<p>Coming from a town with little ethnic diversity, I want to get to know people different from myself when in college. How easy is it to make friends with people from difference backgrounds? Do cultural differences get in the way? And the main question (the one with a minuscule amount of bearing on my college choices): Is it easier to meet these people at a school with high numerical diversity, or does that just mean that subpopulations of the school just stick together more? Even at a school that appears very white, I'll still be able to meet some of these people, right?</p>
<p>It will be easier with a more diverse school as there is some amount of forced interactions between people that normally wouldn’t mix and the odds are better at a more diverse school.</p>
<p>That said, it isn’t really that interesting to seek out friends or groups because they are different - it’s more comfortable for others to interact without any pressure of someone trying to meet someone because of their ethnicity.</p>
<p>You could also consider living for at least a time at an International House - many of the bigger schools have a dorm specifically for international students and Americans who like that kind of environment.</p>
<p>Interesting questions that are difficult to answer, but good to ask before choosing a school. You are correct, that numbers alone often do not give an accurate picture of how easy it is to meet and socialize with others from a different ethnic or socioeconomic background. Even on a campus where ethnic groups seem to segregate themselves, it is still possible or even likely that there are many individuals with a diverse set of friends.</p>
<p>Once you have narrowed down your list, and as you visit schools, you might want to take a look at different EC’s that interest you. If everyone in the clubs that interest you is from your same background, I would guess that it is less likely that you will meet or befriend other types of students.</p>
<p>What I have found interesting is that many students I knew from our high school, which has a fair amount of diversity, admit to having a far less diverse set of friends in college than they had in high school, even if going by numbers alone, the school has a high level of diversity.</p>
<p>Is this something others have observed? Do you think the size of a school has anything to do with this? That is - do LAC’s typically have less diversity, but also less self-segregation of groups?</p>
<p>Beyond that, some schools do seem to have a reputation for having more diverse groups of friends than others. (Rice comes to mind, but I am sure that there are others.)</p>
<p>Thanks. Yes, I definitely noticed at that at the elite colleges, students that I saw seemed to have diverse groups of friends. Visiting other campuses I’ve seen diversity also, but with a lot more self-segregation.</p>
<p>Obviously, I don’t intend to seek out friends purely because we have different backgrounds. I am just hoping that I get to know some people with some like interests who happen to have unfamiliar ethnic or geographic roots.
The one exception might be with international exchange students. If there is a group on my college that is there to help these students acclimate to life at my US college, I might like to join. When I am curious about someone else’s culture, it is great when that curiosity is reciprocated, so the topic is not an awkward / inappropriate one to discuss.</p>
<p>My impression is that it’s easier to meet diverse groups of people at schools where Greek life is weaker. I’m sure there are exceptions, but, by and large, houses tend to attract kids of a certain type. </p>
<p>I think colleges where everyone or almost everyone lives on campus are also more conducive to meeting different people. And, while I know some folks disagree, I think that the presence of racially based house makes mingling harder. I think residential colleges/houses foster mingling. </p>
<p>A LONG time ago now, Berkeley did a study of diversity. It found that the two groups at Berkeley most likely to have close friends of other races were athletes and musicians. I think that’s because those activities bring together people from different backgrounds who share an interest and have to work together for the team or group to work well. </p>
<p>So, if you do want to make friends with different sorts of people in college, check out the ECs you are interested in and see if they include different sorts of people.</p>
<p>Hey, I see frazzled made much the same point about ECs.</p>
<p>“What I have found interesting is that many students I knew from our high school, which has a fair amount of diversity, admit to having a far less diverse set of friends in college than they had in high school, even if going by numbers alone, the school has a high level of diversity./”</p>
<p>My D, who is black, had almost NO black friends for 18 years, before college. Now, at a school that is maybe 9 percent black, she has some black friends. Her roomate, and many of her friends, are still white or Asian.Not sure if that makes her more or less diverse.</p>
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<p>How about going to a school where you are a member of a minority group? By default, most of the students you meet in class, in dorms, etc. will be members of other groups.</p>
<p>If you are white and want to meet people of other ethnic groups, consider the following, among others:</p>
<p>California Institute of Technology
Howard University
New Mexico State University
San Jose State University
University of California, Irvine (or any UC except Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz)
University of Hawaii
University of Texas, El Paso</p>
<p>All top schools have very large numbers of international students. It is a lot easier to interact with international students, since they are eager to reciprocate, so to speak. How would you beat the cultural and ethnic diversity like that?</p>
<p>I am talking from personal experiences, being in the boat (as an international student) over 20 years ago, at UNC Chapel Hill.</p>
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<p>I think that when some young people go away to college, they are more likely to seek out friends of their own ethnicity than they were in high school because it makes them feel more secure in their new environment. And this may make things harder for students who would like to get to know a wide variety of people.</p>
<p>I agree that performing arts and sports are the best ways to mix groups and foster authentic friendships. There are often opportunities even for people without prior experience in that activity. Joining a gospel choir, step team, or intramural sports can be great choices for a white kid who wants to meet students with different backgrounds.</p>
<p>If you are religious, you might find some opportunities to meet students that share your religion but not other experiences. For example, a lot of campuses have an Asian Baptist Koinonia group that attracts both American and international students, and doesn’t require that you be Asian or baptist. Any Christian, and especially any Protestant, could find something to connect with in this group and make friends that way.</p>