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  • Essay / What is sticker price? - 1049

    Subsequent research on college choice extends and refines the foundational analyzes of classic courses like Heller and McDonough by examining other aspects of student choice. Mitchell Stevens (2007) studied how colleges sell their school to applicants by emphasizing its positive traits and appealing to emotions to show students how they “fit in” on their campus. Lois Weis (in press) has studied how students compete for honors in order to maintain, or even improve, their class. As the pool of qualified students grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to raise the bar for finding the “best” student. Students must go beyond traditional means to present themselves as attractive to colleges. Andrew Belasco and Michael Trivette (2013) examine the concept of an undermatch. Undermatch is the concept that a student could have attended a higher quality university, but chose not to due to price, location, or eligibility. Some students may have chosen not to apply to the institution, or the institution may have chosen not to accept the student (Belasco and Trivette,