Is it worth it? Trauma Narratives in Black Undergraduate Students’ College Admissions Essays

• In Event: 30801 - Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) Research Session I

Abstract

Drawing on 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Black undergraduate students attending Bluesdale University, an HPWI, and Redding University, an HBCU, I address the research question of whether institution type matters in how students make sense of their college essays. Specifically, I investigate whether Black undergraduate students perceive HBCUs and HPWIs admissions officers differently and consider their essays' role in their applications differently. This chapter explores how Black undergraduate students at Redding and Bluesdale narrative constructions reflect their high school experiences, educational backgrounds, and perceptions of the admissions gaze. I show how Black students at Bluesdale commonly refer to the college personal statement as an explanatory document that provides critical evidence about their backgrounds that make them competitive for admissions beyond their performance on quantitative measures such as standardized testing. Through this, they leverage their college admissions essays to explain why they are worthy and deserving of attending Bluesdale. Then, I show how Black undergraduate students at Redding University also view personal statements as a complement to their academic profiles; however, they do not use college personal statements as a defense tool for their deservingness to attend their HBCU. Instead, the essay allows them to provide authentic portrayals of their racial identities and backgrounds with the understanding that Black admissions officers at Redding would relate to and understand their stories more.

Author

• Aya Marie Waller-Bey, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor