Visit to State University of Rio de Janeiro

On Wednesday, we visited the State University of Rio de Janeiro. The director of the University set up a round table discussion for us to converse with several self-identified Afro-Brazilians from the first class of students accepted through the affirmative action quota system. We were fortunate to have the help of a translator and technological equipment for simultaneous translations. At this session, I asked the students whether they had taken a pre-vestibular course and, if they had, how they supported themselves during the course.

The students’ responses confirmed what I had learned from our visits to the high schools two days earlier, that the obstacles preventing Afro-Brazilian students from entering university are almost insurmountable without some form of government or private assistance. One student’s response in particular illustrates the lack of resources available to Afro-Brazilian students. He attended a public school that did not adequately prepare him for the vestibular exam, so he decided to take a pre-vestibular course. However, because he was poor, needed to support himself and send home money, he trained in the army while studying. He had to wake up at 4 a.m., train with the army all day, and then take classes at night. This combination of physical activity and long hours made it impossible for him to study. As a result and despite his best efforts, he failed the vestibular exam. Not until several years later, after taking a vocational course and procuring a better paying job, had he saved enough money to pay for the pre-vestibular course again. He retook the course and finally entered the university through the affirmative action quotas program.

In the United States, many students graduate with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Here, on the other hand, so far my research has shown that many students are averse to making such an investment. Instead, it seems that those who are able to break the barrier and enter the university system have done so because they have incredible drive and often work two jobs while studying for the vestibular or attending university. I am interested in understanding the reasons for this fear of credit because it seems that more access to credit could help many students overcome the financial barriers they currently face. I think that one reason is that even with a university education, a well-paying jobs are not as readily available as they are in the United States.