@juillet I agree with a lot of your points. Almost every AA I know that wants to go into stem was driven into stem by family members or have family members who are doctors and such. Honestly as an AA woman I feel like I have to prove myself more than others so that they understand that I am capable excelling in the same courses they are taking. Many people hold AAs to lower standards and don’t expect much from them because stereotypes and the media gives them the impression that AAs aren’t as capable as other races. Even at my school some AAs (including myself) don’t tell others where they are accepted because some try to discredit their hard work by saying “they only got in because of _______” making them feel bad for aiming higher even if their stats are excellent and up to par with their school of interest.
@julliet You make some really good points, I totally agree with you. Of course, there are the African Americans who just want to major in social work or education because they want to be a social worker or teacher. But then, there are also the African Americans who major in social work or education because they lack the exposure, knowledge, and preparation of other majors, so they major in the ones they are aware or familiar with.
@juliet, your points seem spot on to me. Add that many of the more affluent students in intro STEM classes are retaking much of the class material because they took the AP classes already in high school. Which puts the students from high schools that don’t even offer science APs (or kids who didn’t take them, possibly due to expectations from counselor’s or parents who didn’t realize the importance) at a serious disadvantage.
http://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/stem/stem-html/ shows non-STEM African-American students choosing business majors quite a bit more and education as a major somewhat less than non-STEM students in general. Perhaps less choose a STEM major, but within STEM their “computers, mathematics and statistics” sector is actually larger.
Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor wrote a book about this (Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It’s Intended to Help, and Why Universities Won’t Admit It)*, which they attribute to mismatch. As discussed here (http://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2012/12/how-not-attract-minorities-stem), before entering college blacks actually showed a bit higher interest in STEM. This only changed after enrollment:
*A decent overview and discussion is here: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/24635/
Has anyone even tried to analyze:
- how AA students from the same districts as non-AA students target majors
- how AA students in the same class levels as non-AA students target majors
- how, if race is left out of the equation, the SAT/ACT and GPA in math, science, and English classes compare to what major is chosen
It is so tiresome that everyone jumps on race as the factor in everything. My best friend is white and grew up in poverty in a single family home. Major was STEM and is making a LOT of money compared to anyone else in their family. Relatives include only one other person who had gone to college, who has been unemployed and underemployed for years. I just don’t get how it is okay to always count race, and never consider socioeconomics as a hugely contributing factor.
Because it is continually assumed that every AA kid is from a low socioeconomic background, attended a poor high school and received an inadequate education, doesn’t have parental guidance and support, only got into college because of affirmative action, and can’t possibly be capable of picking an acceptable major…tiresome indeed.
^^^ Indeed, many recent immigrant from, e.g. BenglaDesh, have no role models, no affluence, poor command of the language when they arrive, endure their share of micro-aggression (they are Muslim and they are dark-skinned), yet enter STEM successfully – they are now the fastest growing ethnicity at New York City’s STEM-oriented Stuyvesant High School.
So much for the usual tired narratives.
By the way, the fact that almost half the students at Stuyvesant High School are poor enough to qualify for reduced or free federal lunch is most inconvenient to those who like to say that testing, or pretty much anything, favors the rich (Stuyvesant admissions is by testing only).
This discussion is interesting because I’ve seen this happen. I think everyone hit on a few of the reasons why many Blacks pursue lower paying majors but my experience is that it’s the combination of many of these forces all together at work with the addition of low expectations and positive reinforcement of the decision.
I know many blacks that are my age and older (my kids are in college now) that are in social work, education and government jobs because there were fewer opportunities outside these areas that are genuinely proud of their kids who follow in their footsteps. At the same time, their white teachers and guidance counselor and professors have the low expectations that see them in these jobs while steering them away from more technical areas.
There is far less reinforcement for making the choice of a STEM degree than there is for a non-STEM degree. I don’t think it’s intentional either. My background is a STEM background and I work in a technical field. Few people in my family have an interest in my work. They simply can’t relate to what I do nor do they understand it. Other family members receive much more social support for what they do for a living but not me. I get it but its hard for many people to lose that social support from their own family. That would make some question their choice.
My friends who are entrepreneurs are similarly situated. Many of them grew up in very entrepreneurial homes. Those that didn’t grow up like that seem to receive much less social support for their entrepreneurial ventures and often hear things like why don’t you just get a job.