The American Dream: Going To College As A Social Norm

Today, society is very connected in the sense where one problem may seem like a personal issue, but in reality, it affects a lot more and it is influenced by the norms and rules that society has set. To become aware of the connection between the individual and society one must observe the problem from an outsider perspective to avoid forming basis opinions. This is called the sociological imagination.
Going to college is often influenced by others and society as a normal thing to do after leaving high school. A social norm that is usually connected to the idea of college is “The American dream”. The American dream is a goal that is held by many Americans and immigrants with hard work and determination they can become successful and move

A major group that influences one's choice is family. The family is where a child learns all of the social norms values, and morals in society. The parents of the child can influence them to attend college, for the reason of keeping up with the societal norms. Or they can be from families with each generation having attended college and earning a degree.The parents have the best intentions for the child but the child is put under stress to perform to the parents expectations and disregarding their own desires. This causes a role strain were the individual has to manage the expectations of their family and their own self. Another group that affects the choice of attending college is the peer groups because in these groups teenagers spend most of their time together with them and bond over similar things. At some point in a teenagers life their peer groups becomes more important over family. There image of self gets influenced by the members and it effects

The education system teaches the children from a young age to be law abiding citizens that follow the rules. Their goal is to educate each student within the institution but there is inequality in the school districts. There is a correlation between school district and income. Ann Owens Sean F. Reardon, Christopher Jencks says that “ In 2007, nearly 75% of public school students attended their neighborhood school (Grady & Bielick, 2010).” When applying to school the child usually goes to there zoned school unless there is a serious issue with the arrangement. If the parent wants to move their child to a different zone it is difficult because paperwork and proof of address. Some of the zoned schools that are in poor neighbors, holds a lot of crime and violence. This can leak out into the environment of the school and influence the behavior of the children. The reason for parents or guardians living in those zoned areas can be due to multiple reasons such as not being able to get a job or because they lack the knowledge on certain residential areas. Since some of the schools are segregated by income there may be some disparities in the school's resources and in turn, lead to a gap in achievement and attainment within schools. It is usually these schools that do not support the child good enough and leaves them feeling underprepared or unsure whether to attend or not. Some may be discouraged from