“Polished provides an essential road map for how colleges can change the lives of first-generation students. Drawing on the compelling narratives of college students who have undergone what she calls a ‘polishing’ process, Osborne calls on institutions of higher learning to enable and support the extensive and profound identity work experienced by upwardly mobile students. Polished is a must-read for those concerned with social mobility and the emotional, social, and economic well-being of first-generation college students.” 

C.J. Pascoe, University of Oregon

“Meticulously researched and carefully argued. In Polished, Osborne deftly reveals the emotional and psychic complexity of educational social mobility in America. She also offers clear-eyed and tractable ways for schools and their personnel to assist students in navigating the positive life changes a college education can bring.”

Mitchell Stevens, Stanford University

"Sociologist Osborne argues in her eye-opening debut study that programs at selective colleges meant to teach students from working-class backgrounds how to network, dress professionally, and otherwise acquire the social capital required to succeed in an elite environment, rather than helping students adjust to campus life, instead supercharge conflict with their families and friends back home.... It’s a searching inquiry into how elite colleges are failing their working-class students."

Publishers Weekly

"A nuanced exploration of identity, culture, and the emotional impact of social mobility and college education. Will appeal to fans of Anthony Abraham Jack’s The Privileged Poor and readers interested in post-secondary student success strategies."

 

Library Journal