Diversity in education

When I was picking the schools I would want to apply to or attend potentially all of my options were mostly in southern states because of the proximity and their locations, they are more diverse and I would feel more welcomed as I was an international student coming to live in the US for the first time. Eventually, I got into Penn State, I loved almost everything about it, the dorms, the campus, the programs, etc. My only concern would be if I felt like I belonged here, especially because this school is located in the middle of nowhere, it’s not like a big city where a lot of people from other countries come to build their lives. Currently, I feel like I do belong here, however, I still believe diversity in-state college is not the highest.

 

 

 

 

Diversity in schools is an issue that needs to be addressed more, its importance relies on how valuable can be when students consider or encounter worldviews, the different perspectives, and ideas developed by the variety of experiences are essential for the understanding of a globalized world, and have a better learning environment. It challenges negative stereotyped preconceptions, encourages students to perform critical thinking, and helps students to learn how to communicate with people from different backgrounds as them. Learning from others’ special needs, abilities, motivations, family compositions, or backgrounds helps many students to understand and even adapt to new perspectives, they can work collectively around the differences in the different dimensions. For example, there are other ways of measuring diversity in a university, for example, the sexual identity or orientation of someone, their income level or social status, cultural background, gender, etc.

 

Race/Ethnicity	Percentage
African American	5.63%
Asian American	6.40%
Hispanic/Latino	7.65%
Native American/Alaskan Native	0.13%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	0.11%
White	64.95%
Multiple Races	3.44%
Unknown/Undeclared	2.28%
International	9.36

This table shows the diversity in Undergraduate Enrollment University-wide by Percentage for the  2018-2019 school year. It shows how the university’s population is mostly white, followed by Hispanic or Latino, and then Asian. Students in Penn have medium racial diversity, with 31% of students as minorities or people of color. One of the reasons the university might not be diverse enough is because of the lack of financial resources for international students, such as scholarships, grants, or loans. The university, being a public institution, doesn’t recognize an official international students scholarship or financial aid.

In conclusion, a diverse learning environment is very important for students to develop more wide ideas and perspectives, knowing how to discuss controversial public issues that affect many people at once, take into consideration the differences in experiences, capacities or abilities, and interests, and help make better citizens of the world.

 

bibliography:

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/diversity-in-college-and-why-it-matters

https://admissions.psu.edu/apply/statistics/