11/07/2025
DID YOU KNOW? Relationships, a form of what sociologists call social capital, matter a great deal. A growing body of research illuminates the importance of personal connections and networks, which are especially crucial for marginalized students, enabling those without financial resources and college know-how to benefit from people who have both.
One recent study found that the components of grit did not predict first-generation students’ GPAs, though access to social capital with faculty and staff did. Another study traced the importance of existing and informal relationships among first-generation students seeking information and campus resources they needed to persist. Yes, how hard you try in college is important, but so, too, is who you know. (Read the compeling story supporting these findings at https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-redemption-of-frederick-shegog?
What a six-time dropout learned about getting through college.