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Diversity in Keele university

I am a Year 12 student looking to start uni in 2021/22.
I was wondering, is Keele a very diverse university in terms of ethnicity?
As in, is there a good and balanced mix of all ethnicities?
Would a black girl stick out like a sore thumb?
I really love everything about this university, I just want to make sure that I will be comfortable as I would be so far from home.
I would appreciate full, honest answers :smile:

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Original post by Missy_GCSE
I am a Year 12 student looking to start uni in 2021/22.
I was wondering, is Keele a very diverse university in terms of ethnicity?
As in, is there a good and balanced mix of all ethnicities?
Would a black girl stick out like a sore thumb?
I really love everything about this university, I just want to make sure that I will be comfortable as I would be so far from home.
I would appreciate full, honest answers :smile:

Hi there!

Keele welcomes over 120 nationalities, so its safe to say that its a very diverse and welcoming campus to all ethnicities!

I am currently in my 2nd year of Adult nursing, however, I had to take a maternity leave or absence half way through year 1, which meant I had to re-join the next year with a new cohort. In both the cohorts i have been a part of now, I can honestly say that it is is a fairly even split between ethnicities. I have friends of a different ethnicity to me and friends of the same ethnicity so I highly doubt you would stick out or be uncomfortable! :smile:

I hope this has eased your mind a little bit. If you have any more questions then please dont hesitate to ask me! :smile:
Chapel, Keele University
Keele University
Keele
Original post by Missy_GCSE
I am a Year 12 student looking to start uni in 2021/22.
I was wondering, is Keele a very diverse university in terms of ethnicity?
As in, is there a good and balanced mix of all ethnicities?
Would a black girl stick out like a sore thumb?
I really love everything about this university, I just want to make sure that I will be comfortable as I would be so far from home.
I would appreciate full, honest answers :smile:

Why does how diverse it is matter? You should be comfortable among white people and any other ethnicity. Not going to a university because you think it might have too many white people is racist.
Original post by Sparklewave
Why does how diverse it is matter? You should be comfortable among white people and any other ethnicity. Not going to a university because you think it might have too many white people is racist.


Thanks for your reply,

Firstly, if you noticed, I did not actually say white people.
Secondly, it would've been nicer if you asked why I was concerned about diversity.
I had some really bad experiences in secondary school that were race related which has made me a bit concerned.
Original post by Sparklewave
Why does how diverse it is matter? You should be comfortable among white people and any other ethnicity. Not going to a university because you think it might have too many white people is racist.


And I bet you, if you had the same experiences I had as a minority, you would be concerned as well.
Remember, like I said earlier, I did not actually mention white people, the issue is just being in the extreme minority, regardless of you race.
So for example, if you were Asian, white or black, but in the minority, you would feel what I'm saying.
You see, it's not about any particular race, it's about being in the minority.
Original post by Keele Student Ambassador
Hi there!

Keele welcomes over 120 nationalities, so its safe to say that its a very diverse and welcoming campus to all ethnicities!

I am currently in my 2nd year of Adult nursing, however, I had to take a maternity leave or absence half way through year 1, which meant I had to re-join the next year with a new cohort. In both the cohorts i have been a part of now, I can honestly say that it is is a fairly even split between ethnicities. I have friends of a different ethnicity to me and friends of the same ethnicity so I highly doubt you would stick out or be uncomfortable! :smile:

I hope this has eased your mind a little bit. If you have any more questions then please dont hesitate to ask me! :smile:


Ah ok!
Thank you so much for your support, I appreciate it!
Original post by Missy_student.12
Ah ok!
Thank you so much for your support, I appreciate it!

Not a problem! :smile:
it matters because black people may feel uncomfortable in a place where the majority of the population is white, and rightly so in my opinion. the majority of black people have had bad experiences in environments where they are the only ones who understand the struggle of being black, so don't make assumptions that someone is racist because they are asking about diversity.
Original post by Sparklewave
Why does how diverse it is matter? You should be comfortable among white people and any other ethnicity. Not going to a university because you think it might have too many white people is racist.


Asking how diverse a place is and being racist doesn’t relate.
BAME tend to ask what the OP asked for an overarching reason - racism is likely to be worse at places where you’re the minority. (This isn’t the reason for all BAME people but the most common). As a black female I 100% get the OP’s concern and they’re well within their right to ask it.
You believing that their concerns are racist is kinda laughable - you may just need to educate yourself on the matter. But anyway - to simplify things - say you’re LGBTQ+ and want to go to a university that’s very welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ+ individuals, maybe have societies and other things in place that shows their acceptance of anyone regardless of their sexuality. That doesn’t mean you hate straight people does it?

