Right now students are reviewing colleges and determining which campus falls on their “shortlist.” Students who have attended my online webinars know I stress the importance of reviewing their academic profile against the admitted freshman profile, considering the academic major and amenities regarding their discipline, whether the campus will leverage their future academic goals (graduate school and research opportunities), and to consider Geographic Diversity (see previous blog postings for these articles). However, there are additional factors that students of color should seriously consider when applying and accepting an offer of admission.

One critical factor is whether or not the university has followed a basic rule in marketing: “Show, don’t tell.” Many universities “tell” students they are an inclusive campus, but fail to “show” them. These universities proudly advertise a formal “Diversity Statement” or “Set of Campus Values” within their marketing materials in hopes this “stamp” will lure diverse students to their campus. While these formal statements are largely perceived as positive, many universities falsely believe their use of these statements will adequately convey their campus commitment to diversity and inclusion. So, the question is: are they simply telling you they embrace diversity and inclusion, or are they showing you?

Consider Nestle’s Tollhouse Brand cookies. On their popular yellow and maroon Nestle packaging they “tell” consumers about their product in two statements: “Bake the very best” and “Semi-sweet Morsels.” However, Nestle uses their see-through wrap to “show” consumers exactly what they are getting – their famous brand semi-sweet morsels. They are transparent – literally, in their marketing efforts. Likewise, universities cannot rely exclusively on their packaging, but should demonstrate how they embrace diversity. As they say, ‘the proof is in the pudding’ or in this case the cookie. Universities should be transparent when recruiting diverse students to their campus. Furthermore, the student should not be required to hunt for this information – the university should show the student where, how, and why they fit in.

So, how can students determine whether the campus embraces diversity and inclusion? Students should look at the campus’ overall philosophy, the programs and facilities that engage students of color, and most importantly – hard facts.

For example, let’s examine Stanford University. The link to “Diversity at Stanford” is right there, smack on the homepage of their undergraduate admissions page. In addition to “telling” students that Hispanic Magazine ranks Stanford “among the top 10 colleges in America for Latina/o students” they also “show” students why. It is clear, through four different perspectives, that Stanford genuinely values and supports diversity. On their Student Organization list, there are nearly 25 organizations specifically addressing Latino student issues and activities. One such organization is the El Centro Chicano – a cultural center that provides support to students academically, culturally, socially, and personally. Additionally, one of their housing amenities is Casa Zapata – housing specifically for Latino students. Next, I can easily find an entire page with academic resources dedicated to ethnic studies. Like Nestle Tollhouse cookies, Stanford shows Latino students exactly what they are getting.

Stanford also does an excellent job of utilizing targeted, yet respectful, marketing. For example, in addition to telling and showing diverse students how they “fit in”, Stanford follows up with admitted students in an effort to close the deal. When our daughter was admitted via Early Admission to Stanford she received a big envelope with the words, “¿Stanford Para Mi? ¡Claro que si!” The insert simply said, “Introducing you to the Chicano/Latino community at Stanford.”

Stanford is not the only selective campus that actively recruits Latino students. Harvard has been utilizing their Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program (UMRP) for more than 25 years. Working in connection with their Admissions Office, the UMRP reaches out to diverse applicants through telephone calls, emails, and hosting on-campus visits. They have student representatives who specialize in recruitment for Latino, African-American, and Native American students. This program, in connection with other resources on campus, demonstrates their genuine desire to recruit Latino students. In addition to UMRP, they have Harvard Radcliffe Raza, Fuerza Latina, Concilio Latino, Hacia Democracy, Harvard College Act on a Dream, Harvard Organization for Latin American (Hola), Latino Men’s Collective, Latinas Unidas, Latinos in Health Careers, Latino Pre-Law Association, Presencia Latina, Ballet Folklórico de Aztlan, Teatro!, Mariachi Veritas, and many other on-campus groups devoted to engaging Latino students.

Let’s get back to cookies. How else can we know for certain whether we are getting the goods, or just being sold by packaging? We need to look beyond the package and consider hard facts. For example, we want to see the percentage of Latino students who are admitted and matriculate at their campus. In other words, we want to know the real number of Latino students who are attending the campus, versus being admitted. We should also pay careful attention to how those admitted Latino students perform at their campus. Do they graduate? If so, at what percentage? And, how long does it take for Latino students at their campus, on average, to graduate? Fortunately, many of these hard facts can be found on their campus profile page. According to CollegeMeasures.org, over the past four years Harvard maintained an overall graduation rate of 97.4%, with Latino students at 95.3%. Compare this to Stanford who maintained an overall graduation rate of 96.1%; with Latino students at 94.6%.

The above statistics represent two extremely selective campuses in the US. These graduation statistics are not typical for the “average” college or university. In addition to recruiting the cream of the crop students, they also have programs in place to ensure the student’s success. What about other campuses who don’t have the funding to support recruitment and retention resources like Stanford or Harvard? Let’s look at Mills College in Oakland, California – a private college where nearly one in four undergraduate students is Latina.

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Brian O’Rourke, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Mills College. I asked Mr. O’Rourke about their outstanding recruitment and retention rates for Latino students. He said he credits their success with targeting high-achieving Latina students in their sophomore and junior years of high school:

"Once identified, our campus begins outreach to these students. Our outreach includes providing information concerning two of our successful programs for first generation college students: our pre-enrollment program ‘Summer Academic Workshop’ and our year-long program, ‘Being The First’.”

O'Rourke says that Latina students (as a cohort), currently hold the highest graduation rates at their campus. This represents students who began as first-year students in fall 2006 and earned a 4-year degree by spring 2012. I checked my facts. According to CollegeMeasures.org, Mills overall graduation rate is 56.5%. However, the graduation rate of Latino students is 75%! It is rare to find a college where the Latino graduation rate is actually higher than the overall graduation rate. Now that’s what I’m talking about. This campus demonstrates they are invested in their students of color, and have gone beyond standard measures to ensure student success.

Latino students, listen up! Applying to colleges requires research and analysis. Don’t waste your hard-earned application fee on a campus that may not value your unique perspective. Search for the campus that appreciates your life experiences and perspective, and where the odds of your success are stacked in your favor. Do your own research. Find candid student reviews of your targeted colleges, visit the campuses, look at the ratio of Latino faculty members, talk to students who have graduated or are attending these campuses, and look at the hard facts. As they say, “Looks can be deceiving.” Don’t be lured by the package. Sample the goods yourself.

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Gracias! ―Quetzal Mama