This study extends Boudon's positional theory to understand how students from different social origins make choices about university and how they interpret risks during the choice-making process in contemporary China. I draw upon empirical evidence from 71 in-depth semi-structured interviews with undergraduates from different social backgrounds…

This article extends Boudon's positional theory to ascertain how students from different social backgrounds estimate their academic performance and how they translate their choices into the final destinations in higher education in the context of contemporary China. I draw upon empirical evidence from a firsthand survey study involving 2,425…