Riding the Talent Train.

• Author: Wilgoren, Jodi
• Position: African Americans at Ivy League colleges - Brief Article

How long is this train, eight hours?" asks Kara Beverly, 17, after finding a seat for her Amtrak trip to Providence, Rhode Island. Settled in, the Maryland senior then scans the car and asks, of no one in particular, "Are there any chemistry people here?"

There are, indeed, plenty of thick chemistry textbooks tucked inside the backpacks in the overhead bins. Physics, too. And calculus. This is a train full of students who are no strangers to Advanced Placement courses, the National Honor Society, and lofty SAT scores. They are special in other ways, too. "Wow," marvels Joe Williams, who boards at a station in New Carrollton, Maryland. "Everybody's black."

In the increasingly competitive world of college recruitment, high-achieving African-American students are among the most coveted. Colleges woo them with free trips to campuses, personal attention, and scholarships. The battles over affirmative action that have led many institutions to back away from giving preference to minority applicants have only intensified efforts to recruit the best and brightest by colleges seeking to stay racially mixed.

"The top minority students are recruited like rock stars," says Esther Hugo, coordinator of multicultural affairs for the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. "They're really courted."

CHECKING OUT COLLEGES

This train's 100 students are on their way to Brown University. Many say the chance to see what Ivy League life is like, while they camp in dormitories and tromp through late-night parties, will be invaluable.

But the trek itself is also part of the experience. During the journey, students trade calculators and CDs, talk of homework and hip-hop, and seem to exult simply in being together because of what they are: smart, overachieving, and black.

Admissions officers say students are much more likely to attend campuses they have visited. Brown started its program nine years ago. Over the last five years, 75 percent of those who attended the weekend and applied for admission were accepted.

As the train rumbles on, two Brown seniors stroll through the aisle answering questions. Are there black engineering students? How's the food? ("There's salt and pepper on every table," offers one senior.) Why did you decide to go to Brown, they ask over and over.

After they arrive, there are parties, a variety show, and a discussion of "the racial and sexual politics" of Spike Lee's He Got Game. The nervous visitors...