<p>OK so i'm going to transfer to UT in the fall (if i don't get in i'll transfer in the spring) and i was wondering if it's like super hard to make friends. i was reading reviews on other websites and people stated that once people find their niche they don't branch out and that it's kind of cliquely since it's a big school. will i have a hard time finding friends??
i was also told that people tend to stick to their on race, people don't social inter-racially. most parties are segregated by race. this is bad for me because i'm african american and as i'm not racist, my friends tend to be mostly caucasians, i usually don't have the same interest as the majority of african americans, but i do have african american friends. so are people racist?? or is this just a stereotype.</p>
<p>i asked my friends about this problem and they were like "well first you look bi racial so you blend in with the tan girls, you remind me of vanessa from gossip girl". <<< is this an ignorant comment or is it just me?</p>
<p>i am really nervous about this, what is it really like?</p>
<p>There are nearly 1,900 African American students at UT. While a tiny number of them are on athletic scholarship, the vast majority of them are there because of excellence in academics. And while a small percentage of them may receive massive financial aid, most of them have at least some financial means, and some have considerable financial means. But all of them have one thing in common that is most important. They could have gone anywhere else, including 7 historically black colleges in Texas, but they chose UT. And they chose UT knowing that it’s A) one of the best colleges in the state and the country, and B) 95% of the kids at UT aren’t black. They work hard, they’re intelligent, they take their education very seriously, and they have very high aspirations for their careers and lives.</p>
<p>When you meet these fellow African-American students, you will notice that some of them have faint Caribbean accents, some of them sound like they went to prep schools, and some sound like they grew up in the 'hood. Some will have backgrounds and interests that seem very different from yours. Others will seem strikingly similar to yours.</p>
<p>Will you want to become best friends with every African-American person you meet at UT? Of course not. Will you still have some white friends? Of course. It may look segregated on the surface because there are many special interest clubs for every race and culture for kids to learn more about their identity and feel more at home. But the reality is that most kids are associating with multiple groups of friends, and have friends of multiple races.</p>
<p>You can segregate yourself from other races, or you can associate entirely with people from other races, but my bet is that it will be somewhere in between. I recommend you keep an open mind, keep branching out, and don’t be afraid to challenge your assumptions about people. You will be continually surprised and amazed.</p>