Are my uni choices for law ethnically diverse enough?

Original post by squeakysquirrel

You are being ridiculous. Nottingham I know has a very diverse population and is a good law school. My son went there. We are not rich and he is state school educated. Yes it is a bit rah but so are mist top universities. You want the best you can get

OP’s not being ridiculous, you’re just ignorant to what other people want.

Reply 3

Notoriety

22

Original post by anonymous1231231

OP’s not being ridiculous, you’re just ignorant to what other people want.

It is not OP wanting X, but saying that they could be exposed to classism and/or racism. I don't really believe that this is highly probable, just because the significant number of people come from a different ethnic or socio-economic background than you.

I certainly came from a different SE background, but it posed not a problem and I would have been foolish to let other people persuade me to not go to my firm merely because a lot of the students there do not share my same background exactly.

To OP, Notts has 7.6% black students. Newcastle 2.3%. York 3%. Durham 1.3%. Exeter 2%. https://st.hitcreative.com/education/university_guide/active/UniversityGuide/index/year/2017/goto/tableSearchAnchor

They're all quite middle class.

Reply 4

Couragenh

9

Original post by Emilyjanexox

Hi all,

I’m looking forward to studying law starting from this September but I still have no idea which one I’m going to choose - I currently hold offers from Durham, Exeter, Nottingham, York and Newcastle.

However, as someone who is black that comes from quite a disadvantaged background, I’m concerned about the ethnic diversity at my choices and it’s making me wonder if I made an error with my picks.

Newcastle and York aren’t really ones I’m considering and it’s more down to Nottingham, Exeter and Durham, however having researched and read about them all, they seem to be full of rich, Caucasian, privately educated students and I’m worried about fitting in.

I know this is a trend for most RG universities but I’m worried about it effecting my time; I know Nottingham may be slightly more diverse but I’ve still read it is mainly populated by “rah” types (if that’s the right term!)

This is honestly a major factor for me in my decision as I’ve read stories and seen YouTube videos about discrimination and classism in these unis.

If anyone could enlighten me about the diversity in Notts, Exeter and Durham, it would be appreciated.

Look at it this way: as a female black law student in a predominantly caucasian, rich environment, you will benefit from the network and become the token female black lawyer. I, for one, being black, would jump at the opportunity to study in those places because it will definitely open up new doors for you. How many people from disadvantaged backgrounds would have that opportunity? The problem with liberal universities with a major diverse background is that it wont prepare you for the extreme situations you may encounter upon graduation. Go full Avatar (or Pocahontas)- Infiltrate their universities, learn from them, expose them, and come out a stronger person who's ready to take on the world.

Reply 5

harrysbar

Original post by Couragenh

Look at it this way: as a female black law student in a predominantly caucasian, rich environment, you will benefit from the network and become the token female black lawyer. I, for one, being black, would jump at the opportunity to study in those places because it will definitely open up new doors for you. How many people from disadvantaged backgrounds would have that opportunity?

Yeah, but not everyone wants to be a "token."

Whichever one she picks, OP is going to a top Uni - she just wants to make sure it's the best one for her.

Reply 6

Notoriety

22

Original post by harrysbar

Yeah, but not everyone wants to be a "token."

Whichever one she picks, OP is going to a top Uni - she just wants to make sure it's the best one for her.

And I think the "us 'n them" mentality is entirely unhelpful and is gonna ruin your uni experience. You can guarantee the "them" don't have such a perception, so why must you bring it in to the conversation and perpetuate division.

Reply 7

harrysbar

Original post by Notoriety

And I think the "us 'n them" mentality is entirely unhelpful and is gonna ruin your uni experience. You can guarantee the "them" don't have such a perception, so why must you bring it in to the conversation and perpetuate division.

I don't think you meant to quote me?

