Are you guys thinking of applying to HBCUS

Student Lounge African-American Students
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<p>I got full-tuition scholarships to Howard and Morehouse. I applied to both schools as safeties but once they gave me $$$$ they moved up on my list of colleges. In the end I I sent my deposit to the College of William & Mary. The two factors that made my give up the scholarship money for W&M were 1. prestige and 2. the student body. I felt like William & Mary had a much better reputation than HBCU’s, which would help me in job search, grad school, etc. Also, I was a little nervous about going to school with all black kids after growing up in a suburb and having mostly white friends. I thought I would start to miss white people! The student body at W&M fit my personality the most out of any school I applied to and I had a great time on campus visits.</p>

<p>That being said, I went to a scholars luncheon at Howard and they had students speak who chose Howard over more prestigious schools. One girl chose Howard over Harvard (!) and one guy chose Howard over Wash U in St. Louis and Georgetown. Howard and Morehouse get a handful of National Merit Scholars each year so you’ll have the opportunity to meet high-caliber students at those schools. So, go to the school where you fit best and where you think you will succeed the most, since ultimately thats more important than rankings or prestige.</p>

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<p>Tguy what was your gpa and test scores</p>

<p>Sent from my LG-MS690 using CC App</p>

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<p>“as much flourishing diversity as my school”</p>

<p>Kudasai, I’d love to hear more.Can you describe your school?</p>

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<p>My school is a public high school in Illinois (urban) and is about 30% Black, 25%White, 15% Asian, 15% Latino (these are really crude estimates people), but you can tell when you go there, especially as compared to other schools in our city, we are REALLY diverse :slight_smile: (I love my high school!)</p>

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<p>These days the issue of prestige can be a wash when it comes to getting a job interview or placement into a highly regarded graduate program or professional school. Employees and graduate school officials today know that the top applicants from places like Morehouse, Spelman, Xavier are quite competitive and have attractive credentials and pedigrees.</p>

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<p>I visited Tuskegee University when I was in High School and it was the most comfortable experience I’ve ever had. At the time, I was the only Black person in a private Christian school. To go from surrounded by White people, always being judged, set up, scrutinized, put on the spot, etc, it was a breath of fresh air. I could blend in and finally not have to be on edge so much. </p>

<p>Everyone is real friendly there. I’ve grown up in some hard places. From all-white neighborhoods to a multicultural environment like the Bronx, NY I feel like I’ve seen it all. Then when I went into the military, I lived in Cali and the midwest and now I’m back to Florida, about to attend school again. I can honestly say that out of all the places I’ve ever lived, East, West, Midwest, North and South of the United States, I truly felt comfortable in Tuskegee, Alabama. There are good Black people there. I hate to say it but yes there are places where Black people just don’t get along. Those are the places you see in media alot. Too bad they don’t focus on the good places like Tuskegee.</p>

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<p>Fascinating topic! I’m currently a college sophomore so I’m going to go ahead and give my two cents:</p>

<p>I did not apply to a HBCU, and while some of them are definitely top notch schools, I would not necessarily heavily encourage attendance to one, for one reason: college is your preparation for the adult work world, and going to a school that has predominantly one ethnicity/race is poor preparation for a global workforce.</p>

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<p>Sorry, can’t agree with you Bfellow14. The U.S. is an ethnically diverse nation. There’s no getting around that fact. My point is, we’re always surrounded an immersed in ‘the real world.’ Attending an HBCU doesn’t change that. Do alumna of womens’ colleges have no ‘real world’ experience? Are graduates of Christian schools ill-equipped to thrive in today’s global marketplace, a world where they are in the minority? The answer to both propositions is ‘no.’</p>

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<p>LakeWashington, I would challenge you to look beyond the statistical definitions of diversity that would paint a picture of America as diverse and think critically for a moment. There are millions of people across the United States growing up in homogeous urban, rural and suburban areas, and the collegiate experience is, for most young people, there first opportunity to encounter something else. I attend one of the major universities in my state and have encountered plenty of students who may have had almost no white or black people, or Muslims, or whatever else in any of their schools or neighborhoods. You don’t need to take my anecdotal experience as truth, but there is plenty of statistical evidence that would tell you many students are still products of homogenous school, for most places in the United States, especially for African Americans. </p>

