fax: 703-836-8015; e-mail: info@nacac.com; Web site: http://www.nacacnet.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A