ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the complexities of social class and higher education choices in order to comment on the very real class based university challenge. It considers the ways in which choices are informed by both the institutional and the family habitus and the characteristics and typologies developed for the schools. The more 'market-aware' schools have a vested interest in ensuring that their pupils transfer to high status institutions. 'Elite' school practice ensures that university destinations are used as a marketing strategy to attract fiiture 'clients' and ensure cultural reproduction. There is a need for measures to be introduced which ensure much greater equality of opportunity of access to information relating to higher education and the graduate labour market. In line with government 'commitment' to a policy of 'life long learning', citizenship and social justice there is a need for initiatives to encourage full engagement with market choices across the spectrum of class, gender and race.
