<p>Hey, So just a concern I have, but I've heard about racism at Vanderbilt, not directly, but more of a racial tension on campus.
I read that while there isnt direct racism, or racial issues, theres almost a tension across minorites and the rest.
I'm actually middle eastern and want to ED to Vanderbilt, but if theres indirect racist discomfort, it might be a deal breaker...</p>
<p>Also, I apologize if this sounds ignorant to the actual University, but its just a concern I have.</p>
<p>There are no racial tensions on campus. You should reach out to current Middle eastern students to get a better feel of their campus experiences.</p>
<p>[Middle</a> Eastern Student Association - MESA](<a href=“http://studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/mesa/]Middle”>http://studentorgs.vanderbilt.edu/mesa/)</p>
<p>I’ve never been aware of racial tension anywhere on campus. Highly recommend you reach out to members of MESA as timetodecide suggested.</p>
<p>My D’s roommate of 3 years is African American, and several of D’s friends were of middle Eastern descent. She never shared any concerns about racism. Like in many schools (and in life), people are drawn to those with whom they are comfortable … so not everyone hangs around with everyone else. But I didn’t get the sense that there was any overt racism.</p>
<p>arite, thanks guys…
I will probably be EDing to Vandy then…</p>
<p>Also, the emails on the website timetodecide12 showed, doesnt seem to be working…</p>
<p>Why don’t you consider doing the essays for a Chancellor’s Scholarship if you have strong stats? You never know. Share what you bring to the campus from your family, personality, values and culture. ED students are sometimes tapped for merit scholarships and in my opinion, the more essays the better if you have something to say. Getting in at all isn’t very predictable but it feels good to know you put the effort in there to do your best to introduce yourself, your dreams and your possible contributions to the community that is Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice faline, and maybe i’ll do it in time, but I really dont have strong stats… I took very hard classes and ended up getting B’s across the board, but my school seems to have a decent track record to Vandy which is why im applying…</p>
<p>Take everything you read on the Internet with some skepticism, including what I am about to say. Of course racial segregation exists at Vanderbilt. Most of the time, you see people of similar ethnicity eating together and avoiding people from other backgrounds. Whites hang out most with other whites, Asians with Asians, and so forth. The pattern recurs at many colleges and workplaces. Some clubs try to encourage a more multicultural environment, but people have a natural tendency to hook up with other people of similar culture, so yeah.</p>
<p>Search “Vanderbilt racism” on Google and there are over 20 results from this very forum of people asking the same thing as you. Yes, some of the student body here will engage in indirect racism. You should meet at least one student here who treats you in an inferior manner due to your ethnicity. A lot of students refuse to be the one who brings the issue to the administration’s attention; they would rather suffer the discrimination and keep everybody happy. Everyone except for themselves. Part of the college experience is finding your own method to dealing with condescending and difficult people. Maybe you could bring the issue to their attention and work out a solution. Or perhaps peer mediation is needed. Anyway, the world is full of indirect (and sometimes direct) racists, and avoiding them is almost impossible.</p>
<p>I suppose the first thing you should worry about is getting accepted, as the 14% freshman acceptance rate seems to be lowering every year. Vanderbilt’s recent increase in selectivity is ridiculous, so good luck getting in.</p>
<p>Discrimination is a fact of life. There will always be those who judge based on race, ethnicity, religion, weight, social class, sex, looks … you name it, someone out there is judging based on it. It is part of the human condition. I have experienced discrimination based on age in recent job searches. It is what it is. Some environments seem to be more comfortable for some than others, and I think that is the question here: Is Vanderbilt an environment that is comfortable for those who are “different?” The answer probably is different for each person. D’s roommate did not feel there was racism … perhaps others did. </p>
<p>I used to work at a college that was incredibly ethnically diverse … huge Muslim population, for example. I saw many students choosing to move within their own ethnic groups, but I also saw students interacting very well. How it “feels” to the individual depends on the individual, I guess.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt is an interesting place to say the least. The campus isn’t a “racist” environment in the sense that people are treated badly. I believe most people try to be as normal as possible around minorities because they don’t want to be deemed a racist by anyone (a pretty harsh term that everyone wants to avoid). But at the same time if your a white individual who’s gone to private schools your entire life, and the only idea of what minorities are like is from TV and maybe one or two kids in your class (that ultimately act like you because they’re also wealthy) then your bound to be a little uneasy when speaking to say an African American or Middle Eastern. I feel that minorities can sense this uneasiness and in turn feel uncomfortable so they revert to people that accept them more easily (their own minority group). And this cycle continues over and over again. </p>
<p>So I’d say to not go into any situation thinking that one university is going to be some type of utopian society where all races are seamlessly integrated and everyone’s singing kumbaya. Go into university conscious that certain individuals may have a different background and just open yourself up to people and if they don’t like you for you then move on.</p>
<p>I don’t agree that there is segregation between races. It’s a bit of an illusion. There is self-segregation between international students and US students. Students of varying ethnicities from the US are well integrated. International students tend to choose not to be integrated, but it’s a choice. If you don’t try to be a part of the greater community, you aren’t going to be a part of it. I’m sure many of the international students are comfortable with this reality, which is why they make the choice.</p>
<p>I think what Vandy3023 said is pretty exaggerated. Vanderbilt’s community is highly intellectual, and is more and more intellectual with each passing year. To think that there’s uneasiness when speaking with those of a different culture is pretty absurd. It may apply to a very small portion of the population, but that’s an issue not specific to Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>There are bound to be a handful of bigots in any environment, but I don’t believe Vanderbilt has more than any other campus.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago is probably considered one of the more diverse and open campuses in the country. However, when we visited their campus this past May, they were dealing with a fraternity that had forced pledges to wear sombreros and play loud mariachi music while doing yard work outside the frat house. My impression was that it was an isolated incident and the administration was dealing with it. I imagine Vanderbilt would have a similar response.</p>