Reply 8

Couragenh

9

Probably "token" wasn't the right word, but my point was to look at how you may benefit from the situation. OP may be too sensitive to ethnicity and background, but there is plenty to milk from there. If anything, no Uni would want negative publicity from "Rah" types in this current world order.

Reply 9

connor.beja

12

Original post by Emilyjanexox

Hi all,

I’m looking forward to studying law starting from this September but I still have no idea which one I’m going to choose - I currently hold offers from Durham, Exeter, Nottingham, York and Newcastle.

However, as someone who is black that comes from quite a disadvantaged background, I’m concerned about the ethnic diversity at my choices and it’s making me wonder if I made an error with my picks.

Newcastle and York aren’t really ones I’m considering and it’s more down to Nottingham, Exeter and Durham, however having researched and read about them all, they seem to be full of rich, Caucasian, privately educated students and I’m worried about fitting in.

I know this is a trend for most RG universities but I’m worried about it effecting my time; I know Nottingham may be slightly more diverse but I’ve still read it is mainly populated by “rah” types (if that’s the right term!)

This is honestly a major factor for me in my decision as I’ve read stories and seen YouTube videos about discrimination and classism in these unis.

If anyone could enlighten me about the diversity in Notts, Exeter and Durham, it would be appreciated.

completely understand why you want to know about this, but try and keep in mind that 1) I think something like 87% of the UK's population is white, so unfortunately you're not going to find any university with really solid diversity rates comparable with, say, the US. 2) With the class thing, there are more middle class students than not and black people statistically tend to be lower class in the UK. On a more positive note, though, racism really is rare, especially within our generation. The reason you've probably heard so much about it is because it's so sensational when it does happen; no one makes YouTube videos about how non-racist their unis are. However, I am a white guy trying to explain to a black girl how racist our country is, so feel free to correct me. I hope that you enjoy your uni life regardless.

Reply 10

Notoriety

22

Original post by harrysbar

I don't think you meant to quote me?

I did with the first line, but ended up ranting.

Reply 11

harrysbar

Original post by Notoriety

I did with the first line, but ended up ranting.

I see

Reply 12

FThisSI'mOut

8

Hi! Your post has turned into a bit of a racial debate lmao but I get how you feel, one of the reasons why I was deterred from applying to universities outside of London was because I didn't want to be in a place where I would likely be the only ethnic person in the room. But I'm currently in Nottingham and it's super diverse and I have plenty of friends from all walks of life :biggrin:

I'm not too familiar with the other universities, but I have a few friends in Exeter and Durham and their snapchat stories look lit

I'm pretty sure most universities have dedicated societies so even if you don't find a lot of friends in your course, you'll meet them in afro-caribbean society etc.

Also as someone who's had your exact concerns, you really have nothing to worry about, university is a huge place and it is literally impossible to not find like-minded people within the first two weeks. Also we're not living in the 1980s Britain where racism is a huge issue, us Gen Z kids are a lot more self aware about the world and we know how to poke fun at each other.

BUT, I'm not saying that your concerns are completely unfounded either. To the people saying that OP is being ignorant or whatever, Exeter faced a lot of backlash only last year for an infamous group chat where members posted insanely racist and bigoted messages:
https://thetab.com/uk/2018/03/20/named-and-pictured-the-men-behind-the-racist-exeter-group-chat-62740

I've also had a couple experiences of having micro aggression thrown my way (a flatmate commenting on food from home, weird looks when you're speaking your native tongue etc) but you should understand that these are very rare and also reflect poorly more on that person than on you (I've made a lot of friends by recounting these occurrences and us having a mutual vent about how people can be so dumb in the year of our Lord 2019)

Also realistically we shouldn't expect universities to be 50-50 poc and white people because the UK itself is only 15% BAME, so you shouldn't be too surprised to meet people who may have never met a black person before, because it's really not their fault and it's a great opportunity for the both of you to learn and meet new friends :biggrin:

TL;DR - Don't worry about it too much OP, but if you are, Nottingham is a great place from my experience :smile:

Reply 13

OP

Thank you for all your help :smile:

I don’t think being from a minority background will hold me back and I don’t think I’d experience racism in this day and age but say with Durham, being a part of only 1.3% black students is somewhat concerning for me.

