Can someone explain "fit " and "diversity"?

Parents Forum
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<p>I keep reading these two words in reference to college admissions and they confuse me. It seems to me that the students are to look for a place where they will "fit" i.e. lots of commonalities. But on their application, they are supposed to stand out and be unique (so they are memorable and get picked), but also show they "fit".</p>

<p>Then admissions committee reads the applications and is looking for a class that is "diverse" i.e. all different? So which is it? I see this stuff and it makes me dizzy, like trying to make sense of James Joyce. Am I just too literal-minded?</p>

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<p>Fit is that they find a place that suits them - not that they are the same as everyone else. For some, the atmosphere of a LAC is not appropriate as they want things like huge Greek Systems, Div1 football and a student body sizes above 10k. </p>

<p>For other students fit would include being in a big city in the northeast. For someone else, fit would include certain core curricula or the chance to go abroad for a year or any other number of things.</p>

<p>The point is that students should find their place based on these sorts of wants, not just on what school is #1 in their prospective major.</p>

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<p>FIT to me means more than just the school. It's the community the school's in. You're going to spend the better part of the next fours years somewhere, it should "fit" some of the activities you like away from class as well. San Diego State might not make sense if you like to snow ski every possible free second. If you need trees in your environment ASU and UA while cornering the market on catus, fall behind the pacific nw for green. Even closer in, central wa U is a great place for students who like to hunt and fish. </p>

<p>A good fit is one that won't bore you to tears in either the classroom, lab or 5 blocks away from campus. </p>

<p>Diversity means people who aren't like you, they may be from a different culture, race, religion, sexual orientation and income levels. Getting to know people on a personal level often trumps preceived sterotypes. I think most schools attempt this as socially it's just another form of learning.</p>

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<p>"Fit" and "diversity" are concepts created on CC by anxious, overbearing moms and overstressed kids who enjoy obsessing over the excrutiatingly irrelevant minutia of the college application process.</p>

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<p>^hey...why are the overbearing, obsessed dads getting a pass?</p>

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<p>Maybe those dads are off in another thread bonding with the Little League Moms. Apparently some posters feel that being overbearing & obsessive = female.</p>

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<p>Fit is going to be different for different kids. Some may like diversity, some may want lots of kids like themselves. Mathson was prepared to go anywhere where he could be around other computer geeks. He didn't need the whole campus to be the same, but he wanted a critical mass. </p>

<p>Diversity can include ethnicity, religion, economic status. It varies a bit by campus and sometimes even if the diversity is there on paper, the different groups don't mingle much. To me all the campuses looked lily white (with the exception of Berkeley), but that's because I've gotten used to our high school. I don't think there are too many colleges that are about 1/3 African American, 1/3 white, 1/5 Hispanic and the rest Asian or foreign.</p>

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<p>You're wrong Cavalier. Fit is not a concept hatched here at CC. My D applied to seven lacs. At every one of those schools we constantly were reminded by admission people that students applying should get to know the lac to insure it is a good fit for them. When D interviewed with alumni interviewers they mentioned how good a fit my D was at the school. When my D was accepted at four of the seven schools they all said in their acceptance letters how my D was a perfect fit for that school.So this is not a CC created concept.</p>

<p>Dana's Dad</p>

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<p>I think that diversity-when referring to race- really means different than our nation's population. If our nation is about 70% of european ancestry, 15% of african ancestry, 10% of hispanic ancestry, and 5% of asian ancestry, then this kind of diversity would mean- significantly different from the general population. A schools' (racial)diversity generally means a greater number of minorities attend there than is in the general population. Some seek that, some don't, but that comes under the "fit" category.
I have heard diversity applied to a white student considering a "predominantly black" college, an agnostic considering a "traditionally Catholic" school, and heard of a Republican student considering Oberlin College. The last one cracks me up.</p>

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<p>But does the "diverse" student also "fit"?</p>

<p>I guess I can see how the white student could fit at the "prdominantly black" college if the college has something unique that the student loves. </p>

<p>But I'm not sure I get why a student would want to go to a college with an overwhelming philosophy that he doesn't share. Unless he loves a good argument, and being at odds is the fit for him. Does that make the student attractive to the college?</p>

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<p>Geomom, I think your point makes a lot of sense. Most kids are insecure and are very concerned about fitting into a comfortable, familiar environment. I would suspect they are not looking for a whole lot of diversity.</p>

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<p>It's easy:
Fit (applies to WHERE you apply)- you want to go to your school because it makes you happy and you love it
Diversity (applies to HOW you apply)- you make yourself stand out, either purposely or not. With purpose would be gender, race, ect. Not would be your pres of something or like reading russian poetry from 1659.</p>

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<p>When my S was considering which colleges to apply to, he decided against MIT because he was concerned that too many students would be just like him in terms of academic interests. So he decided to apply to Harvard where there is more of a mix of academic interests and ECs. So S had defined diverstiy primarily in academic terms. His roommate, a science major, told me the same thing.<br>
S's blockmates all come from different states; some are from large cities, a couple are from very small towns. In terms of religion and ethnicity, they are also quite diverse.</p>

