<p>Location; lack of racial diversity; didn't have my major...</p>
<p>oh yeah..</p>
<p>Howard has quite a large Carribean represnetation, along with many countries in Africa. When the kid moved in, we were greeted with a huge number of students waiting to assist the freshman moving in...along with the campus radio station...one big party lol</p>
<p>Anyway, I talked with a group of students there. Jamaica, New York, Chicago, Shreveport, Phoenix and some place in Connectitcut was represented...just from that small group. The kid has made friends from the Carribean, Ghana and Morocco and India. And that's only from what she has told me. I'd say it complements the friends she is still in contact with from her pwi high school. </p>
<p>Shall we call this diversity?</p>
<p>Some of the Honors program perks are priority registration, trips to New York to see plays, getting research projects and study abroad opportunities. You also get Bethune Annex (dorm). It's a dorm of suites and not quite as social as the other dorms. It also has a cafeteria. Some people prefer the communal dorms, so you don't have to go to Bethune if you'd rather not.</p>
<p>"lack of racial diversity" - - I believe Howard is about as non-black as many pwi's are non-white.</p>
<hr>
<p>"I don't think I would fit in with African Americans in general, as I said before I was born in Haiti, and raised under a Haitian roof. I know that I've been raised differently then other Black students. With that in mind, I come from a VERY VERY strict home, as in I would leave school and home would be my immediate destination, no parties, some school functions, no sleepovers, no hanging out with friends on weekends, no talking on the phone with boys or interacting with boys outside of school other then relatives. I am afraid that I'll meet other Black students that cannot relate to me..I also fear that I won't find any Haitian-American friends at HBCU's."</p>
<p>Superwonan, frunny that you would not fit in w/ AA students b/c of your strict upbringing! Your background is far more likely to distinguish you from white peers than than from black peers. When my D was in lower-school, she was the only one of the black students going on play-dates and sleep-overs; the other black families were far more fearful of "strangers" (anyone outside the family) than DH and me were. </p>
<p>The upbringing you describe is unusual among American teens regardless of race. Why do you assume you will not fit in with black students - - as opposed to American students in general?</p>
<p>This a great thread. I went to Howard for 8 years (undergrad and med school.) I know now it didn't challenge me the way my D's choice challenges her, but it was still among THE most life changing experiences in my life. And pledging alpha chapter makes me very proud! If you never go again, at least check out homecoming. Off the hook!</p>
<p>
[quote]
"Here is a direct quote from an article: "Walter Allen reported that black students who attend HBCUs have better academic performance, greater social involvement, and higher occupational aspirations than black students who attend PWIs."
So the idea that you may be more prepared at a pwi because "the world isn't all black" is a valid assumption, but from evaluating data it shows that the results prove the opposite of your point."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I strongly disagree with this statement. For one two of those three things can not be quantified and therefore no absolute comparision can be made. Moreover I wager that the reason that blacks who attend HBCUs rise to top positions, is because of the innate charcater that HBCUs build. I mean if you attend a top HBCU and are surrounded by intelligent black students that builds a confidence and pride in blacks as a group, which naturally encompasses a student who attends a HBCU. That pride and confidence then lends itself to motivating ppl to do well, and believing that they can accomplish something.
But that is NOT to say that confidence or pride is contigent on an HBCU, which I feel the above quote tacitly implies.
I also disagree with the occupational aspirations aspect. There is NO way to tell how any college impacts a person's occupational aspirations and so to assert that HBCUs somehow provide more of a basis for "reaching for the stars" is ridiculous.</p>
<p>Kb09026, Sure I will expand. I mean I am not that "black" in a cultural sense. I have three black friends (and one of them is half-white) the other one is an oreo (like me :)).
I feel uncomfortable, just bc I am not used to being around so many black ppl. I know it sounds odd, but if you spend four years surrounded by asians and whites then that is what you get used to. So if you change your surroundings it is like a culture shock. It is not that I am treating my race as something alterior to myself, but it is just something that I am not accustomed to.
Generally speaking, I don't think my personality would mesh with alot of other black ppl. I mean I literally speak like a white person, if you heard me speak and did not see me I sound exactly white. And I don't have that "black culture" experience, I was actually introduced to rap via white ppl.
