My point was more that race is a more defining and important characteristic than we like to admit, and that manifests itself in us believing we’re more empathetic towards other races than we really are.
Back to the original question, which is a good one: I think so. I also wonder if there is a tipping point when it comes to gender. Do boys shy away from schools or even majors when there are too many girls?
My kids are in a majority minority public school. That is what we are used to. When S visited a much whiter private college, we all noticed the difference. I don’t think the racial make up will have a bearing on his conscious choice of school, but it did register with him.
We are white but minority religion. We do ask about facilities for our faith at each school. The kids are used to being in a tiny minority religiously. When we look at colleges, we don’t look at religious colleges at all.
Ha, my S specifically took French because the chicks were there lol
Hmmn, one of the best classes I ever took (including bschool and law) was an elective on design and textures: a class of about 50 students, about 42 or so females, 4-5 young gay men, and and three of us straight guys—you do the math–I went to every study group and after-class activity. How can I say this—many of the other students were very helpful.
I’ve read that both men and women shy away from schools that are too heavily male or female. In particular, LACs with more than 60% women seem to have trouble attracting both.
“My “hate”?? Not hate”
The abbreviation “SMH” that you used is often used to mean “so much hate.” Just spell out what you mean and you won’t be misunderstood.
@GMTplus7 (#57). Kids do “date” or “hang out” or whatever they call it across groupings/perceived lines such as racial, ethnic, national group etc. Maybe I’m just a pollyanna but I think it is heart warming to see the different combos that NYC produces amongst the young, and it gives me hope for the future.
However, there are probably many sensitivities and issues. For example, I think that a girl who wears the hijab is probably not supposed to to be dating a non-muslim white guy, and if this happens I would expect that the families are going to mostly be kept in the dark.
When it comes to college and dating, I was mostly wondering about the percentage of boys versus girls in engineering school. If my son meets a nice, smart girl of any description, and is happy, then I will be happy.
The racial makeup definitely registered and was more of a consideration for DD than it was for me. I went to lily schools, including college. DD’s urban high school was extremely diverse with whites being the smallest but growing minority, and the top track was white dominated. DD attends a LAC, so to me by definition they’re pretty white. Hers is less so than many/most but that’s because of the internationals. That being said, I think she is still subject to racial micro-aggressions and there was a lot of out and out racism on her campus’s anonymous message board post-Ferguson. At the end of junior year, she’s become sick of people repeatedly mispronouncing or saying they can’t pronounce her [Japanese] name, which IMHO is easy because the vowels are pronounced similar to Italian and the consonants aren’t unusual, like TS together which one sometimes encounters. In town, she’s had personal experience with racial profiling which in the past she’s only experienced when she’s been with African American male friends. Note: To me, AA means Asian American or Alcoholics Anonymous; on this board I have to remember that it’s usually African American.
“The abbreviation “SMH” that you used is often used to mean “so much hate.” Just spell out what you mean and you won’t be misunderstood.”
Just an fyi, but it’s more often used to mean ‘shaking my head’ which in that context is probably what was meant.
I use it a lot and only this way, only ever seen it that way, actually.
I’m SMH over SMH.
I’d have liked more gender diversity at the Computer Science school at Carnegie Mellon. They would have liked it too, and didn’t look for nearly as much experience in comp sci in their female applicants. But MIT is one of the few top engineering schools that has managed a 50/50 ratio.
Yes, the more common usage of SMH was what I meant and what I was doing (never seen it used any other way).
But, I now understand your response, Hanna, which appeared to me to be an odd overreaction (hence the meds comment, which was over the top, I admit).
Okay, are we best buds again? 
@boohla Post #38 And for students for color who are typically not attracted to students of their own race lol?