WINTER 2012 - National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and ...

David Schultz
Another example is my experience in applying to PhD programs the second
time around. This is after leaving graduate school, working in government
and for a community action agency, and in getting a second master’s degree. I
thought about applying to some private schools and Ivys to complete my work;
but when I spoke to admissions officials in those schools, they said it was difficult
to get admitted to a PhD program since I already had master’s degrees elsewhere,
and the pool of slots available for transfers like me was quite limited. I also asked
if my work experiences in government and politics would make a difference (in
applying to a PhD program in political science or government), and was told no.
How ironic. I was at a competitive disadvantage in applying to a PhD program
in political science because I already had master’s degrees in political science and
philosophy and had worked in government for a few years. Maybe the policies of
these schools made sense, but they discriminated against people like me who had
to interrupt school to work.
Aside from the class hierarchy among schools, there is stratification among
those who work and attend colleges and universities. I am first-generation
college and first-generation college professor. I am the exception. Kniffin (2007)
reports that first-generation college students with blue-collar backgrounds are
more likely to face problems of cultural conflict and dissonance, and should
they graduate, some leave with a sense of survivor guilt. In contrasting firstgeneration
students to those whose parents are college graduates, he found that
1% of the former but 4% of the latter pursue a doctorate (Kniffin, p. 56). When
they do pursue the degree, they generally come from backgrounds that include
community college and state institutions. Moreover, once they receive their
doctorate, they face a class ceiling. According to Kosut (2006, p. 247):
Much like the glass ceiling limits women from rising to upper-level
positions in the labor force, a class ceiling exists within the upper levels
of the academy impeding less privileged colleagues from achieving the
same levels of success as their more privileged colleagues. The class
ceiling is supported by everyday practices.
Moreover, one would think that in the last two generations the percentage
of first-generation doctorates would have increased. While no research has
specifically cataloged the actual percentage, there is evidence that it is declining.
According to Kniffin (2007, p. 60):
Across time, the percentage of first-generation college graduates who
earn the PhD has decreased significantly. Going back to 1977, 60
percent of doctorates were awarded to first-generation graduates
and that percentage has steadily fallen through at least 2002. While
“the decline is at least in part due to the general increase in college
78 Journal of Public Affairs Education