Achievement rank affects performance and major choices in college

Arbeitspapier

This paper studies how a student's ordinal achievement rank affects performance and specialization choices in university. We exploit data from a setting where students are randomly assigned to teaching sections and find that students with a higher rank in their section achieve higher grades, become more likely to graduate, and are more likely to choose related follow-up courses and majors. These effects are stronger for men who, in contrast to women, respond to a higher rank with an increase in their study effort. Our results highlight that social comparisons with peers can have lasting effects on students' careers.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Working Paper ; No. 300

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Analysis of Education ; Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
• Subject: Rank ; social comparisons ; higher education ; peer effects

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Elsner, Benjamin ; Isphording, Ingo Eduard ; Zölitz, Ulf
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Zurich, Department of Economics
• (where): Zurich
• (when): 2018

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.5167/uzh-156880
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/192909
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET