Oh, What Can you do with That? Assessing the Influence of Undergraduate Culture on Major and Career Choice at Emory University Open Access
Haugan, Abby (Spring 2022)
Abstract
This study examines how undergraduate culture at Emory University influences choice of major and career path amongst undergraduate students majoring in the liberal arts. I use theory based on previous research of career funneling, status hierarchies, and decision-making processes, moving to the empirical data that supports these theories and provides evidence for possible patterns. I conducted 18 in depth interviews with Emory University undergraduate liberal arts majors regarding their thoughts, feelings, and opinions on the culture at Emory. The findings indicate that there is an overall culture of collaboration with some underlying competition, stress, and preprofessionalism. Additionally, the findings suggest a status hierarchy among majors and careers that manifests in ways such as peer comparisons, stress and anxiety. There is evidence to suggest that first generation status creates differences in the ways the culture is experienced. Although this study only assesses liberal arts majors, my findings add to previous research by helping to better understand why students understand certain majors as prestigious and how college to career culture can be unique to its university.
Table of Contents
Introduction …..............................................................................................................................1
Theoretical Framework...............................................................................................................2
Undergraduate Culture and Work Values..........................................................................2
Status Hierarchies...............................................................................................................3
Decision Making Processes................................................................................................3
Empirical Work ...........................................................................................................................6
Career Funneling................................................................................................................6
Differences Between First Generation and Non-First Generation.....................................9
Conceptualization and Research Questions.............................................................................11
College to Career Culture................................................................................................12
Status Beliefs.....................................................................................................................12
First Generation Versus Non-First Generation................................................................12
Methods........................................................................................................................................13
Research Design...............................................................................................................13
Operationalization............................................................................................................14
Sample...............................................................................................................................15
Recruitment (and Participant Issues) ..............................................................................15
Data collection..................................................................................................................16
Data Analysis....................................................................................................................16
Findings........................................................................................................................................18
General Undergraduate Culture……………………………………………...…………18
Competitive or Collaborative?..............................................................................18
Stressful/demanding/hard work…………………………………...……….……19
Preprofessional…………………………………………………...……………..20
Status Hierarchy of Majors/Careers ……………..…………………...………….21
Certain majors Are More Prestigious………………………………………..…………21
Prestige of Medicine/STEM…………………………………………...………...22
Prestige of Money…………………………………………………...…………..24
Prestige of Certainty..………………………………………………...................24
Prestige of Difficulty………………………………………………………..…...25
Effect of Status Hierarchy…………………………………………………………..…...25
Peer Comparisons……………………………………………………………….26
Stress and Anxiety/Fear of the Future…………………………………...……...28
Other Differences Between First Generation and Non-First Generation…….……...…29
Helping…………………………………..……………………………………...29
Enjoy…………………...……………………………………………………..…29
Implications and Discussion.......................................................................................................30
References....................................................................................................................................34
Appendices....................................................................................................................................40
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