Pursuing higher or professional education is not easy, especially as black or brown students who have to joggle between work, home, school life while trying to deal with limited resources, and the challenges that come with being black and pursuing a college education especially if you’re at a school that is not predominantly black or diverse. Recently I have met, interviewed and engaged several students especially African American students (AA’s) who have shared their experience in college and who are struggling.
The recurring challenges for these students, listed below, which we have summarized, are based on interviews, social media posts and comments, studies and reports and ethnographic methods:
- The way the course is taught or they experience culture shock
- Time Management
- Work life, financial stress and meeting academic deadlines and difficulties adjusting to the institutions academic requirements
- Limited or no family support (feels lonely) they say great that you’re in but then don’t understand why you’re there it’s value and have no time as they navigate their own lives and you feel more doubtful about why you need to do this. Family only get involve when you are about to fail and that threatens all their financial investments that they work hard to secure your college education.
In fact, I encountered two of these students recently whose concerns I will share and provide specific recommendations for students who may have similar experiences. One 24-year-old student commented that: “I’m just burnt out overall honestly and it sucks because I’m really drained, and I be feeling like giving up, but I can’t!!.”
Then, there is the PHD student I refer to as Ace, who is overwhelmed by having to do so much reading and is dealing with balancing work life and having his ideas challenged in class. wrote that: “So much reading to do but this is what I signed up for…. My ideas are challenged, I question my own ideas, and I question those of others,” (Ace). Many of these students have quit, had to withdraw and or opt to study elsewhere or another discipline all together.
But it doesn’t have to be like that. There is support and ways we can be less overwhelmed. I have developed some tips that you may find useful, which I have shared in this article. But I will share two of these stories and provide a step-by-step list of ways we can minimize or overcome these challenges that I have found useful as a Researcher, Social Scientist, Academic, Author, Doctoral candidate, with years of advanced education, and teaching seniors and college students, entrepreneur and someone who has experience the same struggles, but is having some success. I will break them up into two stories, the first is a young man, I refer to as Zee who is experiencing burn-out and having difficulties grasping some concepts in his math class, and then I will provide specific recommendations
First Person: Zee
March 10, 2022:
“work 6 days a week, take care of sisters children who died from covid and nursing school – this isn’t working (was working) only 24 started at 19 lost interest but getting back into it.
Brooo I swear this math lecture I just got out of blew my mind something crazy like I’m so burnt out !! The way she be explaining stuff be throwing me off !! I understand it from tutoring last weekend from the other teacher ..the instructor just be doing extra steps that don’t need to be done and I’m just like wtf !! It’s so crazy because I have an A (93) and today I just was like brooo,” (Zee).
“I’m just burnt out overall honestly and it sucks because I’m really drained and I be feeling like giving up but I can’t !! ”
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My Reply and Recommendation:
Sup Z, you have done well to express yourself and the way you have, seems to suggest that you need help. My recommendation is:
- Find a student or peer who you can draw on.
- Further, don’t be afraid to speak to the professor about anything you find difficult to grasp, that’s their job to make sure that you understand and where you don’t explore ways to work with you so that you can get it. But the teacher’s style of teaching seems to be a problem; therefore, you may need to:
- Get someone whose style is better for you. It seems the tutoring is helping.
- Further, you may also benefit from being more organized so as to minimize the stress and to find time to get some rest. Hopefully you have friends and support to take caring for the little ones off your hands sometimes and that brings me to the next point.
- getting a mentor or support or peer group can also provide the needed support. Presentation and Seminar on Mentoring Investing Your Life In Others – The NeoLiberal
- Finally, concepts are easier to decipher or understand when you try to understand the rational basis behind it. (Example: Ask yourself, Why does 2 + 2 = 4. Or what is the basis behind a thing that makes it the thing based on the logic.) Try to figure out how and why a complex or problem equates out to be Y or Z by using reason based on principles and rules. What is the rule behind certain equation. Once you know why something clicks then you can figure out how a problem is solved or resolved.
Z actually reached out and we are friends now. I continue to encourage him and provide any advice as needed.
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Second person: Ace
April 2, 2022:
“So much reading to do but this is what I signed up for…. Life as a PhD student is very lonely at times, very demanding, and much is expected of you. My ideas are challenged, I question my own ideas, and I question those of others; I have grown and still growing. I do it all for my family, my African ancestors, for the black and brown people around the world who do not have the opportunities as I do (I will leave every door open for you and I will share what I have learned so that you too will have the opportunity), and for my passion to become a researcher scholar in the field of forced migration policy; I want to help refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons (IDPs),” (Ace).
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So I responded with some steps here that I’d like to share. I had said to Ace that, It doesn’t have to be that way brother. I have a trick that will help to get you through the reading and get the rest without the stress:
1. Don’t read everything
2. If you’re reading for a class get to know the objective of the course and the questions the class is seeking to answer then once you focus your mind on that.
3. Jot down questions from that.
4. Then take up the material and read the title, preface, author’s notes or acknowledgment, because those contain the thesis statements, research methods, influence, principles and or the rationale behind the study or topic or material and make notes. Look out for questions he or she is seeking to answer and compare with what you are trying to accomplish from the course and questions asked and see how they relate. (Jot down his/her methods and rationale and any ideological principles or basis or influence context or experience that speaks to his topic, the way he’s/she’s arguing or developing his/her ideas in the book and to get an idea as to the writer’s conclusion or how it is affected by these—this is very important as you must place the material within the writers contexts.)
5. Read the content because the tables of content and the way it’s written is the outline of the argument the author is presenting.
6. Read the introduction and make some notes in relation to the answers you’re seeking.
7. Do not Read the chapters in full. Now that you have done 1-6, you should have a gist or sense of the material and how it speaks to your study in the class. Just read the chapter headings and the beginning of each and the conclusion of each proceeding chapter.
8. Read the conclusion or closing chapter in full
9. Then you’re done and you can go back and read the entire book later on if it is really good and may want to go back to it. Remember to jot down notes that’s relevant to your topic and anything new concepts that pop that you want to revisit. And words and terms that you’re not too familiar with.
10. Make notes at the end by answering the questions you started with based on your reading.
11. To support your understanding of the subject you may write a blog and publish it or write in the class group, if your class has that kind of platform for you to summarize your ideas from the material in relation to the overall discussion in the class and or that addresses a new issue or current issue or question not dealing with anything in the class topic.
12. Submit a letter on the paper to a newspaper or Here at The Neoliberal Post for publication.
I will conclude here how I ended my reply to Ace: Let’s talk. I get it. Let’s talk. I hear the same from many other African American students in PhD and Grad programs who are struggling and eventually quit. And it feels lonely. We may need to have a wider discussion about this so that we can provide more awareness and further perspectives as our society seek to resolve the distributional equity by supporting HBCU’s financially. But the support must also be directed at helping students to get through college, once they get there.
Let’s talk. I get it. Let’s talk. I hear the same from many other African American students in PhD and Grad programs who are struggling and eventually quit. And it feels lonely. We may need to have a wider discussion about this so that we can provide more awareness and further perspectives as our society seek to resolve the distributional equity by supporting HBCU’s financially. But the support must also be directed at helping students to get through college, not only to get there.
Renaldo C. McKenzie, April 2, 2022
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Renaldo McKenzie is the Author of Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty And Resistance.
Renaldo graduated with a Master of Liberal Arts and then a Master of Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently completing his Doctor of Liberal Studies at Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies. Renaldo is the President of the Neoliberal Corporation and is working on his next book: “Privilege, Power, Position, Status, And Secrets To Divine Intervention.
Thank you for this