<p>I was given a rather nice package by a HBCU, Virginia State University. That is the only school I can afford at the moment. In-fact I'd probably save money going to that school, as if I were to attend community college I'd still have to find a place to live and pay for food. I'm a bit worried with how I would fit into a HBCU, especially VSU. The school has very low ranking, almost no diversity (I may just be one of the handful of 'whites'), and I've gathered from online reviews that it is not entirely safe.</p>
<p>Would it be better to attend VSU where I'll be saving money, but potentially risking a miserable year or attending community college and playing it safe?</p>
<p>Honestly, this seems like it might be a ■■■■■ post. But anybody choosing between two schools should do the same thing at both schools – visit, talk to people, sit in on a class, get a feel for the place, ask questions about what concerns you. And count the cost. If the goal is a 4-year degree, think about how you plan to finance the whole four years.</p>
<p>A successful stint in community college can open the doors to more prestigious transfer schools than might have originally admitted the student on the strength of the HS record. But merit aid for transfer students seems to be rare. I have heard that there are some places that do offer it. Need-based aid, I’m not sure how that varies for transfers. Consider what your potential transfer target schools would be, if you were to start at CC. Generally, one must strategize the whole degree, both academically and financially, not just the first year.</p>
<p>You need to feel that your choice is a good fit for you. Try to figure out where you would be the happiest being a college student. Many successful folks have started out at a community college to save money.</p>
<p>You would still have to pay room and board costs at VSU, and that will add up.</p>
<p>If you have been offered a full ride – tuition, room and board, debt free – that’s as good as it gets, except for the matter of whether you like the school and think the education will be worthwhile.</p>
<p>If you assume that merit aid will be unavailable to you as a transfer student (and I’m no expert on that, but the financial aid board could shed light on that) then you have 4 choices: (1) take this and keep it for 4 years; (2) go to the CC, knowing that you will have to pay for years 3 and 4 somehow; (3) stick with this for two years, and if you hate it, you can transfer out, just as you would have from the CC, but at least this was truly free for 2 years; or (4) hang back another year, try again with a new round of applications to find an affordable 4-year plan at a place you’re happier about, and work to save up some more money while you’re waiting.</p>
<p>@Thumper1,
They offered me room and board as well, so that is covered. It would be cheaper than attending community college atm.</p>
<p>@fieldsports,
Thank you for the response. I think I may try visiting the campus first and try to talk to some of the students. I just want to enjoy my freshmen year and the last thing I want to do is stick out.</p>
<p>Congrats! What a nice offer. If for some reason you’re serious about attending CC instead and transferring, it’s good to talk with whatever Us you may wish to attend and see what courses will transfer, particularly for your desired major. This is how our D chose her courses at CC and most of the courses did transfer.</p>
<p>Since there’s no financial investment by you in attending VSU, I think you should try it out for a semester. If you immediately after going find that it’s not for you, withdraw and leave. If it takes a few weeks, past withdrawal date, stick it out the semester and leave then, going to CC. If you end up liking it, then great.</p>
<p>Sorry but if you’re not AA and attending a HBCU, then you WILL stick out. I think there are many pros of attending and Vladen (post 10) makes a good suggestion. But if anonymity is a pressing concern, it won’t happen at VSU. Not that it’s the end of the world, but you need to be realistic.</p>
<p>A key to success there will be to choose classes wisely. I would assume that VSU has a very high accept rate and perhaps a very low grad rate. How will you be able to swim through that? Is there an honors program? Will you be able to take rigorous courses? Many things to consider.</p>
<p>OP, when I moved to a black neighborhood in NYC, I found that I stuck out much more in my own mind than I did to my neighbors. It took a while to for me to get used to it, but I did.</p>
<p>Certainly if you haven’t visited, do so before you decide. My guess is that you could transfer from VCU just as you could from a community college if you decided you didn’t like it.</p>
<p>Congratulations on the offer and good luck.</p>
<p>There was a period in high school when my son spent most of his time with a certain group of guys. All of these guys except him were African-American. He was comfortable with this.</p>
<p>I suspect that he could have gone to an HBCU and been comfortable there because he knew that he was already comfortable in situations where everyone else was African-American.</p>
<p>You do not sound so comfortable. And that’s something worth thinking about.</p>
<p>Big deal. Lots of people do just fine at colleges where they may seem to “stick out” in similar ways (e.g. black students at non-HB schools, non-white students at some small LACs, white students at Hawaii or UCR, etc.).</p>
<p>Does VSU have a white students union/club which is approved and supported by the administration? Do they have a white students dorm/housing and do they have special assistance through counseling, faculty or other mechanism to support you, and your unique needs, as a minority student? These are standard issue for URM’s in most university settings.</p>
<p>Some non-Black underclassmen at VSU have done quite quite well. For example, the Physics Department sent one of its alumnae to the graduate program at Johns Hopkins University. Sadly, the VSU Physics department was recently eliminated because of its small size. But my point is, college is what you make of it. Investigate and find out if VSU can work for you.</p>
<p>I’m a black female and I completely understand being skeptical of going to a black college. I would feel as out of place as you. I went to a high school last year where I didn’t fit in at all and it was HELL. The last thing you want to do is go somewhere that you won’t fit in. I would go to community college. I don’t think it’s that expensive. The cost is less than public in state universities. It’s worth paying more to go somewhere that you’ll be happy and fit in</p>
<p>SAT Critical Reading: 390 / 460
SAT Math: 390 / 460
SAT Writing: 370 / 450</p>
<p>I don’t think people with SAT section scores in the low 400s can study at the college level and would advise against attending such a school. Do you know what the SAT score ranges are at the community college? What are your scores?</p>
<p>That’s not a thing. A very large percentage, probably even most, students at CCs are non-traditional students who either haven’t taken an ACT or SAT or took it more than 10 years ago.</p>
<p>Community colleges also have students studying for goals other than transfer to a four year school (e.g. associates degree, vocational certification, or taking courses for personal interest). Also, since they tend to be open admission, they may have many students who never bothered to take the SAT or ACT.</p>
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