Reflection of Week #2 Readings

    After reading the history of early colleges, many of the same barriers to attending an institution of higher education still exist.  Frederick Rudolph stated that "The institutions themselves helped to keep the people away. The curriculum was not the sort that appealed to men...The costs required available cash...The distances were often excessive (p. 20)."  From my experiences, these are some of the problems students face.  The area or subject that they would like to study is not available at the institutions to which they are admissible. At the community college level, this problem is more evident.  Often times, students cannot afford to go to colleges. Many times, students cannot afford to leave home, making distance a determining factor in their education.
   Another barrier, especially in the African-American community, is the idea that college is not integral to success.  "Americans were on the whole impressed by the careers of self-taught, self-made men, men whose elevation to positions of responsibility, eminence, and wealth were accomplished without benefit of formal schooling (Rudolph, 1990, p. 63)".  Many children aspire to be rappers, singers, actors, athletes and reality television stars. It is devastating to the African-American community that children are socialized to think that the majority of successful careers are achieved without a college degree.