<p>So for people that have grown up in segregated environments (which is most people in the US), attending a university that incorporates some of that similar ethnic homogeny, and in turn homogenous ways of thinking, is not helping prepare them for post-graduate life when they will most likely not work/live around/interact with only people who are just like them. Just because you live in a country with X number of African Americans, White, Hispanics and Asians, does not mean that you grew up in an environment that actively promoted diverse interaction and thought, and again, the collegiate experience is often the one chance to change this before being forced into more major adult responsibilities in the work force.</p>

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<p>Sometimes you have to go where you will strive and at times that means a place where you find the most support and encouragement. </p>

<p>There is a difference between segregation and separation, the real world will be waiting for you once you leave. If you have never been in an environment surrounded by Black achievement and excellence it can truly indeed be for many a place to thrive.</p>

<p>Tuskegee Univ.
C/O 1991</p>

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<p>I am. Honestly, I never considered going to a HBCU until this year. I never had anything against them; I just always thought that a PWI was the typical way to go. There really was no thought process behind it. But now that I’m a senior and have to make a decision that will affect the next four years of my life and my future, I had to really just ignore and disregard everybody else’s opinions and focus on me and what I want to do. </p>

<p>I grew up in a predominately hispanic and black city, but for the past 5 years I’ve been living in and attending schools in a predominately white neighbhorhood. Coming here as a pre-teen was not easy for me. It took me a long time to get adjusted and up to this day, there’s still a lot of things that I cannot stand- the number one being ignorance. I know a lot of students in this forum have dealt with their share so I don’t think I need to go into specific details. I really hate making things a race issue because I never had to deal with that growing up, but I deal with ignorance on both sides of the spectrum- from whites and blacks. I am not a stereotype and when I entered high school, I refused to succumb to any even if that meant I wouldn’t have any friends. </p>

<p>I don’t fit in with the black community at my school but then again I don’t really think I fit in anywhere- not because I’m a loser, but because I was never into cliques and would rather be my own company than try to suck up to people just so they could call me their friends. But I digress lol. </p>

<p>Ignorance, racism, pre-concived notions- these aren’t going anywhere. This is something we’re going to have to deal with whether we graduate from a PWI or a HBCU. I’ve read some comments and a lot of people aren’t considering going to HBCUs because they want racial diversity. That seems to be the typical argument from a lot of people who opt out of applying to one. Racial diversity is a beautiful thing. I’ve met a lot of people at my school from different cultures, tried different foods, learned about different religions, etc. However, racial diversity is not the only type of diversity there is and it’s not beneficial if you don’t take advantage of it. My school is what people will call racially diverse, but what you’ll find is the asians hang with the asians. The blacks hang with the blacks. The whites hang with the whites and so on and so forth. How is that embracing racial diversity?</p>

<p>A lot of people also said that they never fit in with the blacks at school and are afraid to go to a HBCU because of that. I’m not going to lie- this was one of the main reasons why I was hesistant to apply as well, but I was fortunate to go to a banquet for students interested in attending HBCUs and was amazed that there were so many determined students there who were aiming to become laywers, doctors, engineers, etc. They didn’t give in to stereotypes. They talked properly. They dressed nicely. I felt comfortable around them.</p>

<p>My point is not all black people come in one box and as a lot of you seem to reflect that we’re above the stereotypes, I’m surprised that some people just threw HBCUs into that same box. Of course, I don’t go to a HBCU so I can’t speak on behalf of all of them, but from talking to students who attend one, I’ve learned that there is no typical student at a HBCU. You’re going to meet students who are into the arts and people who are interested in sciences. You’re going to meet intelligent people- some who have turned down Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other Ivy Leagues and then you’re going to meet people who will make you question “How in the heck did you even get admitted here?” but the fact of the matter is, you’re going to run into people like that no matter what school you go to. </p>

<p>And for people who say that HBCUs don’t reflect the “real world”- just so you know, when students walk off campus, they step into the “real world”. When they go to their internships, they step into the “real world”. The real world isn’t solely about racial demographics either. It’s about perseverence and overcoming obstacles, and much more. </p>

<p>I too am applying to PWIs, but when it’s all said and done, the question shouldn’t be whether PWIs are better than HBCUs and vice versa. It should be “What school is best for ME?” </p>

<p>Good luck to everyone no matter where you decide to go. Remember, a school doesn’t determine your success. You do :)</p>

