"Holland presents a nuanced description of the divergent paths to college that high schools craft for different students. Instead of token efforts, this book provides an insightful analysis of ways to create real college opportunity for students."
— James Rosenbaum, co-author of Bridging the Gaps: College Pathways to Career Success
"Holland takes us inside two different American high schools to offer a deeply nuanced look at how the focus of scholars and policymakers on individual choice has limited our understanding of how young people negotiate their transitions to higher education. She very skillfully elicits from students the ways that larger social structures and processes work to the benefit of some students while holding others back. The study is well-designed, Holland’s interpretations of her data even-handed and persuasive, and Divergent Paths to College is highly and refreshingly readable."
— David Bills, author of The Sociology of Education and Work
"In lively, clear, and well-written prose, Holland compellingly argues that students at two high performing, ethnoracially diverse high schools receive varied access to college information. Divergent Paths to College adds a much needed look at the institutional dynamics that affect the cumulative decisions that high schoolers make about whether, where, and when to apply to college."
— Lisa M. Nunn, author of Defining Student Success: The Role of School and Culture