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<p>To me, fit is subjective, diversity is objective.</p>

<p>I think of "rightness of fit" as something even a parent will notice; when the kid feels emotionally comfortable walking the campus and you don't feel like you need to escort him/her (hereafter just "him" for style's sake) after the tour is over b/c there's a confidence to explore solo. When your child/prospective student disappears from under your wing and you meet up a few hours later, he has had some conversations with other students that resonated and there's a sense "I could belong here."
Or, he returns all aglow about the labs, facilities or whatever else floats the boat and speaks much faster and more than you've ever heard in months about how much he "could" learn here. Honestly I think kids feel the fit at a subconscious level, at the tissue level, if it's there. </p>

<p>Diversity is something the college watches out for, trying to ensure as much of our nation's broad sweep of peoples as it can shoehorn into its class, using every imaginable carrot. In a way, it's the college's task to develop diversity in the class, but it will enrich and equip all the students to work in the 21st century. Since you can't change your race or income background, it's out of your control for admissions, so just go and enjoy the diversity that the college has managed to collect. That's how I look at it. </p>

<p>To help the OP;s head stop spinning, I'd suggest: You can't make yourself be more "diverse" so just be. If it's meaningful to your child's persona, for example has been in a youth culture group or has pursued activities that show he/she has sought out diversity already as a high school student, then describe those in an essay. They indicate an openness to diversity and that this child might help make bridges and not stay Balkanized in his own comfort zone. </p>

<p>In terms of fit, have the kid ask himself (even if it's not a formal essay question), "Why College X?" and see if the reasons that tumble out of his mouth seem to match what the college promotes the most. If he says he likes the college because he "wants" a friendly community of learners, but the college website and AdComs speak a lot about "this college requires independent, risk-taking, organized students who know how to use the resources of this great university..." maybe it's not as nurturing as the kid needs to feel comfortable enough to learn optimally. OR, if the kid says he likes the place because it has a "great" department (measured by the building or the one course he sat in on), but later you see the catalogue has only 2 courses and one isn't taught this year, or the professor he sat in on is just an adjunct professor who wouldn't have office hours, then perhaps the academic offering won't be large enough for him and he'll outgrow the place.
I wouldn't say to replicate the h.s. culture, either. Just because a kid has grown up in a suburb doesn't mean he can only feel okay in a school in a suburb. Some rural colleges have so much going on (since people come from afar and stay on campus) that they recreate more activity on campus than some small cities each weekend, and it's free and easily accessible. A city kid could "fit" in a rural environment as long as a part of him dreams he'd like to spend some years of his life able to see the starry night sky. In other words, fit can be a new style environment that seems to match where the kid wants to explore next in his life. My eldest grew up rural so he "only" wanted a suburban or urban setting for college. He didn't want to "fit" into the cute Main Street of a college town, since he was sick of the one-block-long Main Street of home. His younger sister, however, really brightened to see a small-town rural setting because she felt so comfortable and wanted to apply her attention to exploring the campus resources, not a bustling nearby city. It's very personal; no generalities.</p>

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<p>It may help to think of it on analogy with geographical places.</p>

<p>New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are all more diverse in comparison with (I guess) Omaha, Boise, or Salt Lake City. But if you live in any one of these places and feel happy there--like you "belong" --you might not have as a good a "fit" with any of the others. Chicago might be too cold in winter, or Salt Lake City too dry or Omaha too flat.</p>

<p>What's complicated is that part of fit may involve your tolerance for or enthusiasm for diversity of race, class, religion, ethnicity.</p>

<p>A black kid from the rural south might provide diversity at almost any northeastern college he or she applied to but that kid migh feel a lot happier in terms of "fit" at some NE schools than at others--depending on his personality, interests, hobbies, talents etc.</p>

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<p>Regarding Fit and Diverse. It is important to remember that "fit" and "diversity" are judged by admissions offices, directors and deans. So whatever their notions are of "diversity" and "fit" are what you are stuck with. Sometimes that has nothing to do with how parents or students perceive the student body or make up of the school. It would be a more helpful to know who is sitting in the jury box picking and choosing and defining "fit" and "diversity".
I was once told that "fit" means those who can pay. "Diversity" means those who receive grants!</p>

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<p>I think the concept of fit is two-sided. For the student it means a college where they will be comfortable, have the major, courses, educational mission, atmosphere, location, size, sports and Greek orientation, school spirit, financial aid, dorm life, food service, etc., that the student wants and/or needs. From the school's viewpoint, it is a student who has the right stats and/or, perhaps someone who is famous and will give the school more notoriety; comes from a part of the states or world that is underrepresented; can be a minority that is underrepresented, and fills a spot in the class, such as filling a major slot, a music slot, sports slot, etc. In some schools, if there is a great focus on one area, such as languages, then a student with 2-3-4 will be a better fit than someone who doesn't want anything to do with them.
Diversity is geography, economics (low income or Pell grant recipients), and race.</p>