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Click on Interracial Friendships in the Transition to College: Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together Once They Leave the Nest?
Because of segregation in neighborhoods and schools, college may provide the first opportunity
for many young adults to interact closely with members of different racial and ethnic
groups. Little research has examined how interracial friendships form during this period. This
article investigates changes in the racial composition of friendship networks in the transition
from high school to college and how aspects of the college environment are related to such
changes. Interracial friendships increase for whites, decrease for blacks, and show little change
for Latinos and Asians. The habits of friendship formation that are acquired during adolescence
and features of residential and extracurricular college contexts influence the formation of interracial
friendships. The race of one’s roommate, the degree of interracial contact in residence
halls, and participation in various types of extracurricular activities are most strongly related to
the formation of interracial friendships.
Click on Interracial Friendships in the Transition to College: Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together Once They Leave the Nest?
Because of segregation in neighborhoods and schools, college may provide the first opportunity
for many young adults to interact closely with members of different racial and ethnic
groups. Little research has examined how interracial friendships form during this period. This
article investigates changes in the racial composition of friendship networks in the transition
from high school to college and how aspects of the college environment are related to such
changes. Interracial friendships increase for whites, decrease for blacks, and show little change
for Latinos and Asians. The habits of friendship formation that are acquired during adolescence
and features of residential and extracurricular college contexts influence the formation of interracial
friendships. The race of one’s roommate, the degree of interracial contact in residence
halls, and participation in various types of extracurricular activities are most strongly related to
the formation of interracial friendships.
