The hidden power of peers: How school networks shape who gets into elite education
A new study in the American Economic Review shows that who you go to school with matters greatly for who enters elite university programmes such as law, civil engineering, medicine, and the top business programmes.
In “First-Generation Elite: The Role of School Social Networks”, Sarah Cattan, Kjell G. Salvanes, and Emma Tominey find that the social network you are exposed to in high school boosts the chances of enrolling in elite programmes.
Students from both high and low socio-economic backgrounds are affected; however, importantly, it increases the chances for those from low socio-economic backgrounds of attending elite fields, reshaping later-life income and contributing to improved socio-economic mobility.