<p>I've been accepted to Howard, but I live in NC. My grandparents live in DC, so I'd probably end up staying with them. My question is will living off campus my freshman year make it hard to make friends and stay involved?</p>
<p>Trust me, you’d much rather stay on campus than not. If you’re a guy and going to stay in Drew there would be a whole feeling of brotherhood you would miss out on. Many of your closest friends come from within your dorm. Many of the real memorable things that happen happen at night when classes are over. You really don’t want to miss these. </p>
<p>If money is an issue I understand how it can be hard, but you should at least get your freshman year in. You’ll be much happier that you did.</p>
<p>You’ll DEFINITELY want to stay on campus your first year. This is where you’ll meet most of your lifelong friends. You’ll definitely have ton of fun in campus, there’s rarely a dull weekend and even if there is you’ll always have your friends to accompany you. Like Malik said, if money is an issue, it’s understandable, but if it isn’t, then definitely live on campus. I’ve only been at Howard one semester and I already have lifelong memories merely from living on campus.</p>
<p>If you’re a guy, stay in Drew regardless. If you’re a girl and you’re looking for fun, stay in the quad. If you like things a bit more conservative then the annex is for you. Both of the female dorms provide happy mediums of course.</p>
<p>I’m a female, and I received the legacy scholarship which would make going there extremely cheap if I lived off campus. Honestly, money does have a lot to do with it as my parents are only doing the bare minimum (possibly co-signing for loans), which, of course, I am still grateful for. Are there any ways to stay active on campus and to still get involved without feeling like an outsider because I don’t live on campus? I’m just debating if an extra $15000-16000 is worth it.</p>
<p>I got the Legacy scholarship as well and I can tell you first hand to not let the estimates on Howard’s site fool you. To be quite honest, I only ended up paying about 5.3k semester (without any additional grants or loans) for my room and board (that 5.3k also included some additional fees they don’t tell you about). </p>
<p>Nonetheless, you can definitely still be active on campus if you live off-campus, but it may be a bit harder because most meetings are in the evening (btw, what’s your major? that’ll also determine how busy your evenings will be). By the same token, in the beginning of the first semester there are many clubs and orgs you can join, but most of the initiation meetings or processes are on the weekends or late at night. If you aren’t a business major, I would recommend you to make a schedule that’ll have you on campus from maybe 9-4 or 10-5. That way you can be on campus most of the day while having time to socialize/study/get involved during your breaks.</p>
<p>How far are your grandparents from Howard? I’m not sure if you’ll have a car or not but the metro is so convienent; you’ll always be a hop, skip, and a jump from campus, no matter where you are in DC. </p>
<p>In addition, you won’t feel like an outsider lol. If you want to look at it technically, only the freshman (and a handful of sophomores) actually live ON campus (in Drew, the quad, the annex, and carver). On paper Howard will tell you that the other dorms are on campus, but very few people are walking from Meridan and Slowe each day, and that’s where majority of the sophomores and juniors live, so essentially, based on where your grandparents live, you’ll be on campus much as the upperclassmen next year, granted you will need to find time to do your work and study, but I wouldn’t worry too much.</p>
<p>In conclusion, it may be a bit harder for you to get involved compared to the freshmen that are actually on campus, but don’t let that deter you. You can definitely do it.</p>
<p>I appreciate your response, kiddo! My grands are about 20-30 minutes away from campus, but I do have a car. Although I believe freshman aren’t allowed to have car the first year, which is something I’ll have to figure out. Even if I have only morning/afternoon classes, I don’t think I’d mind driving back or trying to keep myself busy around campus to stick around for the action. I’ve also figured I might make a few friends early on who live on campus and maybe I’d get to hang out in the dorms after all. While I’m a pretty sociable person, my biggest fear is being left out or feeling alone. I have also spent the majority of my life prominently around whites, so I really don’t want to feel like an outsider. What kind of activities, if any, does Howard offer freshman as ice breakers of sorts the first week or 2? I also plan on attending the ASD before I make my final decision. I’ve never visited the campus, and I’ll get to see other students in my graduating class, hopefully that will give me some clarity. My major right now is biology, I plan on taking pharmacy pre-reqs and eventually going into the pharmacy school. Oh, and lastly, I’ve heard howard has a low percent of males (about 30%), is it easy to meet guys? Haha.</p>
<p>I heard somewhere that its not that freshmen are banned from having cars on campus, it’s more like they have to wait until all the parking passed are given to the upperclassmen first, so by the time it gets down to us there aren’t anymore left; I can be wrong though. If you explain your situation they may be able to assist you.</p>
