From Historically Black College/University to Predominantly White University: Support Systems and Coping Strategies for African American Women in Graduate School

• In Event: Race and Gender Examinations in Higher Education

Abstract

Participants in this phenomenological study were 11 African American women who received an undergraduate degree from a historically Black college or university and were currently attending graduate school at a southern mid-Atlantic predominantly White university. Researchers investigated the lived experiences of these women and their adjustment to life on a southern mid-Atlantic predominantly White university campus. Through analysis of participant interview transcripts and demographic questionnaires, support systems and coping strategies emerged as critical factors in each student’s experience, with themes focused on mentors, family and friends, romantic relationships, and factors of resilience.

Authors

• Quentin Alexander, Longwood University

• Lisa Jackson, Virginia Commonwealth University

• DeShawn Preston, Clemson University