Choosing an All-Black Experience: Black College Alumnae Reflections on Deciding to Attend a Historically Black College/University

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Postsecondary Decision Making Among Students of Color: Perceptions, Reflections, and Influences

Abstract

While historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) continue to be the top choice of at least one out of five African American college students, little is known about the college choice decision-making process by which Black students opt to attend these institutions. This paper analyzes life story interviews from Black female college alumnae, focusing particularly on those women who graduated from HBCUs in order to understand how women came to attend these institutions. Findings suggest that decisions to attend HBCUs were deliberate decisions to gain all-Black, nurturing experiences in college.

Authors

• Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, University of Wisconsin

• Tangela Blakely Reavis, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Jamila Lee-Johnson, University of Wisconsin - Madison