Douglas S. Massey is Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Camille Z. Charles is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Garvey F. Lundy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida. Mary J. Fischer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.

"This is scholarship of the first order, a study that will influence thinking about our society for the next generation."--Jay Mathews, Washington Monthly "This is a beautifully written book. Each word is so carefully chosen and the style so limpid that the text is a pleasure to read... In short, this is a book that should be bought and read by every serious student of education."--Terence Kealey, The Times Higher Education Supplement "This is a very valuable contribution to the sociological study of access to American higher education by ethnic minorities. It also contains useful information for campus personnel and academic staff... [T]his is how social science should be written... This book is highly relevant to those academic staff concerned with meaningful access for all to higher education."--Gerald Postiglione, Educational Review

• LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi CHAPTER ONE: The Puzzle of Minority Underachievement 1 CHAPTER TWO: Sample and Methodology 20 CHAPTER THREE: Family Origins 46 CHAPTER FOUR: Neighborhood Background 70 CHAPTER FIVE: Prior Educational Experiences 87 CHAPTER SIX: The Social World of High School 109 CHAPTER SEVEN: Racial Identity and Attitudes 133 CHAPTER EIGHT: Pathways to Preparation 155 CHAPTER NINE: Sink or Swim: The First Semester 184 CHAPTER TEN: Lessons Learned 197 Appendix A.Survey of College Life and Experience: First-Wave Instrument 209 Appendix B.Construction of Social Scales 251 REFERENCES 269 INDEX 279

Douglas S. Massey is Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Camille Z. Charles is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Garvey F. Lundy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida. Mary J. Fischer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.

"This is scholarship of the first order, a study that will influence thinking about our society for the next generation."--Jay Mathews, Washington Monthly "This is a beautifully written book. Each word is so carefully chosen and the style so limpid that the text is a pleasure to read... In short, this is a book that should be bought and read by every serious student of education."--Terence Kealey, The Times Higher Education Supplement "This is a very valuable contribution to the sociological study of access to American higher education by ethnic minorities. It also contains useful information for campus personnel and academic staff... [T]his is how social science should be written... This book is highly relevant to those academic staff concerned with meaningful access for all to higher education."--Gerald Postiglione, Educational Review

• LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi CHAPTER ONE: The Puzzle of Minority Underachievement 1 CHAPTER TWO: Sample and Methodology 20 CHAPTER THREE: Family Origins 46 CHAPTER FOUR: Neighborhood Background 70 CHAPTER FIVE: Prior Educational Experiences 87 CHAPTER SIX: The Social World of High School 109 CHAPTER SEVEN: Racial Identity and Attitudes 133 CHAPTER EIGHT: Pathways to Preparation 155 CHAPTER NINE: Sink or Swim: The First Semester 184 CHAPTER TEN: Lessons Learned 197 Appendix A.Survey of College Life and Experience: First-Wave Instrument 209 Appendix B.Construction of Social Scales 251 REFERENCES 269 INDEX 279

Douglas S. Massey is Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University. Camille Z. Charles is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Garvey F. Lundy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida. Mary J. Fischer is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut.

"This is scholarship of the first order, a study that will influence thinking about our society for the next generation."--Jay Mathews, Washington Monthly "This is a beautifully written book. Each word is so carefully chosen and the style so limpid that the text is a pleasure to read... In short, this is a book that should be bought and read by every serious student of education."--Terence Kealey, The Times Higher Education Supplement "This is a very valuable contribution to the sociological study of access to American higher education by ethnic minorities. It also contains useful information for campus personnel and academic staff... [T]his is how social science should be written... This book is highly relevant to those academic staff concerned with meaningful access for all to higher education."--Gerald Postiglione, Educational Review

• LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi CHAPTER ONE: The Puzzle of Minority Underachievement 1 CHAPTER TWO: Sample and Methodology 20 CHAPTER THREE: Family Origins 46 CHAPTER FOUR: Neighborhood Background 70 CHAPTER FIVE: Prior Educational Experiences 87 CHAPTER SIX: The Social World of High School 109 CHAPTER SEVEN: Racial Identity and Attitudes 133 CHAPTER EIGHT: Pathways to Preparation 155 CHAPTER NINE: Sink or Swim: The First Semester 184 CHAPTER TEN: Lessons Learned 197 Appendix A.Survey of College Life and Experience: First-Wave Instrument 209 Appendix B.Construction of Social Scales 251 REFERENCES 269 INDEX 279