@Waiting2exhale My child has excelled at her HBCU. She was accepted at NYU but we decided on Howard. There are some challenges for sure, but it was a great decision. She has had multiple internship opportunities each summer, and during the school year. Employers love recruiting there. The alumni network is second to none.
Great link @Waiting2exhale! The article does match my own personal experiences at an HBCU for undergrad. My alumnae network is really strong - it’s like finding a long-lost sister; I’ve connected with some of the alumnae at my company and they’ve been warm and welcoming - and the other thing is that HBCU alumni in general tend to have a family-like connection because of shared cultural experiences. I have lots of friends who went to Hampton, Howard, Florida A&M, Tuskegee, Fisk, Alabama A&M, Grambling State, etc., and when I meet someone new who says they went to an HBCU, there’s “HBCU love”!
In my experience this is true, although the level for which it matters varies a lot from person to person. It doesn’t stop at college, either - I live and work in one of the whitest large cities in the U.S., and some companies here have trouble attracting and retaining black and Latino talent partially because of the lack of racial/ethnic diversity at the companies (heavily tech) and in the city itself. I made a conscious decision to make it not matter to me, because I think it’s important for faces of color to show up in my industry. But there are definitely challenges you face when you’re the ‘only one’ vs. being one of many, even if you are still in the minority.
On ‘only one,’ @juillet.
When my husband, who is not Black, came to realize the experiences of being the ‘only one’ that our oldest son was consistently having, that term began to take on such a deeper meaning for its psycho-social implications to our son.
As he himself was now part of a Black family, when my husband would show up at events in support of our son and realize that there were no Black parents present, he began to wonder what my social experience was like in these settings. (Truthfully, I talk to everyone. Sometimes bonds are formed, sometimes people respond positively, sometimes the neck cranes back as they figure out the best exit strategy.)
He is very conscious of the conspicuousness of being an 'only one" - both as he has come to identify with the term and as others may.
In fact, I did not even realize it was in nearly ubiquitious, codified usage until my husband told me.
@Waiting2exhale My daughter isn’t worried about being the only one, nor am I-- but there was a few years ago some serious commotion with arrests because students were protesting that white students were there on ‘their’ scholarships and coming to ‘their’ school-- the articles quotes not mine. I cannot imagine being the one on the scholarship if that happened and how unwelcome a person would feel. That kind of thing is my only concern- potentially being the brunt of some resentment because the black school is becoming more diverse. The article I read cited that as the reason for a ‘riot’. I want my daughter to enjoy her 4 years of college and lacrosse-- so I do think it is fair to consider this kind of thing.
“…years ago some serious commotion with arrests because students were protesting that white students were there on ‘their’ scholarships and coming to ‘their’ school…”
I do remember the reports of the uptick of enrollment by white students at HBCUs, though not the upsurge of protest and resentment. I can, though, imagine the sense of incursion that many of the students may have felt, and thought to publicly protest.
There were arrests? Wow, that’s a pretty big deal. Had not heard of that.
I think one must consider the social experience and sense of safety-in-place for your child, of course. You would be remiss not to give these elements a full consideration.
I will tell you this statement, “That kind of thing is my only concern- potentially being the brunt of some resentment because the black school is becoming more diverse,” finds me almost leaning into a smirk upon reading it.
When the students expressing a sense of displacement and dissonance are students of color, it seems so commonplace to characterize their speech and actions as those emanating from words attached to strong emotional response, less a reasoned thought process and argument. Words such as ‘indignation’ and ‘resentment’, and terms such as “riot”(admittedly not your own language) attach, and the die is cast.
The conversation seems … different when the students who are “acting out” are white students at PWIs.
I do not say this to bite at you. I am really interested in this conversation, and interested in all that has been said here.
Parents of students of color do, just as you suggested, consider their children’s chances for social inclusion and psychological and emotional safety, when they send their kids to PWIs as well.
I have to wonder how my own daughter will find the experience of visiting HBCUs with an eye toward living on campus and attending school with a majority Black population, though she is mine, and I am Black.
She claims Black as well, but kind of not Black like me. Her life experience, from her household make up to her social groups growing up, are distinctly different from those of my teen years before college. She tells me that she has never given any thought to whether there is a sizable Black presence on campus. She tells me it does not matter.
That tells me she will be in for a world of surprise when she finds herself on a campus where nearly everyone is Black. It will be a curious thing to watch, as she comes to some sort of consciousness about what the experience at an HBCU might be like. A curious thing, indeed.
It’s 2016, HBCU schools are now mixed and it wouldn’t be “weird” for her to attend. Of course, wether she feels like she fits in is entirely up to her and is a conversation you two should be having. She should be able to get an idea of the Universities culture and social scene from visits and other pre enrollment events.
Our son considered Howard, but decided it was too close to home. He’d been the only white, non-Hispanic kid in his class a few times, so it didn’t bug him to be in the minority.
