Beyond Stereotypes: Exploring How Minority College Students Experience Stigma on Reddit

Abstract

Minority college students face unique challenges shaped by their identities based on their gender/sexual orientation, race, religion, and academic institutions, which influence their academic and social experiences. Although research has highlighted the challenges faced by individual minority groups, the stigma process-labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination-that underpin these experiences remains underexamined, particularly in the online spaces where college students are highly active. We address these gaps by examining posts on subreddit, r/college, as indicators for stigma processes, our approach applies a Stereotype-BERT model, including stance toward each stereotype. We extend the stereotype model to encompass status loss and discrimination by using semantic distance with their reference sentences. Our analyses show that professional indicated posts are primarily labeled under the stereotyping stage, whereas posts indicating racial are highly represented in status loss and discrimination. Intersectional identified posts are more frequently associated with status loss and discrimination. The findings of this study highlight the need for multifaceted intersectional approaches to identifying stigma, which subsequently serve as indicators to promote equity for minority groups, especially racial minorities and those experiencing compounded vulnerabilities due to intersecting identities.