Your comment doesn’t make sense, simple!
Original post by Missy_student.12
I am a Year 12 student looking to start uni in 2021/22.
I was wondering, is Keele a very diverse university in terms of ethnicity?
As in, is there a good and balanced mix of all ethnicities?
Would a black girl stick out like a sore thumb?
I really love everything about this university, I just want to make sure that I will be comfortable as I would be so far from home.
I would appreciate full, honest answers :smile:

Hello there! First of all, I am really sorry it took me so long to reply to this thread, I have just seen this! Secondly, I just wanted to chime in with my personal experience at Keele. I am an international student (from Sri Lanka) and I am a 2nd year Physics with Astrophysics student.

I would like to start off by saying that your question is totally valid. I understand the pressure that comes with being far away from home for university but also having to worry about not fitting in because you come from a different background. I understand how things like your friends not being able to pronounce your name, leading to your entire identity being compromised, or the little things like people's comments on how you say things, all add up to you feeling like you stick out from the rest and don't belong.

I was really worried about the same things you are worried about right now, before I started at Keele and to be completely honest, I still am to some extent. However, I am really glad to say that Keele is a lot more diverse than I thought it was going to be. My class has a fairly even split between ethnicities and nationalities just like my colleague mentioned. I also joined the cheerleading team in my first year and tried out basketball in my second year and I am glad to say that both of those clubs were really diverse.

I am not going to lie to you, you will have brief moments when feel like you will not belong, which is why the friends you make at university will be so important. When you do go through rough times, your friends will be the ones who will help you realise that you are part of the group and help you move past any negative feelings. For example, I lived in university accommodation in my first year and I lived in a flat with two English girls (who I will be sharing a house with next year), a girl from Egypt (who I am still really great friends with and miss so much) and three boys from Kuwait, Cyprus and China. So our flat itself was really diverse! More importantly, we would always talk about what it was like to be from different countries, cultures and ethnicities. I personally found it comforting to know that we all cared enough to talk about our differences and it made us respect each others beliefs and cultures even if they are different from our own. Us girls especially were really close. We would often spend our nights sipping tea and talking about various things for hours before we went to bed!

Like I mentioned before, Keele still isn't perfect but at Keele, we regard diversity in terms of ethnic and racial diversity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, neurodiversity, diversity in gender and more. The statistics alone are not important to us, what is important is creating a culture where everyone can respect each other, no matter their differences and I think that Keele is very transparent about these issues and continually working on them. Looking back at my two years at Keele and also taking into account the response that the university and the students union has had in relation to the black lives matter movement, I genuinely believe that Keele are working towards increasing diversity in all these areas and trying to make sure that every student will have the best experience at university.

Sorry about the really long response but I hope this helps ease your nerves a bit. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :smile:
Original post by Sparklewave
Why does how diverse it is matter? You should be comfortable among white people and any other ethnicity. Not going to a university because you think it might have too many white people is racist.

i strongly disagree with this. while op may be more than comfortable with socialising with white people, there does exist a proportion of white people that are not comfortable with socialising with non-white peers. no one wants to end up socially isolated.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Keele Student Ambassador1
Hello there! First of all, I am really sorry it took me so long to reply to this thread, I have just seen this! Secondly, I just wanted to chime in with my personal experience at Keele. I am an international student (from Sri Lanka) and I am a 2nd year Physics with Astrophysics student.

I would like to start off by saying that your question is totally valid. I understand the pressure that comes with being far away from home for university but also having to worry about not fitting in because you come from a different background. I understand how things like your friends not being able to pronounce your name, leading to your entire identity being compromised, or the little things like people's comments on how you say things, all add up to you feeling like you stick out from the rest and don't belong.

I was really worried about the same things you are worried about right now, before I started at Keele and to be completely honest, I still am to some extent. However, I am really glad to say that Keele is a lot more diverse than I thought it was going to be. My class has a fairly even split between ethnicities and nationalities just like my colleague mentioned. I also joined the cheerleading team in my first year and tried out basketball in my second year and I am glad to say that both of those clubs were really diverse.

I am not going to lie to you, you will have brief moments when feel like you will not belong, which is why the friends you make at university will be so important. When you do go through rough times, your friends will be the ones who will help you realise that you are part of the group and help you move past any negative feelings. For example, I lived in university accommodation in my first year and I lived in a flat with two English girls (who I will be sharing a house with next year), a girl from Egypt (who I am still really great friends with and miss so much) and three boys from Kuwait, Cyprus and China. So our flat itself was really diverse! More importantly, we would always talk about what it was like to be from different countries, cultures and ethnicities. I personally found it comforting to know that we all cared enough to talk about our differences and it made us respect each others beliefs and cultures even if they are different from our own. Us girls especially were really close. We would often spend our nights sipping tea and talking about various things for hours before we went to bed!