Needless to say, attending an HBCU would be rather harmful to my social life (or at least I think it would be) bc I am not changing. Not even to speak about dating, which is an issue in and of itself. Black girls have found me attractive, but let's just say I am "too white" for them, so I have accepted the fact that my wife will probably not be black. Yeah I know it is odd to jump to wife as opposed to girlfriend, but I date with inclination toward marriage. I am one of the marrying types of guys, NOT looking for a good time. </p>
<p>
[quote]
"All the black guys I know are really into interracial dating, and that is cool but I'd rather date a black guy.""
[/quote]
</p>
<p>If you don't mind me asking, why? I mean it would be better to date someone who you liked rather than date someone of the same race, IMO. </p>
<p>
[quote]
"Anyone who is incapable of finding that comfort zone within their race probably has preconcieved notions of African-Americans, which is sad considering they are African-American themselves."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yeah I can certainly attest that I have a low opinion of blacks as an aggregate. In more of a disappointing bent. I mean when you are in school and blacks are underpreforming and squandering opportunties that our ancestors struggled to give us, then yeah I look down on that. Especially among black males, which goes back to my other question, why would you want to exclusively date black males?
I mean statistically the black male population is rather lacking in those that are probably on your level academically, and black males tend to not have the best of jobs. Those two combinations would seem to be discouraging for viable dating.
I don't understand this race conscious dating thing.</p>
<p>@LadyT, once I had a middle eastern person ask me why black people steal. :P.</p>
<p>....I applied to 3 (Howard, Coppin State, and Norfolk State). I think it's sad that more people don't know about them/don't even want to apply.</p>
<p>What does being "not black in a cultural sense" even mean?! Black people are NOT a monolith. We are all different. There is a culture that ties us together, just as there is an American culture that ties Americans together. Liking rock music or wearing Chuck Taylors doesn't make you "not black in a cultural sense," it just makes you different. You're still black.</p>
<p>You don't need to change at an HBCU. It's just like any other school where everyone is different. You will find a group of friends who accept you for who you are, and people will still smile at you in the halls and hold the door for you. Also, college is a life-shaping event, so you'll find yourself being changed and molded a little bit and that's okay. I became a confident black woman, satisfied with myself and my training. When I was younger I used to lament that my hair wasn't naturally straight and silky like white girls' or that my nose was broad. Now I'm proud of my looks and I see natural beauty in people of all races and backgrounds, black people and others alike. Going to an HBCU is a really powerful experience in terms of not only accepting yourself the way you are, but accepting others the way they are too, and accepting that differences are good.</p>
<p>"mean when you are in school and blacks are underpreforming and squandering opportunties that our ancestors struggled to give us...I mean statistically the black male population is rather lacking in those that are probably on your level academically, and black males tend to not have the best of jobs."</p>
<p>Those situations are more because of institutional racism than because of inherent qualities in black men. Take the prison system. Black men commit drug offenses at about the same, or a slightly lower, rate than white men -- but more of them are in prison for their drug offenses than white men. It's because the system of laws designed for drug offenses are skewed to give harsher punishments to the offenses that, statistically, black men are more likely to commit.</p>
<p>There is also still a lot of discrimination in hiring black men. Black males with no criminal record are less likely to get hired than white men with a criminal background, all other things being equal. Studies show that having a "black voice" on the phone can get you not called back for a job. Look up Douglas Massey's work for other examples.</p>
<p>I'm biased because I went to an HBCU -- Spelman College. It's true that Spelman does not have the resources of bigger, older predominantly white women's colleges. But I wouldn't train the experience for anything. AND my college's name is well-respected in all circles. I'm currently at Columbia University, and yes, I know how to interact with white people on an intellectual level. I came straight out of undergrad into a program where everyone else worked first or got a master's degree and I don't feel out of my element at all. I have racially diverse friends and associates and partners. Going to an HBCU doesn't preclude that.</p>
<p>I am sure there are positive qualities about HBCUs, but for an engineering/science major like me the research opportunities are important. Unfortuantely not many HBCUs have top notch research programs and that is what I was looking for. That is not to say that they are bad, but I wanted a top program like MIT or something and that was not at a HBCU.</p>
<p>I'm not encouraging anyone to <em>go</em> to an HBCU, because I think everyone should select a school that fits them, but I am encouraging people to <em>consider</em> HBCUs. That said, think about this:</p>
