Hi. I’m an inner city kid whose family makes under 30,000 dollars a year— and I’m also a person of color (Latina// Mexican Indegenious). I am writing today because I’m feeling so lost right now. I was accepted to Cornell, and a few other good schools (besides the UC’s and Cal states); and nothing strange really hit me until Cornell. I went there two days ago for their diversity program, but going there, I felt estranged. Talking to everyone, I quickly realized I’m an outlier: I go to a title 1 school, my family is really poor, and a POC who had difficulty learning English. I just feel that perhaps idk, I don’t belong here. I feel as if I am not smart enough compared to the rest. I feel that cornell made a wrong choice picking me. I just really don’t know what to do.
They don’t make wrong choices. Your application was carefully considered and they clearly thought you were smart and capable.
Your college choices and their net prices?
Of Cornell undergraduates, only 15% receive Pell grants. At Scripps (mentioned in your other posts), the percentage is 11%. So it is not surprising if you found relatively few students at those schools from a similar SES background as you. (The UCs and CSUs tend to have significantly higher percentages of Pell grant students.)
However, this does not mean that you cannot succeed at such a college. Cornell is the type of school where the admissions office is picking among an oversupply of students who have the capability to succeed there, so that presumes that you do have the capability to succeed there.
You will, however, be more likely to be successful if you go in rising to meet any challenges you encounter, rather than presuming that you are somehow unworthy of going there.
Ahh, the dreaded Imposter Syndrome. Don’t let it take up space in your head.
You have achieved and thrived and strived through a bunch of challenges. You are smart enough. You are tough enough. You deserve to be admitted.
The question is - where do you want to be? Don’t go to Cornell just because of the name and people say Wow. Consider what is important to you. Is it distance/proximity to family? Is it pushing your self really hard? Is it pushing your self but leaving emotional room for activities? Which college is the most affordable? Maybe Cornell is the right place for you. Maybe it isn’t. Have you visited the other colleges yet?
Admissions offices rarely make mistakes about your ability to succeed there. Cornell may or may not be the best fit for you socially, but you are smart enough! Congratulations!
Ask about programs for first generation and low income students at all of the schools you are considering.
Your background reminds me of a former co-worker who grew up as a part of a migrant farm working family and graduated from Harvard. He is in a top dog position now, making major money and helping the community.
It is a challenge and you have made it through a lot of challenges to reach this point. Decide in your head and your heart that you have earned the right to be there, just like everyone else. Hold your head up and use this great opportunity to better yourself and your family. You deserve to be where ever and every where. You contribute spice to Cornell. Don’t quit before you even start!
As a POC from a lower income area entering UMiami many years ago, I could have fallen into the same trap. Instead, I decided to attend all the free guest lectures on campus and visit the art museum every month. I was everywhere, never asking if people wanted me there and no one ever said anything critical to me. (Not that it would have matter.) I was there to get an education and help my family. Because of the opportunity I got, I’ve been able to help my sisters, my parents, my nieces and nephews.
Don’t quit. Use it a fuel to push you forward.
I skimmed through older posts of yours. Do you still really like Scripps? One of my kids went to a Claremont College. The consortium latino support office was the nicest bunch of people. The students seemed to form a supportive community and cheered each other on. To me, that would be a big plus in the Scripps column.
If they accepted you, you belong there! @NoDAPL, reach out to the diversity program coordinator and ask about the resources that will be available to you given your concerns. Tell them how you are feeling. Some schools have special interest housing that makes a community of kids who feel like they are outsiders. Some put together support groups with their own staff and advisors to make sure that you don’t get lost (even if you feel lost now.) If you are worried that you’ll need academic support, ask what’s available. Cornell wants you to succeed – really! Before you write it off, reach out to them to see how they can do that. They know that they have not done well in the past in attracting students like you, and my guess is that they have plans to do better that they can share with you.
