The United States is a country of vast differences in wealth. This considerable economic diversity can be both a positive and a negative aspect of college life. As a positive, you will be exposed to, and can learn from, students who present you with a wide range of economic differences. Assuming that you meet and become friends with students who are more or less affluent than you, you may have some special opportunities for growth, learning, sharing, and friendship that were not available in your secondary school or neighborhood. After all, college is one of the last melting pots left in the United States! On the other hand, you may feel distant from students whose financial circumstances are different from yours.

Try to avoid the natural tendency to segregate yourself into a group of people with similar economic means. We urge you to make the most of economic differences and seek them out. This experience is all part of going to college and learning how to live in a democracy that embraces all different backgrounds.

One of the best things about college is that it provides a level playing field: Everyone can excel, regardless of family background and wealth. All students can succeed if they practice the college success strategies taught in this text. What matters is what you do with the opportunities that college provides.

The bottom line is to not be distracted by an increased awareness of economic diversity. Try to avoid developing exaggerated feelings of superiority or inferiority. What matters now is not what you had or didn’t have before you came to college; what matters is what you do in college. You have more in common with other students than you think. Your individual efforts, aspirations, courage, determination, and ability to stay focused will enable you to transcend the boundaries of income and social class in the United States.