Standing on the Outside Looking In: Underrepresented Students Experiences in Advanced Degree Programs

Compared to the literature on the impact of postsecondary institutions on undergraduate institutions, the literature on the academic experiences of graduate students from underrepresented populations is comparatively meager. Standing on the Outside Looking In remedies this gap by gathering a rich collection of personal narratives and empirical research to provide a comprehensive account of the actual lived experiences of graduate students of color and their perception of the campus climate. This volume examines issues of access, retention, and transition; and explores the personal experiences of students of color in advanced-degree programs by engaging the following questions: What factors influence underrepresented students’ decisions to pursue advanced-degree programs? What factors affect students’ choices of programs and institutions? What challenges do they face as they transition into degree programs? What factors enable students of color to persist? How can colleges and universities provide the support necessary to increase persistence and matriculation among graduate students of color? The contributors cover issues such as financial aid; the culture, mission and racial climate at doctoral granting institutions; the transitional challenges STEM undergraduates face on entering graduate programs; mentoring; the distinct concerns and challenges that African American, Asian and Latina/o students encounter in doctoral and professional programs; and the need to acknowledge and support their spirituality.Franklin Tuitt concludes the book by summarizing the issues raised, and making recommendations to faculty, administrators, and directors of graduate programs about what they can do to promote the well-being and success of graduate students of color. Underrepresented students will find that this book gives voice to and validates their day-to-day experiences, as well as the situations they encounter on college campuses. Faculty, staff and administrators could use this book as a guide for ways to better support students of color in advanced-degree programs.