At my other kid’s college there is a special orientation group before other students come to campus for students that are first in their family to go to college. If the other colleges do something similar it is a great way to connect with similar students.
@NoDAPL In your other thread, you mentioned that Cornell would be 3K more expensive than Scripps. Is there also a difference with respect to how your financial packages are structured (grants, loans, work study). Will one leave you with more loans to pay back upon graduation?
If it’s only the 3K difference, a good chunk of that will be eaten away by the costs of getting you back and forth for summer and winter breaks.
So if money is pushing you towards Cornell, it doesn’t seem like the difference is worth it if the fit is not there.
As for fit - there is a difference between “am I intellectually capable?” They admitted you, so the answer is “yes”! And there is the question of social fit. Social fit is important to academic success. If you feel out of place, will that also exacerbate feelings of homesickness?
Unless you have a burning desire to have an adventure far from home, I seriously would consider Scripps (assuming you’ve visited and it felt comfortable). The Claremont Consortium is well known and well respected and it also gives you more options for coursework and to meet other students on the other four campuses. Also, if you intend to reside close to your family when you graduate, you will probably gain valuable work and internship experience closer to home if you go to Scripps. Personally, I think an hour from home is a good distance - close enough to get home quickly if it’s necessary but not so close that you will use home as a crutch and won’t participate fully in college life.
Congrats on your acceptances!
Here is the info on the Claremont Colleges latino support office. The page mentions a dedicated orientation program.
http://www.cuc.claremont.edu/clsa/
Services we provide
Orientation activities aimed at the first-year Latino student experience
Programs and services that enhance and promote social awareness and develop leadership roles in the college community.
Activities that celebrate the history, heritage and culture of Chicanos and Latinos in the United States.
Current information on scholarships, internships, fellowships and summer research programs.
Programs for graduating seniors.
The event they held during Family Weekend was filled with so much joy and pride - it was very moving.
Many students can feel this way. I remember that most of my hallmates and early classmates were from ritzy suburbs, private day schools, and/or competitive programs in NY. Their parents paid their bills, they had never had jobs. It was different to me. I never had an AP class, did not know what universities outside my state were, and was intimidated by what other people had learned in high school (and places they had traveled). Guess what, studying hard and asking questions got me to the same level. I did better gradewise because I wasn’t lazy or thought I knew it all. You belong and you’ll find that most of your classmates are going to be at your level academically and intellectually. If you feel really out of sorts at Cornell in a way that feels different from being on campus at another school, it’s ok to listen to that gut check and attend elsewhere (assuming you have choices). Just make sure it isn’t the same nervousness everywhere that most students feel at some point and something that feels unique to Cornell. Agree that following up with diversity office might help.
Sink or swim. Sometimes I wonder if they only accept types of students like us (same boat) to make it more diverse and what not. Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Systematically, of course we are less prepared, but does it really matter how we got there? In the end what matters is that we are there. We beat the system that largely favors rich white kids. Congrats!
I agree with others that if they chose you, they felt you belonged, but they don’t know you. YOU know you. If something felt strange to you at Cornell, then that’s a sign you shouldn’t choose Cornell. You can’t force yourself to like something. Your instinct is telling you it isn’t the place for you. It seems you have better options. Cornell is a good school, of course, but it isn’t better than all the others you were accepted to.
Don’t fall into the prestige trap. Your education is what you make of it. You will do very well at other colleges. If you choose a place you feel comfortable, you will thrive. I strongly urge you to not choose Cornell.
What does POC mean?
Person of color, I believe.
Particularly Outstanding Candidate 
But Lindagaf is correct.
Thank you. Aho.
Yes. I will have a different outlook. And I am sorry for feeling unworthy: I truly did feel so, especially after someone commented, at the program, that she had to switch from a public school to a private because her brain shrunk. I shouldn’t let people’s words affect me, but it somehow did. Thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you. Hearing that made me happier. Congrats on how far you have made it. You deserve it.