<p>hey i've been accepted to the smeal business college and ive committed and all that. there is a program that starts in 2 days for minorities. is anyone else going, and does anyone know what you do there?</p>
<p>yup, im going.</p>
<p>you're going to be recruited</p>
<p>Im going. I have to talk with the fin AID counselors and see if I can get more AID....</p>
<p>get more aid.. i just want to get any aid</p>
<p>especially since you're already enrolled in the school you might want to look around OUTSIDE of the lines of the program - they are going to give us rose colored glasses, if you know what i mean. try to find out from other people what the penn state experience is REALLY going to be like.</p>
<p>What is the name of the program - my daughter plans to attend Smeal and she was wondering whether there were any such programs.</p>
<p>well I think it was called achievers weekend and was this past weekend(I just got back from it) It was a great program.</p>
<p>I didn't think so.</p>
<p>what bothered you about it?</p>
<p>It was a twisted version of the reality of Penn State.
a) ridiculous amount of self-segregation. none of the hosts i was around really even talked to non-minorities
b) a lot of assumptions made: that everyone believed in god, that everyone was "different" from "white folk" that we had achieved something regardless of our socio-economic status and concerning our minority status. that was insulting.
c) they kept preaching and stressing that you can get a job with connections with Penn State alum, instead of stressing that penn state will teach you the skills to get you a job without connections
d) i said something logical, playing with words etc. and a person said to me, "sounds like you've been here three years already"
e) it felt like they were begging minorities to come to penn state, which they were and probably should be considering the overwhelming number of KKK organizations in the surrounding county as well as the death threats diversity organization leaders get each year
f) unorganized
g) no one paid attention to SMART's rules: everyone skipped stuff, went off campus, etc - in fact, the hosts were encouraging going off campus because they wanted to do their own thing
h) the only clubs that were advertised were basically "minority" clubs, "black" sororities/frats, "black" step-dancing, hillel, etc. what happened to integration, people?</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to tell me about the program in detail... Do you think that most minorities at Penn State are seggregated, or do you think there is integration?</p>
<p>I believe I saw an extreme and unbarred version of this segregation, but not so much - from what I can see, minorities definitely stick together.</p>
<p>
[quote]
that everyone was "different" from "white folk" that we had achieved something regardless of our socio-economic status and concerning our minority status. that was insulting.
[/quote]
When I read this comment, what struck me was this is exactly what affirmative action is for. Not that you necessarily need AA to gain admission, but lots of people do make this often erroneous assumption. </p>
<p>I have been to Penn State several times, and know students who go there, and while there is some mixing you do get ethnic groups bunching together. I always just assumed that they wanted it that way :confused:</p>
<p>they do, because they feel most comfortable being together like that.</p>
<p>but in the long run, it inhibits progress, understanding, tolerance etc...</p>
<p>people need to realize that being in their comfort zone is only constructive in the short-term.</p>
<p>I agree that mixing is better and would benefit everyone; but, many ethnic group members voluntarily choose to keep to themselves much of the time. You can't force people to socialize if they don't want to.</p>
<p>I like Penn State, really I do. But I don't think PSU is the melting pot of diversity, if that is what you are looking for.</p>
<p>i am obviously not forcing people to, but i am also not choosing a school where the students can't learn to experience and appreciate other groups of people: what is college for?</p>
<p>Exactly what I meant sarit_om. It will be much easier to attend where you are comfortable with the existing environment than to try to change the demeanor of a particular campus. :)</p>
<p>you're right, it would be hard to change something like that...</p>
<p>anyhow, for those of you who enjoyed the overnight and/or have found Penn to be a great fit for you: congratulations and good luck.
In my opinion, Penn State is a really good school, and everyone who goes there should be proud.</p>
<p>dam sarit....not going now :(</p>
<p>CH121S and sarit_om
Penn State is a really great school, there are lots of different kinds of people there, and there is a huge alumni network. The situation where minority students stick together happens everywhere to some extent. It's like the jocks all sitting together in high school. I understand that it is more of a comfort zone, but I believe it is a habit that causes isolation. </p>
<p>Imagine this. Say you are African American. Would you approach a group of Asian students speaking a foreign language? Of course they speak English, but their behavior keeps others from joining in. If you were an Asian student, would you be likely to approach a group of African American students eating lunch together?</p>
<p>The vast majority of PSU, or any state school, is going to be white middle class kids. It's affordable and they need no hook, so it's where they end up. I honestly think that these kids would be happy to socialize with minority groups, but are a little put off when minority groups bunch together everywhere they go. If you would start out by meeting and socializing with all kids, no matter what color, I think you would be setting a precedent for yourself. Others would see you as YOU, rather than a member of the isolated minority group. I definitely think you have some control over this, and if you are strong and willing to be open, you can have a rich social experience. :)</p>