Transition of agricultural students from undergraduate to graduate school: The minority student's dilemma

Abstract

The number of minorities beginning and completing graduate degree programs has steadily declined. For colleges of agriculture, the picture is even more bleak, partly because of the negative perception that minority students have about the field of agriculture, and partly because of a lack of concerted effort on the part of land-grant universities to recruit, retain, and graduate minority students. The objective of this paper is to provide information that will enable minority students, and land-grant faculties and administrators to more ffectively deal with the academic, financial, and emotional needs of minority students who are making the transition from undergraduate to graduate school. If colleges of agriculture are to attract minorities into higher education and retain them, they must not only be aware of special concerns, but also learn to deal more ffectively with the minority student. The results of this paper are based on telephone interviews, literature review, and personal experiences. Academic and emotional preparation seem to vary by individual cases. Mentoring and networking are areas that minority students can better utilize during and after the transition process. Lack of financial aid appears to be the strongest deterrent to the successful completion of a graduate ducation. The transition process requires sensitivity by faculty and ado ministrators of land-grant institutions and a willingness by the minority student to adjust appropriately in order to achieve his or her goals. WHEN make the transition from MINORITY STUDENTS undergraduate to graduate school, it does not have to be a traumatic experience, regardless of whether the transition is from an 1890 to an 1862 institution or from one 1862 institution to another. It can, and should be positive. One of the goals of the society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) is to provide mechanisms for recruitment and retention of multicultural students into colleges of agriculture across the country, thereby ensurL. Williamson, Dep. of Agricultural Economics, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546; and D. Jordan, Southern Piedmont Conserv. Res. Ctr., USDA-ARS, Watkinsville, GA 30677. Based on workshop presentation for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) Conference held at the University Maryland, Eastern Shore Campus, Princess Anne, MD, 8-10 Apr. 1988. Received 19 Dec. 1988. *Corresponding author. Published in J. Agron. Educ. 19:3-7 (1990). ing a steady supply of professionals for the future. Students, however, must be equipped with effective tools to deal with the demands of the future. When contemplating graduate studies, minority students are confronted by all of the uncertainties and questions that other students have, but must also face additional problems. The minuscule number of minorities who enter and complete undergraduate and graduate degrees in agriculture indicates that a greater effort must be made to identify, understand, and offer solutions to the obstacles confronting minority students who pursue graduate degrees in agriculture. For example, most people decide to enroll in a graduate school and select a department based upon the advice of friends, the glossy prose of graduate school catalogs, and perhaps the advice of a friendly faculty member (Moore, 1985). However, this approach tends to leave most minority students with partial, inaccurate, or otherwise inadequate information, since minorities generally have fewer personal contacts with individuals in graduate school and usually less exposure to academia than their majority counterparts. Minority students must become aware of: (i) the career opportunities in agriculture, (ii) the financial assistance opportunities available to graduate students, (iii) the length of time and type of research required in order to obtain an M.S. or Ph.D., (iv) measures by which to evaluate a department or program, (v) the process of written and oral exams and thesis writing, (vi) the measures that must be taken in order to ensure a quality position upon graduation, and (vii) the importance of interacting with faculty and other graduate students during social events (Moore, 1985). The objective of this paper is to provide information that will enable land-grant faculties and administrators, and potential minority undergraduate and graduate students to more effectively deal with the academic, financial, and emotional preparation (particularly, in the agronomic sciences) that is required for minorities to make a successful transition from undergraduate to graduate school.