This article focuses on Chilean students from vulnerable school contexts facing a standard national curriculum. It offers insights into students' voices, while uncovering what they want to learn and the drivers behind this decision. Semi-structured interviews revealed the power of the school socialisation process; for the majority of students, core curriculum subjects are fundamental. The factors that drive their decisions are life in, outside and beyond school, where the family context and socioeconomic inequality are ever-present. This study reinforces our understanding of the importance of listening to student voices when developing school curricula. It also furthers our understanding of what students want to learn in terms of school subjects. These choices have significant implications for relationships of power when defining the curriculum, as well as being framed by a set of rules and an education system that are well-known to the students.