<p>Lately, I have been examining some all black Colleges like Howard or Spelman. I think they would be goood falll backs but my parents feel all- black colleges are pointless and useless. I am undecided. What do you think ?</p>
<p>I admit, I had my daughter visit Spelman, but did not push it. She couldn’t “relate”, was not offered merit aid, although she was well “above average”, and they where not at all active in recruiting her, as many other schools where. OTOH, I went to Howard, and it was the single most influential event in my life. But that was 30 years ago. I won’t argue that there are not different priorities now.</p>
<p>^^i agree hbus do not recruit like they should. when i was a kid the only black college i wanted was morehouse. but then i found out it was all boys. so that was the end of my consideration of hbus. i knew i wasn’t going down south and if was was going east i might as well go to one people knew.</p>
<p>i’ll be honest i was afraid hbus wouldn’t be hard enough, diverse enough (i know what your thinking. not in the way you think) or a good enough trade off for my highschool work, but if someone else would choose an hbu i don’t see a problem with it</p>
<p>My daughter just completed her 1st year at Howard. She was the only Black student in her high school graduating class. I admit that she really was only interested in HBCU’s and specifically Howard and Spelman. And since the high school was all girls, Spelman fell off the radar. </p>
<p>She is in the Honors Program at Howard. She feels challenged. She took 17 credit hours 1st semester, 18 credit hours 2nd semester and finished the year with a 3.8. For a little reference, she tested into 4th year Spanish and took it, along with honors calculus and honors English. She’s scheduled to take another 18 hours 1st semeter 2nd year, including 2 more honors courses. She was also involved in several organizations, including Alternate Spring Break and volunteered for the inaguration. She must do an honors thesis senior year, but has the opportunity to participate (and practice) before senior year.</p>
<p>She likes that she is surrounded by intelligent and motivated Black students. It also seems like she managed to collect a mini-UN of friends. </p>
<p>I think one of the reasons you find that Howard and possibly Spelman aren’t actively recruiting is because, honestly, some of the brightest are contacting them 1st. From the program of the reception of in-coming scholarship recipients for class of 2012, Howard gave out almot 400 scholarships. The scholarships range from room/board/tuition/fees/book vouchers to tuition/fees. Howard also had 3 Fulbright scholars and a Truman scholar this past year.</p>
<p>My nieces and nephews and other cousins have or are attending HBCU’s, including Xavier, Dillard, Morehouse, Tennesee State, Central State, Wilberforce, Alabama State and FAMU. They have gone on to Carnegie Mellon Grad school, Duke Med school and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.</p>
<p>I know HBCU’s aren’t for everyone and I get it that there are different tiers of HBCU’s. Would I think is telling for my family, is, the parents attended PWI’s (U-Mich for me), and the children opted for HBCU’s.</p>
<p>Whichever college you attend, make sure you selected it for reasons that are sound for you. You want to learn and thrive. I know I sound like Howard cheerleader, but I knowmy kid is happy and thribing there. I wish the same for all of you.</p>
<p>pointless. it would be better to meet new people of all diffrent backgrounds than secluding yourself. Isnt that the whole point of the Civil Rights movement??? For everyone to be able to study under the same institution?</p>
<p>I think those who rush to say HBCUs are “pointless” are making a gross overstatement - - and being gratuitously nasty.</p>
<p>Maybe a HBCU is not right for you – but no LAC/uni is for everyone. As with most things, HBCUs are right for some and not a good fit (or unnecessary) for others.</p>
<p>Still, the brighest, I’m saying the brightest of the brightest all over the world, contact Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford & other Top 20 schools. Yet, that doesn’t prevent the from recruiting, especially underrepresented minorities.</p>
<p>There are no all black schools. There are predominantly black schools (the HBCUs), but you’ll still get diversity at them.</p>
<p>I applied to 3 HBCUs (Coppin State, Howard and Norfolk State). I got into all 3. I chose not to attend. Coppin and Norfolk were both too unknown for me, and Norfolk was also way too far from home. And I heard awful things about Howard’s nursing program even though it’s a great school.</p>
<p>There are 800 NA Finalists and 1300 NA Semi Finalists. They are attending schools all over the spectrum. The brightest of the brightest chose what they feel is a best fit. Be careful with the generalizations.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nationalmerit.org/annual_report.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nationalmerit.org/annual_report.pdf</a></p>
<p>HBCUs were never for me. My father, sister (and her mother), and one aunt went to Tuskegee. Another aunt and my great-great grandmother went to Hampton. My brother went to Howard. So I spend time visiting family and going to homecomings at them and they aren’t for me. But they were great for my family members, and my father seems to have enjoyed his time at Tuskegee a lot more than my mother enjoyed her time at Cornell. He goes back for homecoming, she has never been back to Cornell. Of course, he does have a daughter and grandchild in Tuskegee and my mother was a Transfer student who was only in Ithaca for 2 years or so. But basically, they serve a purpose. They’re great for some people, they serve purpose, and they seem to have really well-connected alumni.</p>
<p>I would never go to a HBCU</p>
<p>I’d hardly consider Spelman a fallback with an average gpa being around 3.7 for acceptance. But no they aren’t for everyone. I plan on attending one after being miserable at a prep school for over 3 years now. Sure I’ve recieved a great education, but socially I’m unhappy. Therefore my top 3 college choices are Howard, Hampton, and Spelman. Leaning largely towards Howard because it’s in D.C. and I’m planning on a polisci major. Plus they have an amazing summer abroad program.
In no way are HBCUs pointless. They aren’t the best option for everyone but they are for many people. I know I’ll succeed educationally wherever I go. I’d also like to enjoy college. I’d like to join the sorority I’m a legacy of, enjoy Homecoming, be around people I relate to, and have fun. I know that’s something that won’t happen if I attend a pwi. All of my friends who have left my prep school and now attend pwi’s seem to just think of it as something they must deal with. Just waiting for the day they can graduate and move on with life. My friends who went to Morehouse, Spelman, Howard, or Hampton are having a blast and getting great educations. Plus the top HBCUs have a high percentage of students who go on to top graduate programs.</p>
<p>HBCU’s aren’t for me because there is an even greater lack of diversity than a PWI. I’d rather go to a school where half the student are white, and the other half are of various ethnic backgrounds then one where everyone is of the same race.
But that doesn’t mean that aren’t good schools.</p>
<p>I personally think that HBCU’s are contradictions. They basically promote segregation in their quest to abolish segregation… It doesn’t make sense to me.
BUT, I’m not saying that those schools are bad… Just that they don’t make sense to me.</p>