Explore how intersectionality and identity shape the college application process. By understanding their identities, students can find colleges that offer the right academic and emotional support.
Introduction
One of my favorite parts of my job is getting to work with high school students at a critically transformational time in their lives. At seventeen- or eighteen- years old (and before!), on the precipice of their next Big Life Transition, there is a natural moment of reflection. There is so much change going on at the same time- certainly academic and intellectual growth, but social and emotional growth, as well.
When we talk about the college application and college research process, it’s easy to default to asking the question, “What are you looking for?”, immediately focusing on the future. But before we can even answer that question, we need to first assess the present. As a Collegewise counselor, I want students to pause, take a look around (and inward), and ask themselves, “Who am I now? Who do I want to be in the next four years?”
Part of that reflection is considering the things that make us who we are–the communities that we’re part of, the backgrounds we come from, the spaces we feel the most alive in, and more; how we define–or identify–ourselves. And I am willing to bet that none of us just has a single story to tell, or just a single way of identifying. We are complex, layered individuals, shaped by our upbringing and surroundings, from specific experiences to nebulous influences.
Even if we remain true to who we are at our core, it is undeniable that college changes us. In fact, if you don’t change or grow in some way throughout your college experience, then I kind of think college hasn't fulfilled one of its main purposes. Discovering and uncovering those identities will be a lifelong process, but engaging with that work in high school will help yield a more meaningful college search process. As you work to articulate your identities and stories, it will help you identify the communities you want to join, and will help you assess which ones will be the best fits for you.
Defining Intersectionality
Identity is a cornerstone of the college application process. But you are too layered and dynamic to be reduced to a single story, and I bet that there are many ways that you identify yourself. Enter: Intersectionality. But intersectionality is not just the acknowledgement that everyone has multiple, often overlapping, identities and ways of moving about the world; it is a framework that examines the ways in which individuals face unique challenges and systems of oppression and/or discrimination because of those identities.
The term was coined by American civil rights leader and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw in her 1989 article “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics.” While Crenshaw’s piece focuses on the specific forms of oppression that Black women face as compared to white women, intersectionality can be broadly applied to innumerable contexts to better understand structures of power and oppression that people of different identities face. My lived experience as a cisgender white Jewish woman is different from that of a non-white Jewish woman or a nonbinary Jewish person, for example. Different aspects of my identities both grant me certain privileges and draw certain judgments.
As high school students, many of you are grappling with your identities as you depart one social structure and enter a new one in college. This is why finding student communities in college that embrace your identities is so important.
The College Search and On-Campus Experience
While your college acceptance letters may feel like the culminating moment of years of hard work, it is only the beginning. In the admissions and counseling world, we often talk about the fact that getting through college is just as important (if not more important!) than just getting to college. There are many factors to consider when assessing if a college is going to meet your needs, both in and out of the classroom. If a college cannot support your academic, social, and emotional needs, then it can make for a challenging experience.
As part of the college research process, I always encourage my students to spend time looking at a college’s student organizations. Many colleges and universities have hundreds of student-led organizations for any interest you can imagine–and plenty you’ve probably never dreamed of, too! Aside from academic organizations and groups centered on hobbies, there are a number of identity-based organizations where students can find like-minded peers with shared backgrounds and/or a shared desire to learn more about certain perspectives. This can include (but is certainly not limited to!) organizations centered on the following:
- Racial and ethnic identities
- Faith-based and spiritual identities
- Sexual orientation and gender identities
- Political ideologies
- First-generation college student status
- Socio-economic status
- Geographic region/country of origin/nationality
- Academic groups (Women in STEM, Society of Black Engineers, etc.)
Thoughtful college research reveals many student-led clubs and organizations that are inclusive of multiple identities, where students may see themselves reflected in the intersections of many communities. Some examples include:
- University of Michigan: 1st Gen Engineers; Arab-Jewish Association; Black Business Undergraduate Society
- University of Oregon: Out in STEM; Queer, Trans, and Intersex Students of Color; Rural Student Coalition; Women in Computer Science
- Lafayette College: Athletes of Color; South Asian Student Association; Queer and Trans People of Color
- Loyola Marymount University: Black Greek Council; Muslim Student Association
- Carleton College: Jewish Athlete Association; Physicists of Underrepresented Genders; Indigenous Peoples Alliance; Women and Non-Binary Individuals in Economics
- Penn State: Asian-American Women’s Association; Disability Alliance; Student Chronic Illness Community
Some colleges even have academic departments or research institutes dedicated to intersectionality, including:
- Connecticut College: Department of Gender, Sexuality and Intersectionality Studies
- The George Washington University: Intersectionality Research Institute
- Columbia University: Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies
- Monmouth University: Program in Gender and Intersectionality Studies
Affinity groups, robust counseling services, and dedicated space for intellectual exploration, can all be tenets of an environment that supports and promotes intersectionality. It’s important to be mindful of how colleges not only address intersectionality on their campuses, but also resources they have to support students: resources for you to be successful; to feel challenged but safe; where you may be stretched outside of your comfort zone but still feel a sense of belonging and community.
Conclusion
While the transition to college is a critical time for self-exploration and discovery, it’s not something that you ever “finish” or check a box off (“Ok, I know who I am and I’m done changing!”). People hold multiple identities, and better understanding the ways in which those identities interact with larger societal structures helps us navigate the world. It’s really a lifelong process, and this particular juncture in your life may be one of the first times you really grapple with your identities. There are many dimensions along which you can find a college that is the best fit for you–not only the size, location, and academic offerings, but the student communities and resources in place to embrace and honor your unique personhood. You are more than a single story, and many colleges not only recognize this, but celebrate it. And when you focus on the specific features of a college that meet your unique needs, you will be poised to land at a college where you will not only grow, but thrive.
Further Reading
- Intersectionality and Higher Education: Identity and Inequality on College Campuses, edited by professors from the University of Louisville, Fairfield University, and Virginia Tech
- An interview with the authors
- Intersectionality and Helping Students “Foster Their Identities” from the Council for Opportunity in Education
- Luther College’s Intersectionality Toolkit
About Us: With more than twenty years of experience, Collegewise counselors and tutors are at the forefront of the ever-evolving admissions landscape. Our work has always centered on you: the family. And just like we’ve always done, we look for ways for your student to be their best self - whether in the classroom, the applications, or in the right-fit college environment. Our range of counseling, test prep, academic tutoring, and essay management, all with the support of our proprietary platform, lead to 4x higher than average admissions rates.
