Through Stanford’s Diversity Exchange program, four students from Spelman College, Morehouse College and Howard University have swapped places with Stanford students this quarter. Though Stanford may be similar to the historically black colleges/universities in political views, some differences include the prevalence of the tech industry, its breadth of diversity, and size as a research institution.

“It’s about going to another school in another part of the country and seeing what it’s like,” said junior Gabrielle Porter, an economics major on exchange this quarter from Spelman College. “They’re trying to make you feel as much like a Stanford student as possible.”

The exchange allows students to swap places for up to a year, preferably as juniors. Community engagement is the chief goal of the program. One previous exchange student helped found the Black Students in Psychology Association; in recent years, a student from Morehouse directed a play. Another was the dining ambassador for FloMo.

“They’re not outsiders,” said program coordinator Laura Selznick. “They really find ways of getting into the community and taking part in Stanford activities.”

For some students, the draw to Stanford is its connection to Silicon Valley. With its renowned CS department and startup culture — having spawned Instagram, Snapchat, and Pulse, among others — Stanford is an obvious choice for future techies.

“This is where the things are happening in CS,” said junior Ram Hari Dahal, a computer science major on exchange from Howard University. “And for CS, one of the most important things is networking.”

Dahal plans to make connections, pursue advice from professors and ultimately decide whether to apply to Stanford for graduate school.

Many of the Stanford students who choose to participate in the program were accepted to Spelman, Morehouse or Howard. Though they decided to go to Stanford, they still sought the experience of a historically black college/university. The exchange offers a compromise of getting to know the other institution without leaving Stanford altogether or changing one’s aid package. This was the original impetus for the program’s founding in 1978, when a student left Stanford to attend Howard, but lost his financial aid to Stanford afterward.    

Selznick herself had the opportunity to attend Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, for a brief period in 1968 through a program at Smith College. During her exchange, highway patrol officers shot and killed protesters in the “Orangeburg Massacre.” In the aftermath, Selznick participated in demonstrations with fellow Benedict students.

“This is why I’ve been excited to be part of the exchange,” she said. “To experience it from the other side and see what that cross-cultural domestic experience can really do is pretty amazing.”

For students coming from Spelman or Morehouse, the co-ed aspect of Stanford may bring new challenges along with the sheer size of the school.

Porter initially found Stanford’s size daunting, but now sees it as an asset. She notes that the social scene is amorphous and has found her place with the frisbee team and a variety of new friends. Rather than size, the most overwhelming cultural difference is Stanford’s food.

“I’ve never eaten as much kale or quinoa,” Porter said. “I’m so tired of chicken every day. I just want some beef.”

Breadth of diversity is another difference between Stanford and the other participating schools, in part due to its size.

“In the classroom setting, you meet people from so many places, from seventh-year Ph.D. students to first-year freshmen,” Dahal said. “You get a lot of really diverse opinions, which is amazing.”

In terms of student groups, Porter noted students could “love anything and find a place or community” thanks to the wide variety of opportunities on campus.

Although different in their historical roots, the main overlap between Stanford and the participating historically black colleges/universities is political: Both Porter and Dahal described Stanford as having a similar political temperature as their home schools, especially regarding social issues. Yet Dahal noted that the Valley has a larger influence on Stanford’s climate than those in the bubble may notice.

“The thing about Stanford is, no matter who you meet, everyone has some view about CS,” Dahal said.

Contact Fiona Kelliher at fionak ‘at ‘ stanford.edu.