Light's book "Making the Most of College," can be very beneficial to the freshman student body coming fresh out of high school. This book discusses many issues that first year college students might go through, such as good study skills, interaction with faculty, and diversity on campus. Since all of which Light discusses in his book I've already heard before, reading about diversity really caught my attention. After reading this, a question popped into my mind; "What is the impact, educationally and personally, on students from all ethnic backgrounds of attending college with fellow students from diverse backgrounds?" Since this question applied to me in every way possible, I will use myself, and some of Light's quotes, to explain how it has impacted on my life thus far.
Since I grew up in a town were the majority of the population was Hispanic and/or white, I was never really exposed to the black community. I did have a few co-workers who were black, but I never really developed a friendship with them. Little did I know that this was a major lack of cultural understanding on my part and it eventually caught up to me. As I quote from Light, "These differences may be substantial. For some students they may be jarring." (Light, 132).
Light states that "Students point out that how well ethnic and racial diversity actually enhances learning depends largely on how well a college builds on, capitalizes on, and proactively strengthens this basic assumption." (Light, 133) What he means is depending on how your college addresses diversity issues; it can either affect you in a positive in negative way. If your school does nothing to get different cultures to mingle with each other, then they are not reacting in a very positive way. William Paterson University deals with their diversity in a very positive way. An example of this is how colleges set up their dormitories. Most colleges either have a separate floor/building for the guys and girls.
