Read Goldrick-Rab, “City of Broken Dreams” (210-) questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 at pages 231-232.
What challenges does the Milwaukee area create for students, according to Goldrick-Rab? How does the city or town your college is located in compare economically, socially, and demographically with Milwaukee? Why might areas like Milwaukee have a special need for the benefits of higher education?
Which of the three students Goldrick-Rab describes faces the most significant obstacles, in your opinion? Why? What could Alicia and Anne have done differently to reach their educational goals?
How does your own economic situation compare with those of Alicia, José, and Anne? How much do you have to pay to cover tuition, books, and other related living expenses once you have deducted all the scholarships, grants, and loans you receive? How do you make up the difference? Write a journal entry about how the cost of your college education affects you.
What, according to Goldrick-Rab, is "the Milwaukee price" (p. 221)? Is Goldrick- Rab suggesting that the Wisconsin system of higher education is intention- ally discriminatory, and if so, would you agree?
Given the outcomes of the three students Goldrick-Rab profiles in this selection and the data that she offers on college completion rates and student debt, what advice would you give a low-income high school senior trying to decide whether or not she should go to college? Why?