<p>At a school like MIT -- well, I'll take my school, Columbia, as an example. Here, undergrads do not work with the top-notch scholars you hear about all over the place. They work with the top-notch scholars' graduate students. I'm working under a noted social psychologist currently as a graduate student. We have undergrads in our lab, but they are only juniors and seniors and they do not work directly with Niall, they work with the graduate students on the students' projects. This is even more crucial at a school like MIT, where students will be clambering for positions at in the sciences and engineering you have to have a certain level of coursework before you can be of any use in a lab.</p>
<p>I'm also in a field were research opportunities are important (psychology, as I noted). When I was in undergrad, I started doing research as a sophomore with a psychologist in my department. She didn't have a big lab or the resources that someone at MIT would have, but she had something much more important to me -- time. The time to show me proper research procedures; the time to advise me on research protocol; the time to evaluate my independent study and supervise my senior thesis and write my recommendation letters. If an undergrad went to Columbia and worked within the lab here, they wouldn't get a rec from the professor, they'd get one from the graduate student under which they worked.</p>
<p>In addition to that, most HBCUs are situated in places where there are other research universities nearby, and these professors are often more than happy to have students who don't go to that school work with them. Spelman is in Atlanta, and nearby to it are Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and Emory. There were MANY students in science departments at Morehouse and Spelman who were aspiring to research careers and were doing top-notch research with people in their field at these schools. Lots of engineering students were at Tech. But beyond that, all of the professors at Morehouse and Spelman in the science departments had a program of research. I had a couple of professors who were only on campus 3 days a week because the other 2 days they were down at the Yerkes Primate Center doing neuroscience research with the primates there, and they took students with them who also worked there.</p>
<p>And basics of science in the courses are going to be the same everywhere (2 + 2 in a base 10 system is always going to equal 4, except for very high values of 2 yadda yadda). Spelman's biology program is one of the top programs anywhere, and our pre-med program gets more African American students into medical school than anywhere else except for Xavier.</p>
<p>Now, like I already said, I'm not encouraging you NOT to try for MIT. MIT is, of course, a great school and will give you many opportunities -- many many many. All I'm saying is don't discount an HBCU solely on the basis of research, because in my experience everyone who wanted a research experience at my HBCU and the neighboring ones got one, and they generally got them earlier than students at more prestigious schools and they also had more face time with the actual professor and not the professor's students.</p>
<p>nyc- yea, that's true. I don't know I just felt like I wouldn't fit in..I've never been in an all black environment before so I just wouldn't know what to expect. Just because we have the same skin color in common it doesn't mean I'll automatically form a sisterhood with the girls at Spelman. I'm just not used to being the majority, that's all! But yea, I'm starting to think "not fitting in" is kind of silly (lol). Makes sense and I do understand the diversity of HBCU's, completely different upbringings!</p>
<p>p.s. yea, my parents have raised me unusually thank goodness I turned out normal! lol.</p>
<p>Good Luck to everyone!</p>
<p>Also, Is anybody applying to FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University)? Just wondering bc I'm kind of interested and the deadline is March. Thanks!</p>
<p>".... I don't think my personality would mesh with alot of other black ppl. I mean I literally speak like a white person, if you heard me speak and did not see me I sound exactly white. And I don't have that "black culture" experience,..."</p>
<p>"....Yeah I can certainly attest that I have a low opinion of blacks as an aggregate. In more of a disappointing bent. I mean when you are in school and blacks are underpreforming and squandering opportunties that our ancestors struggled to give us, then yeah I look down on that...."</p>
<p>While I don't think I ever "looked down" on Black people, or felt COMPLETELY different, I never had the experience of meeting so many Black people I had so much in common with, or met so many people who where performing and taking advantages of opportunities until I went to Howard. It was here that I redefined for myself what it meant to be Black. </p>
<p>I didn't even realize I needed to challenge my beliefs until I was there.I grew up among Blacks, but my parents exposed me to a lot of things that contributed to who I became. I remember telling a Black friend I was going to be a doctor, and the friend said "nobody gets to be a doctor". I thought "Huh?" I remember a White friend asking my class rank, and when I told her, she replied "That's good.... for you." I thought "Huh??". At Howard, it all started to make sense.</p>
<p>My hope for my D is, that a similar experience can be had at a school with a significant (10%?) population of "high achieving" African Americans.</p>
<p>Julliet, I thought about the things you mentioned and that is part of the reason my top choice is Yale and not a school like MIT, which I didn't applly to I just used it as an example. The engineering department at Yale is small and so there is faculty and student interaction, and since there are fewer engineering students there is less competition. Also you can start research as early as the summer of freshman year (depending on how ready you are).
