It is not by chance that Dr. Mitchell L. Stevens, the author of Creating a Class: College Admissions and the Education of the Elites (Harvard University Press, 2007), appropriately chooses the word “class” in his book titles. As it appears, this heteronym is a contentious issue upon examination. The issue of class, as defined by recruiting a co-hort of students, and as defined by socioeconomic class, is given particular emphasis in this book. Specifically, Stevens writes about admissions into elite institutions of higher education and examines the history of how privileged institutions became desirable for the elite and how over time previously disenfranchised groups are being admitted in greater numbers than ever before. 

Other issues explored include which high schools these colleges recruit from, the vital role athletics play in creating a class, the divisive issue of race in admissions despite understanding the importance of diversity, and finally how a class is yielded. It is through the lens of an elite education that these various issues are explored.

Stevens, a New York University sociology professor, literally immerses himself in his study by spending a year in the admissions office of a private liberal arts college in the Northeast. His role as a researcher was always made clear to all parties he encountered while working at the college. This position proved most beneficial as Stevens was able to play an active role in learning firsthand about the dual meanings of “recruiting a class.” Most of his critical findings came from his inclusion in staff meetings with the director of admissions, as well as in conversations with all admissions staff, student applicants, parents, and high school counselors.  

This ethnographic exploration of the admissions process at a highly selective liberal arts college is geared toward the “general reader,” according to Stevens. Missing from this study is national quantitative data from several select private colleges that would have helped to solidify his findings, rather than just provide qualitative findings based on one college. Despite this missing data, Stevens provides critical reflection on the need for diversity in a recruited class, saying that a diverse class contributes many ways to an elite institution, including making it more attractive to others.