I live in London right now which is so diverse and multicultural. I’d love the experience of somewhere like Durham which is smaller and so academic but I would feel like I’m out of place?

Maybe I’m overthinking but even Nottingham doesn’t seem particular diverse either, with it being the highest.

Reply 14

username3731912

nahhhh there's a difference between an 'us and them' mentality and wanting to be able to hang out w people who have the same kind of culture.

Reply 15

OP

Original post by anonymous1231231

nahhhh there's a difference between an 'us and them' mentality and wanting to be able to hang out w people who have the same kind of culture.

Completely.

It’s not “us against them” for me, I just want to relate to people who have a similar background, culture and socioeconomic situation.

I wouldn’t feel at home surrounded by elitists and people who look differently at you when I’ve been surrounded by diversity for most of my life.

Reply 16

OP

Original post by FThisSI'mOut

Hi! Your post has turned into a bit of a racial debate lmao but I get how you feel, one of the reasons why I was deterred from applying to universities outside of London was because I didn't want to be in a place where I would likely be the only ethnic person in the room. But I'm currently in Nottingham and it's super diverse and I have plenty of friends from all walks of life :biggrin:

I'm not too familiar with the other universities, but I have a few friends in Exeter and Durham and their snapchat stories look lit

I'm pretty sure most universities have dedicated societies so even if you don't find a lot of friends in your course, you'll meet them in afro-caribbean society etc.

Also as someone who's had your exact concerns, you really have nothing to worry about, university is a huge place and it is literally impossible to not find like-minded people within the first two weeks. Also we're not living in the 1980s Britain where racism is a huge issue, us Gen Z kids are a lot more self aware about the world and we know how to poke fun at each other.

BUT, I'm not saying that your concerns are completely unfounded either. To the people saying that OP is being ignorant or whatever, Exeter faced a lot of backlash only last year for an infamous group chat where members posted insanely racist and bigoted messages:
https://thetab.com/uk/2018/03/20/named-and-pictured-the-men-behind-the-racist-exeter-group-chat-62740

I've also had a couple experiences of having micro aggression thrown my way (a flatmate commenting on food from home, weird looks when you're speaking your native tongue etc) but you should understand that these are very rare and also reflect poorly more on that person than on you (I've made a lot of friends by recounting these occurrences and us having a mutual vent about how people can be so dumb in the year of our Lord 2019)

Also realistically we shouldn't expect universities to be 50-50 poc and white people because the UK itself is only 15% BAME, so you shouldn't be too surprised to meet people who may have never met a black person before, because it's really not their fault and it's a great opportunity for the both of you to learn and meet new friends :biggrin:

TL;DR - Don't worry about it too much OP, but if you are, Nottingham is a great place from my experience :smile:

Thank you

Nottingham does seem more diverse than my other options which is why I’m considering it.

Have these instances of micro aggression been dealt with?

There seemed to be a high proportion of private school, middle class, blonde girls when I looked around and this couldn’t be further from who I am. Am I wrong about this interpretation?

Reply 17

OP

Original post by Couragenh

Look at it this way: as a female black law student in a predominantly caucasian, rich environment, you will benefit from the network and become the token female black lawyer. I, for one, being black, would jump at the opportunity to study in those places because it will definitely open up new doors for you. How many people from disadvantaged backgrounds would have that opportunity? The problem with liberal universities with a major diverse background is that it wont prepare you for the extreme situations you may encounter upon graduation. Go full Avatar (or Pocahontas)- Infiltrate their universities, learn from them, expose them, and come out a stronger person who's ready to take on the world.

Thank you, that was inspiring :smile:

Have you encountered any form of discrimination where you study?

Reply 18

OP