Annotated Bibliography: Underrepresented College Students

Students attend school starting at pre-school then kindergarten, kindergarten to first grade and leading up to middle school then high school, the classes and teachers are supposed to prepare them for the next level. With the correct preparation and tools, after graduating high school, many students have their mind set on attending college as the next level. However many African-American male students who do have the ability to graduate high school, are not prepared for their next level which is college. Due to the quality of these schools “the school districts in urban neighborhoods have fewer academic offerings, less qualified teachers, out of date materials and lower quality curriculum” (WOOD, J. (2011), results in the poor education of the minority students attending them. Also due to the different academic and environment backgrounds that white and black students come from, many teachers are unaware of how to teach black students and how to gain their attention in the classroom. Other than

As many African-American students are making their college decisions, they are torn between the mixes. The two routes they have, are the many predominantly white institutions that the vast majority deem as the most elite institutions in America and the few historically black institutions that many and even African American students look down upon. In this instance, this was the same experience our reporter, Marcus Lee encountered. Instead of attending Emory University, his dream school, because of financial issues he later “settled” for his backup school, Morehouse College, a well-known HBCU. Before entering Morehouse, Marcus had many insecurities about Morehouse. On his first day of freshman orientation, he quickly figured out that his decision

Adam Gorlick in “ Got an hour? Boost your grades. Stanford psychologists design 60-minute exercise that raises GPAs of minority student” talks about the transition from high school to college and the difficulties many students face. In his article Adam Gorlick brings up various questions many freshman ask for example, will they fit in but also brings up the issue of being a minority in a new college campus. He later goes on to talk about how these situations during the transition to college are situations that everyone goes through.

Decisions made prior to the age of eighteen always seem like a crisis until you have met the mother of all crisis, your final college decision. I found myself staring my future directly in the face almost a year ago wondering where I would further my education just as much as the people pressuring an answer from me. After months of self deliberation, I set my sights on Prairie View A&M University for fall enrollment, albeit if you would have asked me just a few months before I would have turned my face up and dismissed the university as even an option. Stereotypes of universities that historically known as predominantly populated by black students skewed their image for me. Eventually, my outlook was enlightened through educating myself more

“ A goal without a plan is just a wish”. In the near future I plan to promote the advancement of underrepresented groups at Central Michigan University. I plan to join and have a leadership role in organizations and clubs at CMU that advocate for minorities. I hope to make CMU an outstanding environment for minorities.

Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Digest of Education Statistics (2010) compiles data on educational trends and statistics in the United States. According to the digest, in 2009 African Americans earned about 10 percent of all bachelor degrees awarded. Furthermore, about 20 percent of African Americans currently hold a college degree. When compared to the same rates for the white non-hispanic population, African Americans are largely lagging behind. The challenges that African Americans are facing must be met by post secondary institutions if this group is going to continue on the path of economic and career prosperity. This need is discussed in the report Minorities in Higher Education:

J. Luke Wood and John D. Harrison “examined the college choice process for Black males attending community colleges”. “For those Black males attending public colleges, the

African-American women have not received much consideration in the literature although they are a rising presence on college campuses (Strayhorn & Johnson, 2014). In fact, nationally 4 million women are enrolled in community colleges, 36% are African-American raising children alone, in which adds additional challenges in improving persistence and graduation (Goldrick-Rab & Sorensen, 2011, Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2013, American Association of Community Colleges, 2016, Shapiro, Dundar, & Huie, 2017). More specifically, female, single heads of households, lack consistent and affordable daycare, have problems balancing their family and work responsibilities, and are more likely to drop out due to financial issues (Kuh, Kinzie, Buckley, Bridges, & Hayek, 2006, Goldrick-Rab & Sorensen, 2011, Rose & Hill, 2013). Furthermore, in an examination of six-year completion results from the fall 2010 cohort states, over 58% of black women have attended college, however, only 29% graduated with a degree or certificate

The African American males access to higher learning is detrimental to the United States economy. The social conditions that plague African American males in their quest for college degrees are very obvious. For more than 40 years, the African American male has been missing in action from higher learning institutions by a margin of 50:1. In this paper, I will explore the problems and the critical actions needed for correction.

Introduction Making the choice to go to college is usually already a challenge in itself for all students. But for most minority students, specifically African American students, the challenges somewhat can go beyond measure especially for those who come from a low income background, who may be considered

In 1947, The President’s Commission Report stated that higher education is to provide “Equal educational opportunities for all persons, to the maximum of their individual abilities and without regard to [socio]economic status, race, creed, color, sex, national origin or ancestry, [which] is [the] major goal of American democracy” (United States & Zook, 1947, p. 3). Thus, the purpose of this essay is to analyze the path for underserved students transitioning from community college to a 4-year university, while reconceptualizing the American Dream. Through a critical race theoretical lends, this essay will outline the historical trend and statistical facts on student transfer rates from community college, emphasize the importance of creating a transfer receptive culture and incorporate the urgency to reevaluate the inequalities in equity for underserved students in higher education.

As a result, students and parents are starting to prepare for college much later than researchers recommend (Bell et al., 2009; Gibbons et al., 2006). According to research from Bell et al. (2009), students who attend schools with personnel dedicated to college guidance are more likely to feel confident about and familiar with the college application process. This finding is particularly significant, as first-generation college students report lower positive outcome expectations related to attending college, which can in turn impact their intentions, interests, and goals. Furthermore, with prospective first-generation college students reporting greater barriers related to college going, it is essential that counselors dedicated to college access are available to help raise positive expectations, as well as challenge negative expectations for this population (Gibbons & Borders, 2010). Although 65 percent of first-generation college students expressed interest in attending a four-year university in Gibbons et al.’s (2006) research, just 53 percent of all prospective first-generation college students were enrolled in college-preparatory courses. As a result, some counselors have started to realize how the rigor of classes is a systemic barrier

Success comes easier to a student’s if they are in their comfort zone. students who feel at ease with their environment, have a higher tendency to achieve success in college, for example studies have shown that African American students that attend predominantly white universities are more likely to either have lower grade point averages or drop out at higher rates than their white counterparts and African Americans at historically black colleges. (Allen, Epps & Hanuf, 1991; Braddock & Dawkins 1981) This is a common example of how change could affect a student’s ambition unconsciously. Studies have shown that students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities are more likely to have higher self worth, positive self images, strong racial pride, and higher aspirations, opposite of black students on white campuses. This is true for almost all commonalities: race, gender, age, and even backgrounds. Students that feel more “at home” will more than likely receive higher grade point averages.

In Alvin Chang’s’ article, “The subtle ways colleges discriminate against poor students, explained with a cartoon” Chang uses multiple research projects to explain why students that have lower income or are first generation students are less likely to succeed in college. In the article Chang references a survey that was taken in order to see what different college administrators expect their students to acquire during their education. Overwhelmingly the college administrator's wanted their students to acquire individual skills over interdependence skills. Chang correlates a students success with their ability to think individually knowing that lower income and first generation students show an interdependent