ABSTRACT
Highly selective1 colleges and universities (HSCUs) in America, long criticized for being elitist and exclusionary, have increasingly sought out academically talented youth from diverse backgrounds to attend their campuses (Bowen and Bok, 1998). The assumption is that, equipped with financial support to cover tuition and fees and given the opportunity to attend, these students will flourish academically, socially, and professionally (Charles, Fischer, Mooney, and Massey, 2009).
