<p>So technically it's at Bryn Mawr this year, but the Swat forum tends to be a bit more active, so I'm posting this here.</p>
<p>I'm really really interested in it (discussions on diversity and amazing things like that are one of the reasons I applied to the Tri-Co), and I'm just wondering if anyone here attended or knows someone who attended.</p>
<p>It would be really great if you could share your experience with it here... And I'm also interested to know how the 30 from each school are chosen- from the essays on the application?</p>
<p>Tri-Co was started more than 20 years as part of a realization that simply admitting URM students was insufficient to make them happy and successful. It was designed as an orientation program for URM students.</p>
<p>Two factors converged to change the program a year ago to include white students: </p>
<p>a) the schools were threated with a lawsuit that the program was illegal under the Grutter and Gratz Michigan affirmative action cases because race was a determining factor in admission into the program. The schools' legal review confirmed the program could not be legally defended without changes.</p>
<p>b) an honest evaluation shows that the needs of URM students in adjusting to colleges as diverse as Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr are not what they were several decades ago.</p>
<p>The 30 from each school are primarily drawn from the enrolled URM first-year students with enough participation by non-URM students to make the program plausibly consititutional. The non-URM students will likely be selected on the basis of socio-economic diversity and/or passionate interest in diversity. Highlight one (or better still, both) of those if you are a non-URM applicant to maximize your chances.</p>
<p>The Tri-Co summer institute is...amazing. You'll get information about it in the mail, which will be pretty secretive and not very descriptive (if you haven't already). What you get, and what you hear from anyone, will not be able to adequately describe the experience. It's a really powerful, often live-changing week, that gives Tri-Co kids a really unique perspective coming to college with everyone else. If you have specific questions, I can try to answer them, but all I can really tell you is that if talking and doing activities for a week on end (you sleep sometimes) sounds good to you, and if you're up for a major challenge that will shape your beginning months at your chosen college, apply.</p>
<p>People are chosen based on the applications, but little secret - in the past, Bryn Mawr and Haverford have had barely enough, if enough, people apply to the program, so most of the time they get in. Swat often has to turn away half its applicants - it gets pretty competitive there. So spend lots of time on your essays regardless, but especially you, pre-Swatties! This is still one of the first few years with white students, and as one of them, I feel very fortunate that I could participate, but remember that race isn't the only issue. Tri-Co's about a whole lot more. ; )</p>
<p>Well, I have socio-economic diversity covered, and I also have a crazy interest in diversity (partly because I want to teach and I think it's important for a teacher to be understanding in that regard... I talked about it in my BMC-specific essay). And I'm a Mawrter, so that should help. :D Basically it sounds like the perfect week- I would LOVE it. If I get in, that means I'll skip getting my wisdom teeth out (haha, not too sad about that). Thanks a lot for the information, both of you.</p>
<p>Edit: And, yes, I have gotten the vague letter. A bit later than my Swattie friend, but I still got it.</p>
<p>And I looked at the website! The cool thing is that it sites Peggy McIntosh's article on white privledge. I've read it and I have a copy of it up in my room. :D We talked about it at gov school and ended up talking about band-aid colors for almost the whole meeting. And skits. (Yay for skits.)</p>
<p>i've just been accepted to the program! i'm really excited. brillar, hope i'll see you there! =)</p>