<p>I'm a high school junior looking into attending Tulane University. It seems fitting to me academically, so now I have to decide whether its "vibe"/"culture" will fit. (It's in New Orleans. AMAZING. New Orleans. Who wouldn't love to study there?!!?)</p>
<p>My problem is that Tulane's student body is 70% white. As a person of color, I would seriously prefer a college campus that is not predominantly of white culture. This may come off as racist to some but just try to understand where I am coming from. I know that I will meet amazing people regardless of whether they are white or some other race, but I am just curious as to what other people's experiences regarding a diverse (or not so diverse) college are.</p>
<p>Did you feel that it would make or break your liking to college life? Or did it not make a difference for you at all?</p>
<p>Hawaii, UT El Paso, Hampton, and UC Riverside all have much smaller percentages of white undergraduate students, but the ethnic vibe is different at each of them. Not to mention the different vibes based on location.</p>
<p>If you are looking for true ethnic, racial and economic diversity, go to a public community college.</p>
<p>Most selective schools may pay iip service to ethnic, racial or religious diversity, but the majority of students will be middle- or upper-middle-class, with the associated expectations and prejudices. </p>
<p>You could also consider historically black colleges such as Spelman (for women) or Howard (for men). Atlanta is a great place to go to school.</p>
<p>Howard is co-ed and not in Atlanta. (You may be thinking of Morehouse.)</p>
<p>Of course, HBCUs may not necessarily be that “diverse” in terms of students of non-black racial or ethnic groups. For some reason, many non-black people don’t seem to want to attend them, even if they are otherwise appropriate academically, financially, etc. (perhaps for the same reason the OP does not want to attend a 70% white school).</p>
<p>Community colleges will have students representing the diversity or lack thereof in the local area.</p>
<p>OP, are you concerned with diversity per se, or being comfortable? Keep in mind that academic culture, expectations etc. are also part of the campus environment. You’ll have to decide what kinds of campus culture will allow you to fulfill your goals. Don’t go to a school only because of its diversity; it also has to meet your academic needs.</p>
<p>The percentage of ‘students of color’ at any one school isn’t going to tell you the story you need to know. Go to the Common Data Set for each school you are considering to look at the racial mix. ‘Color’ comes in an aweful lot of variety. Then check out the number and variety of student association(s) for the ethnic/racial group(s) you are interested in. Contact the administration at the school and ask to speak to the student leadership in those groups to get a better feel for what it’s like to be a student there - not just the ‘gown’ but also the ‘town.’ Most campuses are pretty accepting and welcoming of their minority populations - but a lot of communities may feel less comfortable once you step off campus. Look at the faculty too - are there ‘faculty of color’ in the fields that you are interested in and what are their areas of interest? It’s not essential to have mentors from your own ethnic group - but it can be a plus.</p>
<p>I’m wary of going to a 70% white college because I’m afraid of being a token minority student</p>
<p>Frankly, a school that has 30% non-White students is going to feel diverse. Think about it…about 1/3 of the class will be non-White. That will hardly feel like an “all White” school. Not at all.</p>
<p>And, frankly, because NOLA is so much influenced by the region, even the “white folks” won’t seem like typical white people. NOLA culture is so different from the rest of the US.</p>
<p>It may depend on the student’s perspective. Perhaps the student is from a high school or environment either with no majority racial or ethnic group, or (more likely) where his/her own racial or ethnic group is the majority. It would not be surprising if a lot of students in that situation felt uncomfortable going to a college where their racial or ethnic group is a minority group. However, those who are white can easily avoid such schools for them (e.g. UTEP, Hawaii, most UCs, HBC/Us).</p>
<p>I’m not in college yet, so my opinion may be irrelevant, but my high school is ~76% white, and I’m mixed (black, white, native). On top of that, I’ve always been “that one black kid” in honors classes as well, but I think I’ve been more aware of it than everyone else. Obviously it’s a little different because I’ve grown up with these kids, but I don’t feel like they’ve ever treated me differently because of the color of my skin. Once you start warming up to people, I doubt anyone’s going to care what color you are.</p>
<p>keep in mind that diversity doesn’t just end at the color of your skin. There’s all kinds of diversity: religion, sexual orientation, interests, even past experiences.</p>
<p>I’m an asian who went to a high school with a large asian population in the Boston area. For me, my diversity experience was going to a 85% white college in the south.</p>
<p>Most students tend to self-segregate anyways (aside from the “whitewashed” Asian students who for all intents and purposes are culturally no different from the general white student pop.).</p>
<p>I go to high school in CA where the student body is about 50/50 Asian and Hispanic (barely any white or black). So while I have no problem attending a school in the UC system (where the majorities are whites and asians, I think?), I’d rather take this opportunity to meet people that I’d otherwise would not meet, if that makes sense + to go out of state so I can learn to be more independent. I think UCs are only racially diverse in the sense that Asians are a majority.</p>
<p>Sorry, super late reply. Thank you for all your replies too, I appreciate them.</p>