If you have ever felt like you don't belong in Computer Science, this one is for you. A lot of us have that way at one point. I hope seeing quotes from other students makes you feel less alone.
"And there was a time when I was trying to get into the fab room for lab but my I.D. wasn't working, … And
there's a couple students inside and it seemed like they're deciding whether or not they should open up the
door
[and no one ever did].
… And one of the things that I talked to my friend about was that a lot of times we have to second guess
ourselves because of our identity."
--CS Student of Color
Many students described the feeling of not belonging.
"Not very often. Like, very rarely. [...]
The first few things that we did in WiCS it felt like “okay there’s people who are in a similar
background
situation as me”. Like, there’s women here. There’s women of color here. It felt very safe.
Other than that it
was really hard to feel like I fit into the program."
--CS Student of Color
“I was the silent kid when I was in lower division. So, I’d see all these people asking
questions and I’d be
like I don’t even understand what that question means. Am I really good enough to be here?
Some of it was
self-inflicted.”
--CS Student of Color
The belong[ing] part is ... it’s complicated, at least for me, I feel it’s complicated.
I haven’t seen one
Black professor or instructor. ”
--CS Student of Color
The Tutor Lounge
"Pretty much any time I was in the tutor lounge I felt judged and not helped. I went in like 4 days a week. But I kept going because this is what I needed to get through my path. I wasn’t going to let someone else's attitude affect mine."
--Female CS Student of ColorThis site is under construction