<p>rockyno1-</p>
<p>Re: Howard aka "The Mecca".</p>
<p>Along with Hampton, Spelman and Morehouse, Howard continues to attract black scholars from old guard families. Many of the Hampton, Spelman and Morehouse students will go on to attend graduate school at Howard.....especially when Medicine and Law are the focus. </p>
<p>A couple of years ago, Howard was able to boast that their student body consisted of more National Achievement Scholars than any other college in the country - including Harvard and UVA. </p>
<p>Howard lays claim to more more prominent, professional blacks than any other college or university. Today, nearly one-third of all black physicians, dentist and one-fifth of black attorneys are Howard alums. The network is extraordinary and full of opportunities. Even though my own son will attend Penn in the fall, most of his opportunities (summer internships, job offers, special programs) are a result of our family members who are Howard alums linking him with others in their Howard networks. He was recently offered a very elite, competitive summer internship in DC via a Howard connection. </p>
<p>As for the "reputation" of Howard, it's students are serious...but have fun. It's long been known for being heavily greek (as are it's fellow HHSM members). Partying is common and sports are serious. Females are 68% of the population, which is similar to the sitation at Hampton (64%).....very sad to see this continual decline of black male enrollement. They aren't ALL going to Morehosue.</p>
<p>I think Howard has broken away from some of the old guard ways of HSM (again, Hampton, Spelman, Morehouse) and has become a little more broad in it's student-body and draw. For some, that's a wonderful thing. For others, it's a drawback. </p>
<p>It's also much larger than the HSM....so that lends to a different air about it. </p>
<p>Howard is the most competitive of the HHSM pack....hardest to get into, highest SAT medians, etc.</p>
<p>At face value, comparing a school like Howard to a school like Harvard (picking these two because they are both at the top of their respective packs), one would assume that Harvard would surely be the better option. But, of people I know (and I know enough Ivy alums and Howard alums to feel comfortable in making this anecdotal comparison), Howard alums are more successful and leading better lives, have more career success and a financially better off. For that reason, I would have been comfortable if my own son would have chosen Howard over Penn.</p>
<p>As one of my Howard alum friends said (he's a surgical oncologist), paraphrase- "put him in a place where he can touch and smell his interests.....if it's medicine, let him be somehere where he can touch the blood, if it's law, let him be in a place where he can smell the old law journals and shake hands with the politicans, etc".... For him, Howard offered this, where Hampton, Spelman and Morehouse didn't.</p>