<p>So im a senior from the northeast with pretty average grades and a modest background, but my parents only want me to go to a private school. Im Mexican and looking around at all these small liberal arts colleges they seem overrun by white, preppy, rich kids! I mean, I knew going in there were going to be a lot of those types of characters at private schools, but I am stunned by the lack of diversity. Some schools I visited didn't even look like they had MINORITIES! Union College, Trinity, Holy Cross, Gonzaga, Fairfield, Providence, Xavier, Clark, Denison and the list goes on and on. The private schools that did have minorities almost seemed ostracized because the students did not seem to know how to interact with the minority kids and sometimes even me! Am I reading these schools wrong? Are there any liberal arts schools that are representative of the real world?! Please help me out here.</p>
<p>So I take it you value high diversity in the colleges you are looking for?</p>
<p>Why are your parents completely set on you going to a private university? </p>
<p>There are many private universities with a high amount of diversity. to make some recommendations I would like to know more about what you’re looking for: what do you want to major in, urban or rural environment, intellectual or work hard play hard vibe?</p>
<p>Welcome to the northeast private college scene. You’re not going to find a lot of diversity or a lot of merit money in northeastern private schools. The students are not however all preppy or rich–richer than you, perhaps, spoiled by their parents, maybe, but not rich by the usual standards. All their lives they’ve been told they are somebody, and college is their chance to separate themselves from their public school mates and assume the mantle of privilege. That’s one of the reasons parents might send their child to a private: to separate the child and themselves from the families that cannot afford the private colleges. </p>
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<p>Ok… you say that your parents will pay for any school as long as it’s private…and they seem to favor Catholic univs.</p>
<p>OK…so look at ones that might be more popular with Hispanic students…</p>
<p>Look at:</p>
<p>USanDiego…19% Hispanic
U Dallas…19% Hispanic
U San Francisco…19% Hispanic
Loyola Marymount Univ…22% Hispanic</p>
<p>I’m guessing that the Catholic univs that are in Calif, Texas, and Florida will have Hispanic students. </p>
<p>Loyola Maryland has 9% Hispanic</p>
<p>@Ctesiphon It does have to be high diversity, but I want to be surrounded by people closer to my background. People who realize how hard it is to not only get into college but afford college. I don’t want to be surrounded by kids from the elite preppy families who have never faced adversity in their lives.Trust me if it were solely up to me I would be going to a school like upitt, but my parents want me to succeed and believe I’ll get a better education at a private school over my instates. Sadly, upitt is not an instate for me and I probably wouldn’t get in. </p>
<p>The northeast probably has less Hispanic than California, Texas, Arizona. So apply to schools in these areas will have higher diversity.
When I was there Chinese food in northern Mass was awful and so was Mexican food. Only one good one if I remember correctly.</p>
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Does your HS in the northeast have a lot of hispanic kids? If not, then why would u be surprised that northeast colleges also don’t have a lot of hispanics. It’s not like these colleges don’t want URMs-- the colleges are bending over backwards to recruit them. Read “The Gatekeepers”. The Wesleyan admissions guy in the documentary account is a hispanic guy. </p>
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What makes u think all the students are rich preppies? A big portion of students at these schools are on FA. </p>
<p>Much of the northeast has a higher percentage of white (not Hispanic/Latino) people than the US as a whole (e.g. CT 70%, MA 75%, ME 94%, NH 92%, PA 78%, RI, 75%, VT 94% – although NY and NJ are more similar to the US as a whole than most northeast states). If you are concerned specifically about people of Mexican background, note that the northeast is further from Mexico than places like California and Texas.</p>
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<p>16% Pomona
17% Rice
18% Santa Clara
18% Trinity (TX)
18% Stanford
22% University of San Francisco
28% Holy Names
42% University of St. Thomas
62% University of the Incarnate Word
76% St. Mary’s (TX)</p>
<p>Unlike certain high schools, oftentimes there is little difference in quality from a public vs a private and they can offer you just as good an education. If diversity is important to you, perhaps use the search option to look up colleges by the percentages of minorities on campus</p>
<p>OP, you say that you are looking for diversity yet you want to be around people just like you. My guess is that if you do go to a diverse school you will self segregate yourself with other students just like you. </p>
<p>Your parents have the right idea: force you to get out of your comfort zone. </p>
