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Article Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the college search process by accelerating digital resource adoption. This case study, framed by a Social Worlds theoretical lens, analyzes data from 28,468 respondents to a Fall 2024 Common Application question at a highly selective university, with 22 percent identifying as first-generation applicants, to understand resource use. Findings reveal that first-generation students use fewer resources overall and rely more on unpaid services, while continuing-generation peers benefit from family support and paid services. Significant disparities in resource access highlight the impact of socioeconomic and familial factors. The study recommends expanding free resources and institutional support to improve equity in college admissions.

Author(s)

Mark E. Butt, Ed.D., is the Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of
Admission at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and has spent nearly 20
years in the field of selective college admissions. Butt was a former
admissions officer at Johns Hopkins University and holds degrees from the
University of Delaware, the University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate from
the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

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