Getting College Ready: Latin@ Student Experiences of Race, Access, and Belonging at Predominantly White Universities (Equity in Higher Education Theory, Policy, and Praxis) New Edition

Minikel-Lacocoque reports findings from a qualitative study of 6 Latin@ students transitioning into a predominately White public university. The first thing to note about this book is that it is a pleasure to read. The author writes descriptively and personally about what supports students bring to their college experiences, what supports the college provides, and the variety of ways in which students navigate the same university. While quantitative studies tell us about macro trends in college access, this book provides an up-close look at how students experience (or not): microagressions, support systems, academic expectations, familial relationships, financial burdens, and the social life of college. I cannot emphasize enough how beautifully the students’ voices and experiences bring to life a variety of issues. Mario, for example, is a member of the marching band—a group that gives him a social home, but also assigns him a racist nickname. Minikel-Lacocque draws upon his conflicting feelings with the group to contribute to theories about microagressions and to open up discussion about what should and should not be considered “micro.” The chapter on Jasmine describes how her upbringing in a charismatic Christian community makes it difficult for her to negotiate both the academic and social expectations of the university. The story invites discussion about what role the university can and should play in the lives of students from fundamentalist groups. In short, the book is a must-read for people who work at all levels of the university, but especially faculty, student life, and those involved in academic support for underrepresented groups.

I loved this book. It follows the ups and downs of students at a university. It is relatable and would be very eye opening for those who may not look at life through others perspectives.

“I had never read a book that spoke about me, about my experience” said a lecturer of English and Race and Ethnic Studies, in the College of Letters and Sciences, at one of the University of Wisconsin campuses. The comment came during a workshop on effective teaching of diversity courses and the professor was commenting on the book Getting College Ready. Latin@ Student Experiences of Race, Access, and Belonging at Predominantly White Universities, by Julie Minikel-Lacocque (Pert Lang, New York, 2015). The book was one of the assigned readings for the workshop, and was very well received. Though the young professor is not Latina, she was still moved by how the content of the book spoke about her experience. Getting College Ready. Latin@ Student Experiences of Race, Access, and Belonging at Predominantly White Universities is, indeed, an effective tool for anybody seeking to reach deep into the question of how to work with Latin@ students to increase their success at the university level. Minikel-Lacocque engages deeply theoretical questions, as well as practical, everyday concerns regarding higher education of Latin@ students, and she does so with elegance and substance. She nestles hard data, theory, and other staples of solid quantitative research in the stories of the students whose lives she examines. The result is a book that reads easily and pleasurably, while providing us with solid theoretical and pedagogical models and questions, as we engage in a very pressing issue: how do we begin to close the educational gap between Latin@ and mainstream students. If you are wrestling with this question, as an educator or as an institution of higher education, this book is definitely a must read.