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<p>Long Post…really went on a tangent
^@CrazeeB I don’t know if I’m really interested in any HBCUs, but that was extremely well said. I don’t really get the whole “HBCUs are not diverse” argument either. It’s basically 90% black vs. 90% white or asian when you compare HBCUs and PWI. Truthfully its a matter of what type of people certain students feel comfortable around… racial diversity is lacking in each w/ the slight exception of schools like Columbia, Williams or Duke…</p>

<p>I don’t think there is anything wrong with citing funding, environment, or even perceived educational differences as reasons why an HBCU would not be a good fit, but don’t pretend that PWIs will provide you with this unprecedented diversity. More often than not we are just mere numbers to these schools who add demographic percentages to their school profiles and boast “intellectual and cultural diversity”. The numbers keep alumni dollars flowing, JBHE from complaining, and white teenagers with a temporary liberal streak feeling like they are expanding their horizons. It kind of sucks but black and latino students are pretty much the “tools” of diversity in these types of schools…and are treated as such upon arrival–as evidenced by handling of on-campus racial incidents, job placement and graduation rate disparities.</p>

<p>Observations…
If you want a diverse group of friends (whether you are in a predom. white college or highschool), you really have to work for it, which is why many minority students at PWIs “self-segregate” and have only a couple of non-minority friends. Whether you want to admit it or not, there is an assumption that you, as a black person, will have to seriously conform to non-minorities. When I say conform, I do not mean act as they do, I mean that you are expected to act in ways that don’t challenge their perceived economic, intellectual, moral and physical superiority over you. More often than not, it means accepting being the “the sidekick”, “the joker”, “the comforter” or “the constant entertainer”. Like many of you guys + CrazeeB, I have been in a position where I have experienced ignorance from minorities and whites. Though I’ve noticed that a great amount of non-minorities (NOT ALL) can never accept that someone of color may have a greater or equal intellectual capacity or even a dynamic life beyond them. And they rarely want that notion challenged by a black “friend”. You guys who go to predom white high schools, you know who that “friend” is.</p>

<p>For those that don’t, imagine this:
You go for your first day of school–> see the only black person of this year’s AP classes (in my case all of my classes)–> look over to acknowledge them–>nod head–>mentally say,“Yay! I won’t be the black spokesperson this year. No awkward February for me”–>then the other black person raps and crip walks for class–>then you SYH(Shake your head)–>solemnly mutter codename: cornbread–><em>side note</em>teacher “mistakenly” calls you Shaniqua instead of Sharon.</p>

<p>Although not everyone within the black community is accepting of an intellectually oriented person, most know that we are not a monolith. Most understand that we each have diverse interests and backgrounds. Most black students will not be as quick to group you with others, because they have have often had that experience. Honestly, although I’m not applying to many HBCUs, I’m pretty certain that students there will be able to appreciate your true diversity even more.</p>

<p>Sure there are many arguments against HBCUs (funding and educational opportunities is a big drawback for me), but the diversity argument is really a misguided and flawed one. The funny thing is, most of the kids who avoid HBCUs “because of the lack of diversity” have spent their lives attending all white or asian schools. For many kids in this particular forum, going to an HBCU would expose them to NEW people and ideas.</p>

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<p>@ emmele- Haha sorry. You don’t even realize how much you write until after you see your post in the discussion. But I agree. The diversity argument is definitely flawed.</p>

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<p>@CrazeeB
“Long Post…really went on a tangent” Are you talking about this?
No apologies needed! I wasn’t talking about you…that was my warning to you guys about the length of my post…lol…You kept my attention, so your comment didn’t seem long at all! My post just drags on and on.</p>

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<p>@emmele- Oh okay! I misunderstood.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t want to. I really prefer a more diverse group of people that’s more similar to the real world. I don’t have anything against HBCU’s , it’s just don’t think I would enjoy it.</p>

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<p>same. nothing against HBCU’s (Howard has some really cute guys ;] ) but I’d rather go to a PWI.</p>

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<p>I’ll be applying to Spelman and Howard as safeties. I went to
A PBS for 2 years and I said never again. If I want to surround myself with black people I don’t have to pay for it, that’s what my family and friends are for.</p>

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<p>I applied to Xavier University of Louisiana and Morehouse. </p>

<p>Both really excellent schools so I’m hoping for the best experience.</p>

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<p>I’m actually dying of laughter at this.</p>

<p>And Mark456, best of luck at those schools! Hope to see you posting some good news in the results thread in a few months. :)</p>