Why a university degree is so much more than just a degree

What drives students’ choices of university?

As college counsellors, we hope that it is careful deliberation of myriad factors, ranging from the location to the educational quality and the opportunities they offer, resulting in a perfect fit. Perhaps this can be considered as the crowning jewel in the skills of our trade. We certainly talk about it often enough – with students, with parents, with university representatives, with each other.

Counsellors shy far away from including rankings in this equation, naturally wary of how they flatten so many fantastic institutions into a number. Then why is it that rankings seem to trump other factors so often for our students and parents?

A possible reason for this can be found by asking ourselves: what is the purpose of university education? Students and parents may zero in on the transactional rewards of a degree, while counsellors and university representatives highlight the transformational benefits of education.

However, another explanation can be found in sociology – and particularly by referring to some of the key ideas of Pierre Bourdieu.

University: an exercise in capitalism?

How does a 20th-century French sociologist help us to understand the decisions of our students and parents?

In short, when we apply his ideas about “capital” to college counselling, we can more clearly see the deeper underlying motivation of our students and parents to go to university. The motivation is to build capital, which they hope will set them up for future success.

But what exactly is capital, what does it have to do with a university degree, and why is that allure so powerful? Let’s take a closer look at Bourdieu’s ideas.

Bourdieu’s theory of capital

According to Bourdieu, capital is “accumulated labour”, or a “set of actually usable resources and powers”.

What is that in concrete terms? Looking at the three types of capital can help us visualise it more clearly.

The three types of capital, according to Bourdieu, are: economic, cultural and social capital.

Economic capital refers to financial resources – think money and property.

Social capital is your network and relationships with others.

Cultural capital is knowledge, educational qualifications and skills – non-financial assets that can contribute to a person’s social mobility.

Bourdieu elaborates on cultural capital, as it can be further broken down into embodied, objectified and institutionalised cultural capital. Look for how a university degree fits in here.

Embodied cultural capital is the knowledge, skills and tastes that you acquire from your social environment and education. Examples range from language proficiencies (for example, knowing French or Cantonese, or being able to speak in received pronunciation), social etiquettes (such as knowing how to hold a wine glass or use chopsticks), or preference (for example, liking classical music). You may notice how this is related to class differences.

Objectified cultural capital refers to physical objects that can be owned. Books, works of art, historical artefacts and even musical instruments belong in this category.

And, finally, institutionalised cultural capital is a recognition through formal qualifications, credentials and achievements – such as a university degree.

Following this logic, students and parents are trying to build institutionalised cultural capital through the attainment of a university degree. But isn’t this just one subtype of a type of capital, so why the fixation?

It is because a form of capital can be converted to other forms of capital. Graduating from a prestigious institution doesn’t only confer the degree itself (institutionalised cultural capital) but also holds potential to be translated into all other forms of capital – money, network, knowledge, skills – that could result in social mobility.

Conversion of capital: why a university degree is so much more than just a degree

How can a university degree be converted into other types of capital?

University degree (institutionalised cultural capital) to money (economic capital)

Depending on the region of the world, degrees from prestigious universities may be regarded with more trust by employers, so high-paying positions or internships may be easier to come by. It’s important to examine the differences across countries.

Let’s look at two concrete examples where rankings do matter.

In China, a household registration, or “hukou”, from a tier-one city such as Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen opens doors to numerous benefits, such as extensive social-welfare services, better education, healthcare facilities and even the right to purchase property. In 2022, Shanghai opened up its hukou to students who graduated from top-50 ranked universities around the world.

In the UK, the “high-potential individual” visa route allows graduates from top-50 non-UK universities (ranked by Times Higher Education, QS, ARWU) to come to the UK without a prior job offer to kick-start their career.

University degree (institutionalised cultural capital) to networks and relationships (social capital)

It is not a surprise or a secret that admissions to highly ranked universities correlate with the family’s socio-economic status. Attending such universities, you will likely rub shoulders with offspring of wealthy and powerful families in the classroom, dormitories and dining halls. After graduating, you will be a part of an immense alumni network.

Both the immediate friendships from university and being part of a network spanning countries and generations bound by a common academic origin is social capital. It is understandable why this allure is difficult to ignore for high school students and parents.

In South Korea, there is even a word for this – “hag-yeon”, meaning the relationship formed through shared academic background.

