Looking for Diversity: If You Want To Make The World A Better Place, Dive Into It

Most college websites offer some sort of blah-blah about their commitment to establishing a richly diverse student population.  A little digging generally turns up some sobering statistics, like maybe the fact that only 4% of the student body is non-white or only 2% of the student body comes from outside the US.

In fact, diversity (or lack thereof) is one of the hottest topics among university administrators these days.  It seems that everyone is scrambling to offer scholarships and other benefits to minority students–or at least, that’s what they say.  Some are making diversity their priority and rallying cry, but even those who are most strident in their statements about the need for student diversity recognize that there are challenges.

Anecdotally, private college campuses are looking different these days, and it’s not what you might expect.  I’ve heard and read many comments from students who are saying how their own campuses have become playgrounds for upper-middle class students.  The white-vegans-with-Range-Rovers crowd is growing. 

State schools, on the other hand, are seeing an increase in diversity. Part of this is due to the rising costs of private universities.  Part of this is due to the fact that a higher percentage of high school students are going to college, and they’re more likely to be able to afford state schools.   And part of this is due to an admissions process for private schools that favors legacies and those who are more likely to be able to afford the programs and activities that help them rise to the top of the list of applicants.

So, if you head to a small private university–especially one on the East Coast–expect a pretty white experience.  Campuses don’t seem to be getting more colorful on their own, so colleges are scrambling to send their admissions people on international recruiting tours–those international students make their numbers look better AND they pay those higher international student rates.   

So, how’s a college student supposed to meet people from other cultures and countries?  The best answer is to get off campus–but NOT as part of a packaged tour with a bunch of other upper-middle-class white American students. 

The key is to break out of the pack and seek out internship opportunities or study abroad possibilities on your own.  Remember:  the US of A is a diverse nation.  You can find people who are very different than you without leaving the US, and you can even immerse yourself in a different culture if you’re game. 

My daughter, for example, is a blond white girl working in Harlem.  She is the only white person on staff and the only white person anyone there is likely to see all day long.  She is passionate about digging in and getting a hands-on experience.  She could have chosen to go to Columbia University to get her master’s in public health, but she recognized that if she wanted to study side-by-side with those who are in the trenches instead of those who are padding their resumes, she’d be far better off at Hunter College’s urban health program which is packed full of professionals who really know the issues because they have worked in their communities for years. 

As my daughter puts it, “Working in Harlem has been a greater leap for me culturally than when I lived abroad for a year in Chile or traveled throughout Latin America. I work in two clinics–one that offers services largely to the African-American community, and one that offers services to those from the Dominican Republic.  Half the time, I’m speaking Spanish. ALL of the time, I’m learning how to connect with my patients and colleagues who have had a very different life than mine.  It’s an amazingly valuable and enriching experience for me.” 

If you can’t find diversity on your campus, know this:  you can CHOOSE to have any kind of experience that helps you understand and connect with others, and if you want to prepare for a world that is becoming increasingly diverse, getting used to working with others who are not like you is your single greatest advantage. 

Those who’ve had the experience of living and working in cultures that are new to them are far more likely to become innovative about developing creative solutions to social problems. 

If you want to make the world a better place, dive into it first. 

Tagged as: college admissions, college tuition, creativity, diversity, higher education, innovation, international students, internships, study abroad