Cultivating Familiarity: Social Class and Help-Seeking in Academic Advising

Drawing on interview and observational data of college students and academic advisers at one research-intensive, public university, this article describes similarities and differences in how students from different social class backgrounds engage with academic advisers. Both middle-class and working-class students were comfortable seeking help to resolve immediate questions and concerns. Advisers’ efforts at establishing rapport and reaching out to students contributed to this parity. However, only middle-class students proactively cultivated their advisers’ familiarity to ensure their advisers would remember them and provide more personalized guidance in the future. Advisers viewed middle-class students who cultivated familiarity in a positive light. Cultivating familiarity also allowed middle-class students to have rich advising conversations despite having no pressing issues to address. This analysis introduces cultivating familiarity as a mechanism through which middle-class students may secure advantages, even in contexts where both middle- and working-class students feel comfortable seeking help.