Through memorable stories of young women, Best Laid Plans exposes how universities function as corporations by exploiting young people's imagined futures. Jessica Halliday Hardie's sharp analysis brings to life the nuances of class stickiness, especially as it differently shapes the lives and trajectories of Black and White girls. Packed with meaningful insights, this book deserves to be widely read.--Ranita Ray, author of The Making of a Teenage Service Class: Poverty and Mobility in an American City In this powerful book, Hardie provides a rare and riveting view into the lives of girls coming of age, revealing that in an era of uncertainty, planning isn't enough to move into adulthood. By chronicling these young women's poignant life stories, Hardie insightfully shows how class and race profoundly and differentially shape access to the critical resources needed to turn their dreams into realities. This book is a must-read.--Marianne Cooper, author of Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times Best Laid Plans is an engaging, major contribution to the field. Using insightful interviews from a carefully designed longitudinal study with young women, Hardie beautifully captures the complexity of the transition to adulthood. Best Laid Plans powerfully illuminates not only how girls cannot plan their way out of adversity but also how plans can create new disadvantages.--Sarah Damaske, author of The Tolls of Uncertainty: How Privilege and the Guilt Gap Shape Unemployment in America