<p>Why the prejudice against white kids? Trust me, there are PLENTY of white kids who have struggled to get into and afford these colleges. Open your mind a bit and you just might find your “preppy rich white kid” roommate is one of your best friends.</p>
<p>Adversity and struggles, from economic to poor educational opportunities, effect kids from every ethnic group. Just as it would be unreasonable for me to assume that all the nonwhite faces I see on a campus come from disadvantaged backgrounds, it would be equally unreasonable for you to assume that all white faces come from priviledged backgrounds.</p>
<p>Don’t be so quick to judge. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound snarky, but the student’s family is affluent enough to pay for any school he wants. He will likely have more in common with the few affluent kids than the white and hispanic kids who are there on lots of FA.</p>
<p>Anyway…I think a school like USF or LMU would be best. Many Hispanic kids of various income backgrounds. </p>
<p>@ricksteves what do you want to study? Every student has some discomfort and insecurities transitioning from HS to college. If you are looking for making a great transition, look at the schools that have students get involved quickly, and look around at college visit and see if the students seem happy. You sound like you want to find a ‘tribe’ and fit in right away. Be sure to look at the economic calculator to see what the bottom line will be - and be sure to have financial safeties of places you would consider going to. What are your friends from HS doing?</p>
<p>Macalester is 33% non-white. </p>
<p>OP. according to you posting history both you parents are Holy Cross alumni. Chances are you have had a privileged upbringing yourself. If white kids have trouble interacting with you it is likely due to an unfriendly and judgemental vibe that you are giving off. </p>
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<p>But why, on these forums, does there seem to be so much resistance to suggesting to white students that they consider otherwise-suitable colleges with relatively low white populations?</p>
<p>Look at Fordham and perhaps Lafayette College</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/applying/class_profile_28473.asp”>http://www.fordham.edu/admissions/undergraduate_admiss/applying/class_profile_28473.asp</a>
<a href=“http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/entering-class-profile/”>http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/entering-class-profile/</a></p>
<p>You say you want to be at a school where kids value the opportunity. I have found private schools are full of kids that value their opportunity. Not to over generalize but I have observed a portion of public schools kids that seem to have selected the school because of its cost or because the state was paying for a portion of their tuition and they feel that they have a right to the education. I don’t mean to get into a debate of the rights to education but it is clear, and most people understand it, that private schools can reject you if they want and can charge you what they want. Due to this, I have found a lot of private school kids value their opportunity.</p>
<p>Additionally, I see a lot of kids, white, black , Asian, Hispanic, whatever, that come from lower or middle incomes and go to private schools because they want to be surrounded by people with different perspectives than those they have grown up with. They have spent their lives surrounded by people that struggled paycheck to paycheck without knowing much about managing their money or about what it takes to get where they want in their career. They believe they are just as smart and motivated as the rich white kids and want to be able to learn from the perspectives these other kids can offer them.</p>
<p>You may find that you have as much in common with a white kid at one of these schools who’s dad is a truck driver, or the immigrant Asian girl at the school who was raised by a single mother while her dad worked in the states saving up to be able to offer to bring the rest of the family, or maybe you’ll be surprised and have more in common with a kid whose dad is a hedge fund manager than you expected.</p>
<p>One of my older son’s best friends is a Dominican Latino from Upper Manhattan, and he is apparently very happy at Syracuse. He is actually a “preppy,” technically, because he attended a private boarding school on a full scholarship. My younger son attends college in FL, where there are many Latino students. Maybe you should look into U of Miami. If you are willing to go across the country, consider Occidental - its student body is pretty affluent, but it’s in LA and so you will not feel isolated. I think our guide there was Hispanic, as was our guide at Claremont-McKenna. </p>
<p>I second the idea of California…also I think a lot of the Catholic schools have diversity…ethnically and socioeconomically…I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to be around at least some kids that have a similar background to your own. Do what’s best for you. Four years is a long time if it’s not a good fit.</p>