This book investigates the structural and social factors that influence student success and institutional outcomes within the American higher education system. Steven G. Brint, a professor of sociology and public policy, utilizes extensive institutional data and sociological theory to examine how colleges shape the life chances of their students. The work argues that the organizational characteristics of universities, rather than just individual student effort, play a decisive role in academic and career trajectories.

Experts in the field of sociology of education recognize this work as a rigorous examination of institutional influence on social mobility. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and policy analysts rather than a general audience.