UC Irvine

My dissertation presents an ethnographic study of service work at two college admissions consulting firms, Icarus and Sparta (pseudonyms). These firms provide professional consulting services for Asian students applying to colleges and universities in English-speaking countries. My dissertation examines the daily work of the consultants and salespeople at Icarus and Sparta. Specifically, my findings describe how workers at these two firms a) respond to their clients’ demands for care and intimacy, b) translate to their clients a realistic understanding of the accessibility of elite academic institutions, and c) mentally escape pressure at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In discussing the findings of my dissertation, I conceptualize the complexity of the interpersonal relationship between service providers and their customers, as well as the socio-cultural values, processes, and activities that shape the challenges of service work.