University education (institutionalised cultural capital) to refined knowledge, skills and tastes (embodied cultural capital)

A hallmark of class is the type of knowledge, skills and tastes that one possesses – the way of life naturally lived out by certain classes (for example, knowing fine dining, being able to pronounce words in a certain way, having travelled extensively as a child). If a family is aiming for social mobility, one can acquire the financial resources (economic capital), but may struggle to acquire these types of non-financial assets, which are developed over time as part of one’s upbringing.

The concept of “nouveau riche” or examples of Chinese families building wealth but not yet displaying the expected ways of life taps on this particular conversion of capital. For the parent who wants to advance to the next class, sending their children to a highly regarded university may feel like a ready solution, as students may be able to naturally pick up “refined tastes and knowledge” that are not available in their home environment.

Conversion of capital for students and parents

Bourdieu observed that social and cultural capital can be seen as “disguised forms of economic capital”. Given all this possibility of conversion of one capital to another, and given the huge sums of money (economic capital) that parents are already investing to send their children to international schools, their motivation for pursuing highly ranked universities makes more sense.

Ranking is a quantitative marker that converts the cultural capital they are pursuing into understandable concrete terms. It also has real-world repercussions in certain countries, as we saw before. This seems to guarantee that the higher the cultural capital (assumed through rankings), the greater the corresponding benefits afterwards, in the form of wealth and social standing.

So what do we do with this as college counsellors?

Considering capital in college counselling

Acknowledge the human condition

Humans of our age in general like to accrue capital. This may not be acknowledged or discussed so openly among educators and counsellors, given our more altruistic motives and career field – education is not a field that’s commonly associated with capital.

However, we do all need some capital to function in a capitalist society, and the students and parents we work with will likely seek it openly and aggressively. Ignoring this would be naive.

Recognise the differences between our goals and contexts and our clients’ goals and contexts

Many families we work with either want to maintain or gain more capital and attain social mobility (their goal). This is precisely the reason why families invest a large amount of money into paying the tuition for the international school that you likely work at (their context).

Given this goal and context, it makes sense why they would pursue rankings, as it’s the most concrete form of cultural capital they feel they can attain.

We, as college counsellors, most likely do not share their goals (accrue as much capital as possible) or contexts (invest a huge sum of money for school tuition). If we provide guidance with our own values, goals and context in mind, it may not translate as logically to our clientele.

Learn more about perceptions about career and university degrees in the country and culture we work in

As mentioned before, there are differences between how capital is used in different parts of the globe. Learning about how capital is perceived in your local region is a vital responsibility for a college and careers counsellor, especially when many of your students may be returning to their home country to work. Reflect on how capital is shaped in the country where you grew up, and how that impacts on your philosophy about capital. How is that affecting your practice now?

Critically analyse the conclusions our parents and students often jump to

Present counternarratives. Yes, conversion from a university degree to other kinds of capital is common and present. But there are plenty of cases where individuals were able to attain this without a prestigious university degree.

Heading to a highly ranked university without financial aid may put an undue amount of burden on the family, which may not necessarily provide the most effective return on investment after graduation, no matter what the parents expect. By demonstrating these nuances and numbers, we are helping students and parents reach their goals – if not necessarily in the way they expect.

Create an awareness that life is not all about building capital

We can also broaden the horizons of life beyond merely building capital. Psychological research and anecdotes reveal that a life that involves a pursuit of positive social relationships, purpose and meaning results in positive outcomes, such as well-being.

Our parents and students may not be used to hearing this if this is not the dominant message in their sociocultural spheres. Weaving alternative messages into our meetings, conversations and workshops may be necessary to abate the fixation on a single narrative of success.

Meet the needs of our students

In our one-to-one meetings, I always ask my Year 11 and Year 12 students: where do you want to live and work after completing your university degree? My guidance will depend on that answer.

If they’re returning to countries where a THE top-100 degree will actually convert effectively into capital, I brainstorm application strategies with them accordingly. If they plan to move to countries where this matters decidedly less, I can show my truer feelings about rankings and present other narratives of success. If we want to be effective student-centred counsellors, we need to meet students where they are at.

Insert a form of reflection of capital into our calculation of fit

Regardless of one’s upbringing or goals, capital is undeniably an important element in planning for the future. So far, it has not been included explicitly in the conversation about fit, where we prioritise other variables that may seem more important to us as counsellors. However, to be truly student-centered counsellors, we should reflect on and incorporate the concept of capital into our conversations and practise actively – to guide and support our students’ success in a capitalist world.