Since the beginning of the education system, there has been an invisible barrier that separates people based on their social class and social status. Without even realizing it, students may have learned a specific way to engage in a career path defined by someone else. This is how a person's social class and status plays a role in education. A person's economic background can determine their educational path from the start. The social class you belong to can determine where you live and where you go to school. Usually, these schools are filled with people with similar backgrounds, automatically putting a label on the school, making it easier for those of higher rank to determine and influence your future. There is a huge gap in this system, which hides opportunities only from those who have the wealth and connections to obtain them. The education gap doesn't just start when you start school, but goes back even further, to when your parents were enrolled. Richard Rothstein states: “The achievement gap between poor and middle-class children and black and white children is widely recognized as our most significant educational challenge” (Richard Rothstein 2004, p. 17). Students believe they are alone in charting the course of their future, but they are misguided and blinded by the idea that they have equal opportunities as those who attend a more prestigious school or those whose family graduated university. This doesn't mean it's impossible, but rather that you need to do a lot more to be on par with someone who did the exact same thing as you, but went to a more recognized school. Not only does your social class determine your education, but also who you tend to be friends with. Roths...... middle of paper ... uh because they have to decide if they want to continue working and earning money, or stay in school. For many low-income students, the feeling of finally making money means much more to them than investing more years into an education they have no idea where it will take them. The idea that your social status has no effect on your education or your future is a misconception that many people tend to believe. Many believe that everyone has an equal chance of succeeding from where they started, but those who actually believe this tend to be those who have never had difficulty paying for their courses, or who have never worried about having to take a semester off to study. earn enough money to pay for my studies. Although financial aid has helped ease the tuition burden for many, the situation remains extremely stressful for less privileged students..