Like I mentioned before, Keele still isn't perfect but at Keele, we regard diversity in terms of ethnic and racial diversity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical disability, neurodiversity, diversity in gender and more. The statistics alone are not important to us, what is important is creating a culture where everyone can respect each other, no matter their differences and I think that Keele is very transparent about these issues and continually working on them. Looking back at my two years at Keele and also taking into account the response that the university and the students union has had in relation to the black lives matter movement, I genuinely believe that Keele are working towards increasing diversity in all these areas and trying to make sure that every student will have the best experience at university.

Sorry about the really long response but I hope this helps ease your nerves a bit. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! :smile:

Thank you so much for your response! I'm so grateful that you spent the time to respond and this has helped me a lot :smile:
Original post by Missy_student.12
Thank you so much for your response! I'm so grateful that you spent the time to respond and this has helped me a lot :smile:

It wasn't a problem at all! I just wanted to show you that your worries are valid and that Keele as an institution are working to make the university a comfortable environment for everyone! :smile:
I'm also worried about diversity.
I'm going to apply in 2021/22 for medicine.
Ngl the area I'm from is majority Muslim and I am too. I'd like to get to know more people who aren't Muslim but to know I do have some Muslim is very important for me.
Also having a islamic society is a must, do you guys have one?
Original post by FAatsssss
I'm also worried about diversity.
I'm going to apply in 2021/22 for medicine.
Ngl the area I'm from is majority Muslim and I am too. I'd like to get to know more people who aren't Muslim but to know I do have some Muslim is very important for me.
Also having a islamic society is a must, do you guys have one?

Hello there! I am really glad to let you know that from my experience, Keele has a very big Muslim population, both from the UK and international students. I have a friend in my class who also comes from a majority Muslim area and he has friends who are both Muslim and non-Muslim!
Keele does have an Islamic society, that is very active as well! I hope this helps you feel a bit better about Keele! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. :smile:
Don’t worry b, you won’t be lonely keele is pretty diverse, what course do are you planning on studying
Original post by Missy_student.12
I am a Year 12 student looking to start uni in 2021/22.
I was wondering, is Keele a very diverse university in terms of ethnicity?
As in, is there a good and balanced mix of all ethnicities?
Would a black girl stick out like a sore thumb?
I really love everything about this university, I just want to make sure that I will be comfortable as I would be so far from home.
I would appreciate full, honest answers :smile:

you’re good b
Original post by aspiring_____
I'm also worried about diversity.
I'm going to apply in 2021/22 for medicine.
Ngl the area I'm from is majority Muslim and I am too. I'd like to get to know more people who aren't Muslim but to know I do have some Muslim is very important for me.
Also having a islamic society is a must, do you guys have one?


hey im applying for medicine at keele too for 2021 entry and im muslim lol i had the same worries as although i want to make friends with people who arn't Muslim making friends with people who are Muslim is also really important to me as i feel like it would help me feel more comfortable and settle down more. However i have not had a chance to visit the uni myself due to covid so i am a bit apprehensive as i have heard that keele is not as diverse as other universities, however reading the things on this thread has calmed my nerves a little. Good luck on your application!
Original post by BishBash726
hey im applying for medicine at keele too for 2021 entry and im muslim lol i had the same worries as although i want to make friends with people who arn't Muslim making friends with people who are Muslim is also really important to me as i feel like it would help me feel more comfortable and settle down more. However i have not had a chance to visit the uni myself due to covid so i am a bit apprehensive as i have heard that keele is not as diverse as other universities, however reading the things on this thread has calmed my nerves a little. Good luck on your application!

Hi @BishBash726!

It's great to hear that you are thinking of applying to study medicine at Keele!

As I hope some of the response from @Keele Student Ambassador and @Keele Student Ambassador1 have shown, Keele is much more diverse than you might think!

In terms of meeting other Muslim students, we have an active Islamic Society at Keele (https://keelesu.com/activities/society/islamic/) as well as an Islamic Centre on site (https://www.keele.ac.uk/students/lifeoutsideofstudy/faith/islamiccentre/). Rukia Bi is our dedicated Muslim Chaplin who is part of our chaplaincy team - you can find out more about her at https://www.keele.ac.uk/students/lifeoutsideofstudy/faith/contactus/.

We have a very active chaplaincy community at Keele - in addition to the Islamic Centre, the Chapel at Keele provides an inter-faith space for students to meet and the Chaplaincy team are very active in running activities that engage with students of all faiths and beliefs.

Hope that helps!

Amy :smile: