A college degree was supposed to be the great equalizer.
For decades, we told students that if they studied hard, stayed focused, and earned a diploma, they’d unlock a good job and a secure future. But for many graduates (especially those without money, connections, or access to informal networks) that promise is falling apart.
The truth is: the gap between education and employment isn’t just a skills problem. It’s a privilege problem.
Two students graduate with the same major, GPA, and internships. One lands a job in two weeks through a family friend. The other spends six months applying to hundreds of roles and gets ghosted every time.
What’s the difference?
Not effort. Not ability. It’s access.
According to recent research:
That means one group of students is told, “Just send me your resume, I’ll pass it along,” while the other is told, “Apply online and wait.”
Same qualifications. Very different outcomes.
Most college career centers are under-resourced and overextended. The average student-to-staff ratio is nearly 1,900 to 1. That’s not support… that’s a traffic jam.
Students from wealthier backgrounds often don’t rely on career services at all. They use private coaches, alumni networks, family referrals, and personal introductions to get ahead. Everyone else is left to navigate a complex job market alone, with generic advice and outdated playbooks.
And that’s the gap: not in talent, but in who has people advocating for them behind the scenes.
Many students without financial privilege are also juggling part-time jobs, family responsibilities, or the pressure to be “first in the family” to break through. That leaves little time for building a network, crafting cold outreach, or figuring out how to get noticed in a system designed to favor insiders.
Meanwhile, the job market itself has changed. Entry-level roles are harder to access, internships are more competitive than ever, and AI tools are screening candidates before a human ever sees their name.
In this environment, waiting to be noticed is not a strategy. It’s a setback.
These are invisible advantages. But they have a massive impact.
You build your own system.
You create the network you weren’t born into. You learn how to position yourself, how to get in front of decision-makers, and how to spark conversations that open doors — even if you don’t know anyone at the start.
It’s not easy. But it is possible.
We built PrepU to level the playing field.
We work with students who don’t have industry connections, insider knowledge, or family introductions. And we help them compete and win by giving them:
This is not about luck. It’s about leverage.
You worked for your degree. You earned it.
But in today’s market, a diploma alone doesn’t launch a career. Access does. Visibility does. Strategy does.
That’s the gap PrepU exists to close — for the students who have the drive but not the connections. For the ones who refuse to be invisible. For the ones who are ready to do the work but need a better system.
Because when talent meets access, everything changes.
