Institutional Ethos, Peers and Individual Outcomes

In this paper we present estimates of roommate and institution based peer effects. Using data from the College & Beyond survey, the Freshman survey, and phonebook data that allows us to identify college roommates - we estimate models of students' political persuasion and intellectual engagement. The evidence suggests that a student's roommate's political sentiments have some impact on their own political views later in life. We also implement a cluster based analysis that attempts to answer the question: how would a student's outcomes have changed if they'd attended a very different school? Our findings suggest that student outcomes are, indeed, sensitive to the school they attend. Similar students attending schools that have a decidedly different 'ethos' differ in important ways post-college. Institutional peer effects seem to have a powerful effect on student outcomes.