<p>I went to Spelman for undergrad. Like you, I really wanted to attend an HBCU (and a women’s college) for undergrad. It’s true; going to an HBCU is an unforgettable experience. I LOVED Spelman so much, and honestly, most of the other women I know who went to Spelman loved it too. And the alumnae network is amazing. Every time I meet a Spelman sister in the wild, we give each other a big hug and chat like we’re old friends. I met another Spelman alumna at a conference this past week and people were laughing at us because were were jumping up and down and hugging each other like we were related, lol.</p>
<p>BUT that said, even my beloved Spelman isn’t worth $100,000 in loans! Neither is Howard…neither is ANY school. That’s untenable debt that will make life very difficult for you after you graduate. I had a full merit scholarship at Spelman, and a full merit scholarship is worth so, so much. It’s peace of mind after you graduate; it’s the ability to pursue whatever job you want to without having to worry about how you are going to repay massive loans; it’s the ability to get on with your life and buy a house or a car or backpack across Europe for 6 months or take on a low-paid super-interesting internship or…whatever. And especially if medical school is your goal - you want to keep your costs low.</p>
<p>I now attend a predominantly white school for graduate school and honestly it has ALSO been an unforgettable experience. There’s something really awesome about making friends from diverse cultural backgrounds - my close friend group right now includes people of all different racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as religious, national, and cultural backgrounds, and I’ve learned so much from the experience. And although all African Americans are different, that’s not really an experience that you will get at an HBCU. There are always trade-offs! I will also say that while Howard is a great school, Brandeis is on a whole other level, and there’s something to be said for the resources that these very wealthy, very highly-ranked schools have. I loved Spelman, but my current university has MUCH better resources for undergraduates - better libraries, better residence halls, better study spaces, better internships, better career center…</p>
<p>And like someone else mentioned, Brandeis might have a domestic exchange program with Howard, or you may be able to spend a semester there as a visiting student. I know that Spelman has a domestic exchange agreement with several colleges (not Brandeis, unfortunately) and especially in junior year we always had a few ladies who were visiting from other campuses. We welcomed them into the community and they got the experience of an HBCU for a semester!</p>