Checking Things Out Before Your First Campus Visit

I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. With its vibrant African-American community, I thought I knew what diversity was. I assumed that going to school in Philadelphia would be an easy adjustment.

Little did I know that there are many more aspects of diversity that I hardly understood. It all boils down to this: college is not high school. Things are different. And while you can try and prepare yourself for a new environment with new people, in all likelihood, you’ll find friends in places you never imagined and will be turned off to activities you thought you’d enjoy. However, while you can’t predict or prepare for everything, there are certain things to look out for when trying to gain an understanding of the diversity level at schools. Here are three easy tips to help.

Check out the city that the school is in. From the internet, you can look up types of restaurants, neighborhoods, religious establishments, etc. While you will spend a lot of your life on campus, sometimes establishments off-campus can offer much more. Are there things that appeal to you or sound like fun?
Find out about sororities and fraternities. Do research online about Greek organizations that cater to minorities. For example, many schools support fraternities and sororities for African Americans, Jews, Asians, Latinos, and multi-cultural enthusiasts. So find out what exists for you, and see if schools have that organization on campus.

Greek organizations, for the most part, involve themselves in many aspects of campus life, including social events, community service, and campus organizations. They can be a great way to get involved while helping you feel comfortable in a group of people with similar backgrounds and goals.
Last, and probably most important, go to the school’s Student Activities website and find a list of existing student organizations. Look through the list. These organizations are most likely student-created and college-funded. If you see lots of different kinds of groups, you not only know something about the students, but you also know that the school supports diversity. This can be a great telltale sign about your potential school.

Overall, diversity can be a tough issue for schools to grasp thoroughly. Some schools do it better than others. Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to decide if a school is one you’d feel comfortable being a part of, minority or not.

Jonathan Kriner is a student at Temple University in Philadelphia, majoring in Advertising with a minor in Business. He may be contacted at Jonathan.Kriner@temple.edu