“Bottom cultural capital,” as a theoretical concept created in the domestic context, provides a new way of thinking for the study of cultural reproduction of rural children, but it has also been questioned by academic circles. Informed by the lifecycle theory, this study explores the academic development of rural college students, and the role of the underlying cultural capital. The indepth interviews with three participants suggest that: with the accumulation of time and the shaping of space, the emotional structure intertwined with selfabasement and selfesteem is highlighted in the early stage of their academic career. In the stage of academic adaptation, they are alienated from their “homes” and changed their identity. At the time of graduation, the factors of endowments and postgraduation interact with each other to affect their expectation for employment. In addition, in the process of their study, the value of strong relationships gradually declines to them, while weak relationships bring them strong interactive advantages. Generally speaking, as students from rural areas enter the field of higher education, the “bottom cultural capital” has become detached from its original context. It only provides a vague and idealized path for upward social mobility, and hence becomes less influential. In essence, it is still a form of cultural capital, which can’t fully explain the reasons why rural college students get high academic achievement. It even conceals educational inequity between urban and rural areas in the field of higher education.