<p>When you asked about activities that Howard offered freshmen during the first two weeks, my face lit up in excitement lol. The first week is FRESHMAN WEEK lol, I know you’ve probably heard this before, but this is where you’ll meet almost ALL of your friends (at least until you get well acquainted with the people in your classes that you haven’t already met). I came down in August knowing only about two people and after freshman week I felt like I knew almost a third of the freshman class. There’s so many events that the campus pals schedule (you’ll find out about them a bit later) and that the freshman class will orchestrate themselves that you’ll never have a problem trying to find something to do. So as far as finding some friends regarding the rest of the year, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. After freshman week you’ll be in your phone book wondering how all of these people with these foreign looking area codes got into your phone lol. I must be honest though, you should take the initiative to actually cement your friendships with most of the people you meet during freshman week (unless its your roommate or they live on your floor). The school is so big that most people will form cliques after the first two or three weeks so don’t be the person who knows everyone but doesn’t have a group of friends for most things.</p>
<p>As far as ASD, I only remember about 5 or 6 faces from that day lol, it’ll definitely be great to get some numbers and connect with some of the people from HU 17, but don’t put all your stock into that day; it’s not like you must make friends that day or you’ll be doomed when August comes around. Like I said I only remember about 5 or 6 faces (not people but faces lol) from that day and I didn’t really have a problem with it when school came around.</p>
<p>As far as your background, don’t worry about being from a pre-dominantly white area. Howard has students from every region of the US (literally every region) so we’ve all had different experiences. I know plenty of people who came from similar backgrounds as you do and they’re doing just fine at Howard. Don’t worry about that too much.</p>
<p>Lastly, I kinda felt that the question about the ratio was coming lol. There are definitely more girls than guys at Howard, but I wouldnt say it is extremely noticeable. I’ve heard all types of ratios from 3-1 to 11-1 before I came to Howard, but if I had to put a raw and unofficial ratio out there I would say 6 to 1. But is it hard to meet guys ? Heck no lol, the question is how to get rid of some guys. I can tell you that they’ll be chasing you as soon as freshman week comes around. After about a month or two you’ll be able to weed out which guys are fine or no good for you. Don’t get too crazy during your first semester, you don’t want to be unfairly labeled for your entire time here because of what you did during your first few moments at Howard.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to get on the facebook page. This is where you’ll be able to interact with your classmates before school starts </p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC</p>
<p>Thanks, guys! I really appreciate all the advice! I had forgotten completely about looking up HU groups on Facebook. I’ll also look on Twitter. Lol, I was just curious about the ratio ’ cause I’ve heard so many things about it! Not gonna go crazy, but a little eye candy never hurt anybody 
haha. I’ve taken classes at a local CC since the summer of my junior year, so I’m definitely used to the level of academics colleges provides (although, I mean, it’s still a CC). I’m not worried and I know how to juggle my time, thankfully. But that’s one of the reasons I was worried, it’s no secret CC 's are commuter campuses. Although I’ve made friends, I know it can be tough connecting with people when you only see them an hour here and there. Either way, I’m gonna think hard about possibly living on campus, even though I know my dad will think it’s especially stupid of me. I’d rather not wonder what if. I’ll definitely ask about the parking situation though. Are either of you apart of organizations or clubs? What are some to look into? Also, are there any colleges near Howard that Howard students frequently interact with? I know American U is somewhere in DC and GMU (got accepted there as well) is in Fairfax. Again, I appreciate all comments. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you both around come fall 2013 :]</p>
<p>Definitely think about living on campus. Like I said, I also got the legacy scholarship and I’m not paying too much over 5k without any government assistance. </p>
<p>I’m apart of about 3 or 4 clubs at Howard. Since I am a business major I was automatically synced into a club called the 21st Cap when I got accepted to the school. Every freshman business major is apart of that program. Most people at the school are apart of their state clubs and state clubs are usually the gateway to other clubs and events. The one I would recommend though is the Freshman Leadership Academy;I’m sure Howard’s site talks a lot about it. Also, there are so many schools around Howard and in the DC area in general; this is another reason why you’ll rarely be bored at Howard. Just from my knowledge I know that there’s American U, George Washington U, Catholic U, Georgetown U, and George Mason U. I’ve been to American U and GWU a few times and I some of my friends have friends at all of the other schools mentioned. And I’m always somewhere around campus, you’ll probably see me around lol</p>
<p>Okay, so I know this thread is super late but I bedeviled to definitely attend Howard and live on campus. I’m incredibly excited and can’t wait til the fall. I’ve been very active on Twitter and Facebook in the HU17groups. I know you’re both HU16, 908kiddo and Malikwal, but would both feel comfortable giving me your twitter names?</p>
<p>hey, I know this response is late but I actually deactivated both my facebook and twitter account (I know boohoo lol) and I’m really only active on LinkedIn. I can help you find me on there if you would like</p>