By: Kayla Leitner ’19

Some modern high school seniors have been willing to overlook academic prestige in favor of seeking higher learning institutions that they anticipate will provide a more safe and comfortable environment where they are ensured a sense of belonging.
This trend is apparent at Ivy League institution, Dartmouth College. As of 2014 Dartmouth applicant numbers have plummeted as a result of an alarming number of sexual assault accusations.
“Applications to Dartmouth College dropped 14 percent after a student outcry over sexual harassment and reports of fraternity hazing last year led its new president to try to improve campus life,” Bloomberg.com reports.
Staples guidance counselor Kim Curran comments on the college decision process and the ways in which she approaches warning students about college safety,
“If I really thought a school was not safe I guess I would give the students the information and let them make the decision. Ultimately it has to be what the student wants but that’s why we really encourage that before you say you’re going somewhere you should have visited more than once and can really picture yourself there.”
Taylor Githens ’17, who will be attending the University of Richmond in the fall, spoke to the prevalence of sexual assault on campuses, and its nature in being a deciding factor for some students.
“I never really looked into the safety of the schools I applied to because I know that sexual assault is an issue everywhere, so I trusted that each school I looked at would take initiative to create a safe environment which they tend to do with things like the blue light system,” Githens said.
However, at the same time, some college students do base their decisions off of the ways in which prospective schools deal with race, religion, sexual orientation and gender, all of which are important factors to consider.
“I think religion will highly influence my college process in many ways. I know that I would want an active and fairly large Hillel, [Student Jewish Life Center]” Milli Catan ’19 said. “I would also want there to be Jewish life outside of Hillel.”
For many students who fear racial profiling or religious bigotry, it is important to find a school in which they can practice religion freely and feel comfortable as a minority of campus.
In a 2015 report, “Reimagining Critical Race Theory in Education: Mental Health, Healing and the Pathway to Liberatory Praxis,” Ebony McGee, a professor at Vanderbilt University, and David Stovall, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago gave insight to the trauma that black students face while at a predominantly white university.
“We have documented alarming occurrences of anxiety, stress, depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as a host of physical ailments like hair loss, diabetes and heart disease,” Professors McGee and Stovall reported.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities have existed since the 1800’s. Initially, they owed their existence to the fact there was little other choice for African American students. However, in current times, with many options now available, they are in the midst of a resurgence.
Due to an increase in the number of racially charged hate crimes nationwide, the number of applicants at HBCUs has also heavily increased.
“Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that over the past three years, nearly a third of HBCUs have seen at least a 20 percent increase in applications — a spike that correlates with nationwide protests over high profile incidents like George Zimmerman’s acquittal in Trayvon Martin’s shooting death and Sandra Bland’s jail death after a controversial police traffic stop,” NPR reported.
Due to the widespread prevalence of race, religious, gender and safety issues, popular college ranking sites, such as Niche, allow students to understand the social and even political implication of the university that they consider attending. In fact, most of these sites feature a particular section in which the social climate and safety is evaluated.
“It’s a big consideration when we talk to students about choosing colleges, that they pick a place where they feel like they are going to fit in and feel comfortable,” Curran said. “If you feel comfortable you’re going to stay there, what could be worse than going to a college and thinking I don’t have anything in common with these people?