How do young men of color decide to attend college?

A study highlights the tensions and aspirations that shape the goals of black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander students.

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Some teenagers take it for granted they’ll go on to college after graduating from high school. But for others—especially first-generation students from minoritized groups—the choice to pursue college can seem a daunting task. From learning about what classes and activities look good on a college application to figuring out how to pay for higher education, many students lack the support to help guide them toward college.

That lack of support can play a critical role in whether a student decides to pursue college, go into the military, or directly enter the workforce, according to a new study of young men of color published in The Urban Review.

“The young men in this study are eager to pursue higher education, and unfortunately many don’t receive the mentorship and knowledge from high school counselors or others that they need to make the best decisions about college,” said Adrian Huerta, Provost Postdoctoral Scholar at the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education and the lead author of the paper. “The pressing issue for the students in this study is how to pay for college without being a burden to their families. This is further complicated by the financial aid process—and this missing knowledge can shape what these young male students see as possibilities for their future.”

Huerta co-authored the paper with Patricia M. McDonough and Walter R. Allen, both from the University of California, Los Angeles. For the study, the researchers conducted focus group interviews with 153 black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander high school students in California on the path to attend college. Through these interviews, the researchers sought to understand what these students saw as opportunities and obstacles in pursuing postsecondary education.

The interviews revealed competing concerns young men of color had to balance. Many spoke about familial pressures to avoid conforming to negative racial stereotypes. Others felt a keen responsibility to quickly become self-reliant—which they often equated with being responsible for paying for college. Those at schools in low-income communities were also heavily influenced by military recruiters, who promised and are able to guarantee specific financial benefits and provided college-related guidance.

How can high schools better support male students of color? The authors suggest creating small learning groups that allow upperclassmen or local male college students to mentor ninth and tenth graders.

“We know that high school counselors just do not have the time to equitably support each student’s goals and aspirations. We need to develop stronger efforts and community-based partnerships for males of color, so students can receive reliable college information and get involved in structured college access programs so all students understand that help and support is available,” Huerta said.

This study continues Huerta’s long-term research on boys and men of color, college access and equity, and vulnerable populations in higher education.

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Huerta, A. H., McDonough, P. M. & Allen, W. R. (2018). “You can go to college”: Employing a developmental perspective to examine how young men of color construct a college-going identity. The Urban Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-018-0466-9