A recent Institute for Higher Education Policy study of New England college students reported that more than half of the low-income and minority students surveyed felt academically unprepared upon entering college.
However, University advisers who deal directly with minority students said yesterday that these sentiments are rare at Princeton and that difficulties stemming from lack of preparation were not unique to low-income or minority students.
"A lot of the problems imputed to minorities are actually not exclusive to minority students," sociology professor and freshman adviser Patricia Fernandez-Kelly said.
The institute's report — entitled "Getting Through College: Voices of Low-Income and Minority Students in New England" — was based on surveys and interviews of 350 students enrolled in four-year colleges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Half the students in the survey were minorities, according to Colleen O'Brien, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based research group that conducted the survey.
The researchers concluded that low-income and minority students face financial, academic and social barriers in college.
"We wanted to tell what are those stumbling blocks," O'Brien said. "We wanted to find out what were the things that helped them."
This study may provide key information as Princeton alters its financial aid policy to eliminate loans and go need-blind for international students.
"We've seen from the results in this report that a lot are borrowing," O'Brien said. "If you're getting grant aid more than loan aid, it's going to have a greater impact on whether they stay in or drop out."
In a nation where just 18 percent of minority high school graduates earn bachelor's degrees — compared to 35 percent of their white counterparts — this study also provides critical information for universities in determining factors that create this disparity.
Many of the surveyed students who had trouble adjusting to the college workload faulted their high schools for not preparing them adequately for college. While only 25 percent of the students had participated in a pre-college preparation program, two-thirds of the students enrolled in those programs said they were beneficial.
According to the researchers, these figures suggest that despite the benefits of pre-college programs, many students are not participating in them. Though many of these programs are government-sponsored, Princeton conducts its own pre-college program for freshman.
The Freshman Scholars Institute provides accepted students with opportunities to experience certain courses and programs that may have been unavailable to them in high school, according to Associate Dean of the College Carol Porter, who heads FSI.
For example, some students who participated in FSI before entering the University lacked the mathematical background necessary for engineering, and others did not have "rigorous" writing programs in high school, Porter said.
Of about 140 students who received invitations to last summer's FSI, 71 participated — 41 in the humanities and social sciences section and 30 in the science and engineering section. Porter said 52 percent of the participants were minorities — 32 percent of Princeton's student body is non-white. Financial aid statistics were unavailable.
Porter emphasized that FSI is not designed for low-income or minority students and that students of various backgrounds attend the program. She also said the program greatly eased the adjustment from high school to college for the students.
"I think it does a really good job," she said. "What they learn from FSI is the amount of work that's required and the nature of the work that's required. They realize the qualitative and quantitative differences from their high school experience."
Read More
Amid ‘Stand Up’ appeals, undergrad alumni participation in annual giving hits fifteen-year low, sees uptick in donations
Nico David-FoxIn an extraordinary moment for higher education, this year’s fundraising haul of $68.4 million is not abnormal compared to the similar totals raised in the late 2010s.
In an extraordinary moment for higher education, this year’s fundraising haul of $68.4 million is not abnormal compared to the similar totals raised in the late 2010s.
David Zielenziger ’74, former ‘Prince’ chairman and lifelong journalist, passes away at 72
Kian PetlinFriends and colleagues remember former ‘Prince’ chairman David Zielenziger ’74, who passed away peacefully on May 20.
Friends and colleagues remember former ‘Prince’ chairman David Zielenziger ’74 who passed away peacefully on May 20.
Remembering Dorothea von Moltke, Labyrinth co-founder and local community builder
Lucia BrownDorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.
Dorothea von Moltke, widely considered the heart of Labyrinth Books, was remembered by friends and loved ones for her passions for language, literature, and local activism.