Black Students Feel More Optimistic About Being Prepared for College Than Other Ethnic Groups

Tweet

A new study has found that African American students are more optimistic about being ready for college than other ethnic groups. TRU, a Chicago-based research company, conducted the study in April and May of this year. The study focused on the habits and attitudes of the millennial generation.

The study’s pool consisted of 5,600 students. Half of the students were high school students who were college bound and the other half were students who were already in two and four year colleges and universities.

The vice president of the research company, Deborah Maue pointed out that the sample size allowed the researchers to observe the varying attitudes of the students of different racial groups.

The highest percentage of  high school students that felt prepared for college was among African Americans but it was still only 36 percent. 30 percent of Hispanics, 28 percent of Caucasian students, and 27 percent of Asians also said they felt prepared for college.

Maue said,

“That was interesting to us that such a low percentage of students overall felt prepared for college given the emphasis that’s placed on the college admissions process from day one.”

According to Maue,  millennials generally tend to feel anxious and not ready to grow up.

Maue went on to say,

“This is the generation that grew up with the schedule on the fridge. Mom and Dad tend to manage their lives compared to prior generations. The idea of going out and having to navigate the world on their own used to be seen as a step of independence and freedom, now there’s more anxiety.”

Maue also pointed out that more Hispanic and African American students perceived the admission process as fair while less of their Asian and Caucasian counterparts felt the same way.

Said Maue,

“African Americans and Hispanics are underrepresented, so institutions that are looking to represent the population at large look to African American and Hispanic students.”