Balancing Dreams and Realities: The College Choice Process for High-Achieving Latinas

Abstract

This study’s narratives of 17 high-achieving Latinas revealed how their college choice was a constant balancing of individual and family expectations, being “close, but far enough away,” and “getting your money’s worth.” With the use of critical race theory, further analysis revealed the influence of familismo on the college choice process as well as a financial ceiling that kept the most elite institutions out of reach.