When comparing the outcome of students born to low socioeconomic backgrounds to those born to privilege, researchers have learned a great deal about supposed and relative advantages. Notably, multicultural students born to parents without degrees have as much of a fighting chance as white students who come from households with college educated parents.

According to recent findings offered in the Gallup-Purdue Index, minority, first-generation college graduates and white students from households with college-educated parents are "just as likely" to thrive in all aspects of well-being (social well-being, purpose well-being, financial well-being, community well-being and physical well-being). This is surprising because the popular opinion is that students born to parents with private education and wealth are far more likely to flourish and have improved access to the American Dream.

The representative study evaluated nearly 30,000 college graduates, inquiring about household income, profession and several other aspects of their life to determine whether graduates were achieving their American Dream of a "great job" and a "great life." Gallup measured and analyzed data to uncover the likelihood of having a "great life" after college based on an individual's background and parental education levels.

According to the research, while it's true that those born to privilege are in a better position to access many benefits in life, privilege doesn't determine advantage. Instead, privilege could yield short term benefits, but ultimately fail to instill grit, hope and resilience, which are decided requirements for those without privilege to succeed, particularly without connections or a leg up. So, is privilege more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to achieving success in adulthood?

The report states that what's more of a determining factor than socioeconomics, minority status or first-generation college student status is the opportunities students take advantage of in college.

Seizing opportunities, such as internships, long-term projects, mentor relationships and jobs with applied-learning, proves that students value their college experience, and dedicated students are regularly rewarded with a path that's aimed at success. However, getting to that path is made difficult for many low-income, non-white students who face historical disparities, blockades and achievement gaps, which dramatically limits the number of would-be first-general minority students accessing the road toward success. Eventually, this translates to limited diversity when it comes to Ivy Leagues, STEM jobs and other areas that are swelled with white students or those from better socioeconomic circumstances.

The report ensures that the greatest determinate for long-term outcomes for college graduates involves connections with professors who care deeply about students and are exciting educators. Also, involvement with extracurricular activities and organizations and deep educational experiences are vital for well-being. The numbers show that there's no difference in employee engagement by race or ethnicity, or by whether the graduate had been the first in the family to attend college; and there's no distinction between graduates of public versus private college on well-being.

Higher well-being is related to graduates' experiences. According to the report, if employed graduates feel their college prepared them well for life outside of college, the odds that they are engaged at work increase nearly three times. Also, if an employed graduate had a professor who cared about them as a person, one who made them excited about learning or had a mentor who encouraged them to pursue their dreams, the graduate's odds of being engaged at work more than doubled. Additionally, graduates who felt "supported" during college are nearly three times more likely to thrive than those who didn't feel supported.

In regards to finance, the higher the amount of school loans that graduates took out for their undergraduate education, the worse off their well-being is. Fourteen percent of graduates who did not take out any loans are thriving in their well-being, compared with 4 percent of graduates with $20,000 to $40,000 in loans..

Odds of thriving in all areas of well-being are 4.6 times higher for those who are engaged at work; 2.5 times higher if college prepared employees for life outside of college; 2 times higher if employees are emotionally attached to alma mater and 1.9 higher if the college is passionate about the long-term success of its students. Just 54 percent are thriving in purpose wellbeing; 49 percent are thriving in social well-being, 47 percent in community well-being, 42 percent in financial well-being and 35 percent in physical well-being. Overall, only 11 percent of college graduates are thriving in all five elements of well-being, and more than one-in-six graduates aren't thriving in any of the elements.

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