Article provided by The Princeton Review
While every college can usually be counted on to have more diversity than what a student might have known in high school, there's no denying that certain colleges can be populated with students that have nearly everything in common with each other. The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for "The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition" revealed the top 10 schools with the least diverse social and ethnic types. Read excerpts from the students' responses to the survey below.
While every college can usually be counted on to have more diversity than what a student might have known in high school, there's no denying that certain colleges can be populated with students that have nearly everything in common with each other. The Princeton Review's survey of 120,000 college students for "The Best 368 Colleges: 2009 Edition" revealed the top 10 schools with the least diverse social and ethnic types. Read excerpts from the students' responses to the survey below.
Article provided by The Princeton Review While every college can usually be counted on to have more diversity than what a student might have known in high s... more
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1
Providence College
Providence, R.I.
Though Providence students "are not the most diverse group," "The administration is really emphasizing our need for people who are different" from what some perceive to be the usual "cookie-cutter" student. That said, students report, by and large, that they are "all comfortable with one another and it is easy to fit in," noting a "strong sense of community." The typical student here "is a white, upper-middle class kid who went to a private/Catholic prep school in New England" and "looks as though he stepped off the pages of the Hollister/Abercrombie catalogue." Students who considered Providence also looked at University of Notre Dame, University of Richmond, Northeastern University and Fairfield University.
2
Fairfield University
Fairfield, Conn.
Almost everyone hails from the northeast at this "homogenous, preppy school" with "generally very intelligent" students. Pockets run pretty deep amongst students, which leads some of this "Ugg wearing, blond haired, Seven for All Mankind-wearing" crowd to "think they're God's gift to mankind." There are plenty of "more mellow, normal folks" here, and even though "it doesn't take much" to be considered an atypical student, those that are usually "find their own niche and have no problems living their lives the way they wish." Students who considered Fairfield also looked at Georgetown University, Boston College, Fordham University, College of the Holy Cross, Villanova University and Providence College.
3
Grove City College
Grove City, Pa.
Students at GCC are the first to point out that "Our school is pretty homogenous." The typical student is "an intelligent, studious, straight-edge Protestant" who "got straight A's in high school and has been pretty much a model person for most of his or her life." Ethnically and economically, undergrads are mainly "white and from middle- to upper-class families." One undergrad notes, "There are not too many atypical students, and everyone knows who those students are." Students who considered Grove City also looked at Wheaton College (IL), Hillsdale College, Penn State -- University Park, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and Thiel College.
4
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio
Old stereotypes die hard. Just ask the undergrads here and they will tell you that, yes, "Miami is 'J. Crew U.'" "The typical student is white, relatively wealthy, equipped with their parents' credit card, good-looking and only seen in the hottest fashions." But students are adamant that there are two "sides of the J. Crew U. stereotype. To be sure, if you look at Miami U. from the Goodyear Blimp, it is J. Crew U. If you looked at Miami U. under a microscope and saw students interacting in everyday situations, you would see another school entirely." One undergrad observes that "Minorities seem to be in short supply." Another calls, "this student body composition ... self-perpetuating." Students who considered Miami University also looked at University of Notre Dame, Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Wisconsin -- Madison, University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Boston College.
5
University of New Hampshire
Durham, N.H.
Students here are mostly middle class and hail from New England (especially from New Hampshire, naturally), and a main point of contention among students is that there "is not a lot of ethnic/racial diversity," though the school is working on it. Most of these "laid-back" and "easy to get along with." Wildcats party, and it can be "hard to find one that doesn't." "EVERYONE skis or snowboards," and in the cold weather "Uggs and North Face fleece jackets abound." Students who considered University of New Hampshire also looked at University of Connecticut, University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts -- Amherst, Northeastern University, Boston University, Providence College and University of Rhode Island.
6
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pa.
Although "'preppy' would be the word to describe most students on this campus, there are others who do not fit this category at all." Politically, students have liberal leanings, and students report that most of their classmates seem to "come from the surrounding areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York." "Muhlenberg is extremely gay-friendly," but in terms of ethnicity, "There is little diversity," a fact "that the college is interested in changing." Students who considered Muhlenberg also looked at Lehigh University, Lafayette College, University of Delaware and Dickinson College.
7
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pa.
"A lot of people are preppy -- super preppy" on the Bucknell campus, many students tell us, observing that "the sheer number of student-owned luxury cars on this campus is astounding." An adamant minority insists that "Bucknell has a reputation for being a preppy school, but in my experience that reputation is overblown." Most everyone agrees that 'preppy' doesn't have to mean boring; the student body includes "plenty of interesting and different people to hang out with if you look for them." Students who considered Bucknell also looked at Boston College, Tufts University, Colgate University and Lehigh University.
8
University of Richmond
Richmond, Va.
UR, most students agree, "is extremely preppy, with a lot of very wealthy students. It is also very fraternity/sorority-oriented. If you aren't in one of those groups, it is definitely harder to find close friends because the school is so small." Harder, but not impossible; notes one outsider, "There is a decided proportion of students who don't fit this mold, who are easy to find and certainly fit in, but if you are one of this latter group, it may seem on occasion as though you are starring in 'Operation J. Crew Invasion.'" Students who considered University of Richmond also looked at University of Virginia, College of William and Mary, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University and Duke University.
9
The University of Scranton
Scranton, Pa.
While "the typical Scranton student is white, Catholic and from the suburbs," students hasten to point out that "within this sameness, there is much diversity. There are people who couldn't care at all about religion, and there are people who are deeply religious. Even in the Catholic atmosphere of the school, the school only requires that you learn about Catholicism as it stands. Theology classes ... are prefaced with the idea that 'You do not have to believe this!'" Students who considered University of Scranton also looked at University of Delaware, Fairfield University, Villanova University, Saint Joseph's University (Pa.), Fordham University, Loyola College in Maryland and Penn State -- University Park.
10
Saint Anselm College
Manchester, N.H.
The stereotype at Saint Anselm is definitely a "white, Catholic Red Sox fan." "Most students I've met here have Boston accents, at least half are Irish, and went to a private school," observes a freshman. There's "only a handful of minorities." "The student body is not the most diverse community but most people are very welcoming," adds a senior. "Social groups here tend to be well defined and yet somehow still permeable, or at least, amiable to one another." Students who considered Saint Anselm also looked at Fairfield University, College of the Holy Cross, University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts -- Amherst and Merrimack College.
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