As decision day deadline approaches for students to make a decision as to what college they?re attending in fall of 2014, African American students and their families are weighing their decisions not solely on a college?s faculty, but also on student groups, diversity, mentorship and more importantly, its atmosphere, according to the LATimes.com
Raven Tripplett, 17, from Alliance William & Carol Ouchi High School in South Los Angeles couldn?t decide whether the lack of African American students would make her feel alone or content.
?I didn?t notice a lot of other Black students at UCLA, other than the group I was with,? said the high school student. ?I?m honestly not sure if I?m going to feel isolated, but I?m going in with an open mind, even knowing I might be the only black person in my class.?
Shaun Harper, the executive director of the Institute of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, feels these are the harsh realities African American students will face.
?Black students may also encounter others from more privileged backgrounds who hold negative stereotypes or they may be put into positions of speaking for their entire race,? said Harper. ?In the college choice process, those issues are not weighed as much as they should be by students and families.?
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Read more at Los Angeles Times.
