From “Cliques” to “Common Ground”: Social Class, Layered Belonging, and Characteristics of Symbolic Boundaries in the Transition From Public High Schools to a Public University

Using ongoing interviews and focus groups, this longitudinal study examines perceptions of eight students entering a state-serving, public university about the role of social class in identifying symbolic boundaries in different layers of the environment (e.g., from small group to school-wide) in the transition from high school to college. Findings reveal that while diverse students from different, public high schools perceived boundaries in high school that fostered bonding capital, in their transition to higher education, they perceived a difference in the (a) permeability, (b) content, and (c) salience of symbolic boundaries in a public institution, which fostered bridging social capital and an environment conducive to cross-class interaction. In addition, classed microsystem boundaries in high school seemed to cloud mesosystem boundaries, leading to perceptions of lower sense of belonging in high school as a whole. Findings provide insight into ways institutions may work to promote interaction across class diversity and student belonging on campus by adapting classed boundaries within environments.