Younger D, who is bi-racial, picked a really white school in a really white small town. Her high school was minority-majority. I asked her if that was going to be an issue because she’s really not used to any homogeneous environment. She said no because she “doesn’t mind” white people. (Thanks.)
She’s not looking to transfer or anything, but as her first year is wrapping up, she does admit that race/diversity matters more than she thought it would. She misses color and the different cultures associated with color.
Some people choose to date only those who share their heritage. As a college student who felt this way once told me, “I wouldn’t want to marry and raise children with someone who didn’t share my traditions. So I don’t date anyone who doesn’t. If you don’t date someone, you’re not likely to fall in love with them and want to get married to them.”
On the other hand, there are those who are quite comfortable dating and marrying outside their heritage. But the existence of people who feel the other way does narrow the dating pool.
@californiaaa With all due respect, but while it not entirely about race, in the words of Dr. Cornel West–race counts. The basic assumption, I see from your posit, is that we should be a basic meritocracy as applied to academic institutions. These makes the rather profound postulation that we are all coming from equal places, with equal opportunities, and moreover, an equal history, that has as its core parity and institutional equality. In as much as we have made progress as a nation and a society, we are not there yet.
By way of example, the great black historian and intellectual DuBois talks about the “double consciousness” involved living as a black man in the US, e.g. the white world as he describes it (he was the first black man to graduate from Harvard); but turns it on its head, and in lieu of bitterness, sees institutional and societal oppression as providing an essential spiritual insight that the rest of us could use. I take that to mean, empathy and the ability to reflect, that not everyone is equal at the same time, and at times, we need to nudge it along–but just my 2 cents…
Is it really? Berkeley is majority non-White. Obviously it would be weird for Whites to consider a HBCU but it doesn’t seem weird at all for them to consider Berkeley.
@GMTplus7 It sounds like you are trying to pick the dating pools for your children. You would be well served to let them make their own choices And guess what blacks and hispanics can debate Hamlet if given a chance but they may want to debate Freddie Gray also. That is why diversity is important
My kids are mixed-race and attend a diverse high school, so they would have been comfortable looking at most colleges, regardless of ethnic distribution, except for the ones that cater specifically to one ethnic, cultural or religious group. I have heard Caucasians in our town whisper that their kid wanted to attend UDel or some other OOS university where there were fewer Indians and Chinese in order to escape the intense academic competition here.
For us, whether or not there is a culture of acceptance and integration at the college would be more important to us than the statistics. During some college visits we noticed mixed groups of kids walking and talking together, and at others there seemed to be more self-segregation.
My kids and I enjoy meeting a lot of different people, both nationals and internationals. However, that said, we are not naive about the fact that others may not be too thrilled about us and our racial groups. They may have prejudices toward us, and may not want to date us. Contrary to popular belief, white people are not the only ones who are ever racist or are wary about intimate social interactions outside of their own communities. For that reason, a school with a balanced population of many groups seemed safest. By balanced I suppose I mean one that reflects the national population.
Hmmn, that is similar to the situation at UCI, UCLA and CAL. I have heard more than a few parents speak about being not totally excited about the large Asian population, (at UCI about 60%), not so much from a racial perspective, but rather the uber competitive nature that they think stems with having such a large Asian student body. I find that a tad funny, as I never hear Asian kids saying they are intimidated by the large Caucasian student population at other schools…
The word Hanna used earlier is perfect: “isolated.” That’s what me D was considering when looking at the student population - she didn’t want a situation where she would feel isolated. Whether by rave, or Greek life, of rah-rah, or nerd culture. Very much a Goldilocks dilemma.
@gmtplus7 let your kids pick their own dating pool. You and them will be better off. And what if their dating pool includes members of the same sex. Can you live with that?
Presumably he would know already. I don’t think people wake up one day and decide they’re going to be homosexual from now on.
If you’re going to be realistic about it, it’s far more likely your kid will end up with someone their own race than a different race. Most people don’t have an issue with others in interracial relationships, engaging in one yourself is a very different matter.
My son has Asian friends who told him they were intimidated by the large white population at the colleges they are attending. They sought out Asian cultural clubs for activities and friendships. They came from a high school that was over 60% Asian.
Do all Asian kids feel intimidated at a white majority college, I’m sure the answer is no. Do some feel intimidated, absolutely.
It seems to me that lots of perfectly sensible students would prefer to attend a college where there are a significant number of people like themselves, and a significant number of people unlike themselves. I’m pretty sure my (white) children would not have wanted to attend an all-white university, but neither would they have wanted to attend a HB school, or BYU (since they are not Mormons). Neither was interested in a single-sex school, or a religious school (even of their own religion).
Also, while I see lots of dating across cultural groups, I am not ready to criticize people who want to date and marry within an ethnic, religious, or other cultural group. People who feel that way will certainly be looking for a critical mass in terms of a college.
< I have heard Caucasians in our town whisper that their kid wanted to attend UDel or some other OOS university where there were fewer Indians and Chinese in order to escape the intense academic competition here.>
HA, Asian parents say this all the time They often transfer their kids to more “diverse” (less Asian) schools to avoid fierce competition of predominantly Asian magnet schools. I totally understand. Adcoms won’t to see high class rank. Obviously, it is much easier to get a high rank in a non-magnet, relaxed, diverse school. IMHO, nothing to do with race issues.
@mainebh < we just fundamentally disagree My child is a STEM student also . Think about this Dont doctors need to be able to relate to all races and genders? Dont techies need to design apps for all races and genders. Part of academic learning is how to relate to all races and genders with your knowledge. You just have a much narrower view of learning than we do .
I honestly disagree I know that my Ds are able to relate (and feel empathy) to all races and genders, even if they never met them. If a medical student needs a special training to be able to relate to people of other races … I am not going to trust this doctor. Something is very creepy with him. A 20-year old that needs special training to be able to treat blacks the same way as he treats whites? What kind of human being is it? Where (in hell) colleges manage to find a population of these creeps?
This is exactly the reason, why I am concerned about colleges that spend effort on “Inclusivity and sensitivity”. Next step - colleges teach guys that they should not rape girls What’s next? Classes in “do not kill”?
Why can’t people teach kids at home (at church) that all humans are equal? (OK, not humans are equal in the eyes of adcoms and some races are more equal than the others for college admission purposes).
@mainebh, Sorry, I didn’t know that you are living in a white-white-white place. Then, I probably, understand your quest for diversity.
IMHO, metro areas are so diverse in USA that almost everyone has a colleague, or friend, or neighbor of a different race/origin. Thus “diversity in college for the sake of meeting people of different race” becomes less of an issue. IMHO.
They often transfer their kids to more “diverse” (less Asian) schools to avoid fierce competition of predominantly Asian magnet schools. I totally understand. Adcoms won’t to see high class rank. Obviously, it is much easier to get a high rank in a non-magnet, relaxed, diverse school. IMHO, nothing to do with race issues.
What’s next? Classes in “do not kill”?