Is it worth it? Black students’ narratives in college personal statements

Abstract Drawing on 37 in-depth interviews with Black students attending two selective institutions—"Bluesdale University,” a historically and predominantly white institution (HPWI), and “Redding University,” a historically Black college and university (HBCU)—this study examines how students navigate storytelling and racial identity in the college admissions process. At Bluesdale, students view the essay as an explanatory tool, a place to justify their admissibility beyond quantitative measures. These essays serve as a site for negotiating worthiness in the face of expectations and assumptions of racialized disadvantage. Students at Redding describe the essay as an avenue for self-expression and cultural affirmation, believing that Black admissions officers would understand their narratives. Rather than collapsing institutional differences, this study highlights how HBCUs and HPWIs may produce pressures for racial legibility, while also offering distinct pathways for meaning-making. These findings contribute to scholarship on college admissions, institutional contexts, and the sociology of education by centering how Black students interpret and respond to institutional contexts through the college admissions essay. The study also invites organizations to increase transparency about college essay expectations and holistic admissions, reduce reliance on standardized testing in admissions processes, and encourage educators to discuss the benefits of HBCUs on Black identity and meaning-making.