Somehow, it seems rather unlikely that she will face a situation like what James Meredith faced at the University of Mississippi, or what non-white people see today in the apparent backlash politics (e.g. building walls against immigrants) among some vocal white people who seemingly fear the possibility of no longer being the majority in the US in the future (i.e. the fear that non-white people are “invading” “their” country).
If it does happen, welcome to the club…
@ucbalumnus – I am sure you are right, but my #1 concern right now is admittedly selfish and it is her
I don’t think test scores are the be-all, end-all, since I work with teens whose scores often don’t reflect what they know and are able to do, but still scores do reflect something within a range - top 25% at ACT 19, even if you assume +3, +4, or even +5 on the ACT as a better indication of “true” potential… that’s still a minimum of 75% students enrolled at the college who aren’t college ready (24), at best. It’s VERY different from the situation at Spelman or Howard. The level of the classes offered at Delaware State will not match toomanyteensdaughter’s abilities or skills and it may lead to a frustrating learning experience.
There are plenty of schools that offer lacrosse and where the median test scores are better than 18.
“The level of the classes offered at Delaware State will not match toomanyteensdaughter’s abilities or skills”
That’s entirely possible, but I don’t know that it’s certain across the board, especially if she has AP credits and can skip freshman courses. I bet the sophomores and juniors have much higher ACTs than the freshmen. Students who aren’t college ready may be placed in a different set of courses than the OP’s child, and they may not be there for long.
We have a university in our city with an ACT average of about 21. It is not considered a lower ranked school and it is the first choice of a lot of local students because of its specialized programs. It’s urban, not any student live on campus, but it has a very active student body, D2 sports and was a national champ in basketball a few years ago, lots of sponsored concerts and events. I don’t think employers look down on this school at all.
My friend’s daughter is going there because she was unable to stay at a Boston school because of a mental health issue. She finds the classes challenging and has an internship she enjoys.
^ again, we’re not talking an average of 21, but the top 25% threshold at 19 and an average below that.
On College 411 it lists “ACT Composite 17-20 range of middle 50%” so that wouldn’t be a top 25% at 19 ACT.
I think Del State is a very different type of school and neither of my kids would have been interested even if it was a full ride, as the opportunity is for this student. Obviously this girl likes it and sees something she likes. The OP (Mom) asked if there can be issues, hidden or obvious. I think it is interesting that some of the CC posters focus on the academics, some only on the racial minority aspect (some with experience at HBCU), and some (maybe just me?) on the quality and fit of the athletic team (I think she’s going to have a hard time playing on a team that isn’t of the quality she’s used to).
Lots to think about.
I used the most recent CDS, so it means the top 25% mark has decreased (even if only from 20 to 19). 
I believe that being a minority is an experience in itself, and if the student likes the school, she can evaluate her level of comfort and the team’s level. (I may be wrong, but I’m no athlete. Where I see people running around, athletes seem to distinguish between good and bad players, good and bad games, good and bad teams.)
The only thing I know is academic level, and rough tiers for classes as indicated by student preparation (taking into account a “+” factor added due to the fact it’s an HBCU so the scores underestimate the students by some margin). If the studen had a 24 ACT, I’d think she’d be fine. But here I really worry about the gulf between the student and the general population at the college.
A little deeper dive into the academics in the context of the student’s possible major of CS:
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=delaware+state&s=all&id=130934#enrolmt indicates that Delaware State graduated 6 CS majors in 2014-2015.
https://bnrhvprod-ssb.desu.edu/PROD/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched indicates that it offers 3-5 upper division CS courses and a few graduate CS courses every semester. The upper division courses seem to rotate, so a fairly large number of them are offered, but perhaps only once every two years. The enrollment of these classes is often in the single digits. Even the lower division classes are quite small (under 20). This could be seen favorably by those who prefer small class sizes.
^Yes, a strong offer and small class sizes would be a big plus in my book (especially for CS since its popularity often means overcrowding).
How early would OP’s daughter get into upper-level classes? If she gets into them early, would she have enough choices over 3 years?
@Hanna - she would be in the honors program and yes she has AP credits to use for many of the basic core classes. The level of education is most definitely a factor and as @MYOS1634 points out there are other programs, they come at a cost for sure… we are assessing all of that as she begins to get other offers. The others are D2, so the scholarships are not as generous (very small) – but these schools suit her athletically
I find this to be a interesting thread. I have niece who is black and she just completed her freshman year at Brigham Young. We spent hours talking about the challenges she faced. BYU has less than 100 black students and half of them are actually Africans. She went to a diverse suburban high school. I talked to her alot during her freshman year and her biggest adjustment was interacting with mormons. Many of them had never even meet a black person and their views were based on what they had saw on TV. She was full of amusing stories regarding her interactions. She did say the out of state students and those from Salt Lake City were pretty easy to get along with. The players on the football team have just about adopted her as their sister. They were crucial in her transition to BYU. Things worked out alot better than expected.
@Grainraiser wow, its amazing that many of them had never met a Black person?