Hey guys! I’m Noah. I’m a black girl who has literally went to private PWI’s (Forsyth Country Day k-12) my whole life. I finally decided that after 2 years of being at HPU (a great school don’t get me wrong) that I would like to be with my own brothers & sisters at HU! I’m so excited to be a Bison, I’m literally jumping out of my pants lol. Only thing is I’m a bit nervous… Since Middle school I’ve been ridiculed being called an “oreo” “dark white” “not black enough” “shelter b-word” etc by fellow black students. I grew up in a wealthy neighborhood because of my family, that’s how my siblings & I were raised. We were fortunate to grow up in a very loving, humble, selfless family and we were never raised to be snobs. It’s most apparent by the way I speak/mannerisms that people assume that I must be rich or “overly white.” I just want to be accepted for who I am. Will my welcome be as warm as I’m anticipating? Has anyone else been through a similar situation? I need closure lol. Thank you guys for your patience while reading through my rambles 
You will find plenty like you. Be patient, join different organizations and be open. My D went to private PWIs as well and HU was a shock to her system at times, but she loves it. She has not changed her dress (earthy) for HU nor her speech. But she has found kinship with so many other black/African-American students, as well as Indian and African,. As she says all the time: There are ALL sorts of people at HU…jocks, book worms, partiers, shy kids, rotc kids, rich kids, middle class kids and those who are working several jobs to make ends meet. Be open to all, be helpful to others and choose friends who you are comfortable with, not to whom you must conform. Again, be patient. It took my D about 1 month to find some kids she really clicked with…but it did happen and there is no turning back for her now! Good luck to you.
@noahmckenna you will be fine at Howard. There are a lot of wealthy and high middle income kids at Howard, my child being one of them. We are not wealthy but most would classify us as upper middle income. You would be shocked that many kids at Howard share your background, attended non diverse high schools, which is part of the reason they attended Howard. It may be a challenge because you are transferring in, as you may know, most friend groups are formed Freshman year.
@NoahMakennaa Many of the students you’ll meet at Howard are more refined and better dressed than MOST students at PWIs. It’s the culture of Howard. Of course not all students are the same and tend to “do their own thang”, but there’s plenty of kids from privileged backgrounds like yourself and are pretty ambitious … some obvious, some not so obvious. You’ll be fine, it’s not like you’re going to some run down inner-city school with no prestige … it’s Howard University. A Tier 1 historically black university with an almost $700 million endowment that is known and LOVED worldwide. I don’t really understand your concern?? I hope you have not been so whitewashed attending these white schools that you feel that anything that’s black is inferior and all the same. There are black nerds, blacks artists, black intellects, black community activists, black hippies, black debutantes … it’s all at Howard and any HBCU really.