Black schools are good. I just got back from my friends house and like always I was the only black person there. Sigh, hopefully in college I will get some black friends. I hear Yale's Black Men Alliance is good. And I am thinking of joining a frat maybe be an omega, but idk if Yale has black fraternities.</p>
<p>"And pledging alpha chapter makes me very proud!"</p>
<p>There were no sororities at my MA LAC, and even when Delta attempted to recruit, most of us just didn't get it. My mother, however, was a proud AKA; dad is a Sigma (mom also joined Sigma Wives). </p>
<p>In considering PWIs, we have been looking for schools w/ a minimal Greek presence. But despite having grown up hearing about which family members passed the infamous "paper-bag test," I don't have the same concerns about black frats and sororities on a black campus.</p>
<p>"My mother, however, was a proud AKA"</p>
<p>Tell her I said skee-wee!</p>
<p>Why are there so many AKAs I mean it is ridiculous.</p>
<p>nyc- i heard about AKA, i definetly think i want to join! It seems like it would be a great chance to bond with other african american young women! : )</p>
<p>Dbate- hahaha. u sound a little annoyed lol.</p>
<p>Dbate: My mom is also an AKA(lol), but there are actually more Deltas than AKA's. My mom was actually a Alpha Sweetheart as well until most campuses got rid of Sweethearts because...well if you don't know you probably shouldn't. lol. But anyhow that quote I provided was actually based off of a study that a sociologist did with employers. It showed that most employers believed HBCU graduates were more prepared,confident, and had better social skills around ALL people. So that is how they got their research. But hey I'm definitely not trying to discourage you from Yale. Yale is an excellent school and I'm considering it for law school, but I'd also like to see validity in your statements about HBCU's. You keep talking about how you attend a white high school so you won't get along with the black students, but half of the students from the top hbcus came from white high schools. Like I said I attend a white prep school, I'm sure we'd get along fine in person. lol. Unless you don't like talking to black people, which i'm hoping is not the case.</p>
<p>As far as not wanting to date anything other than black guys, that is just my personal preference. I'm not attracted to other guys. If there is no attraction then I'm obviously not going to want to date them, but I'm friends with guys of varying races. I just don't find myself remotely attracted as far as in a physical sense. I'm actually the type that dates with marriage in mind as well. I'm not into dating just to be dating. If it isn't going anywhere I'd probably end it. In all honesty I want to be married to a black guy. I'm sure I'll be able to meet a nice, smart, respectable black guy at an HBCU. </p>
<p>p.s: "why do black people steal" lol. I've never heard that one before. I wouldn't even know what to say. I'd probably just walk away and shake my head. </p>
<p>Superwoman: FAMU is an amazing HBCU. It has a pretty cool campus. I might apply there regular action. Not really sure. I have a few friends applying there. It has a really good top notch pharmacy program.</p>
<p>My sons friends were amazed to see that the bottom of his feet where white....</p>
<p>As CC bugged out on me last night, LadyT stole my thunder : )</p>
<p>Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was founded in 1908. we are 100 years strong. I am a proud legacy. My mother is a Golden Soror (50+years) who was a charter member of Eastern Michigan Univiersity..in other words, pledgees must learn who she is during the pledge period, I am a Silver Star (25+ years), and I know a few of the Diamond Sorors (75+ years--some classy women, I must add).</p>
<p>Delta Sigma Theta has a larger membership, but its roots are in Alpha Kappa Alpha : ) My daughter's godmother and an aunt (her dad's side)are Delta's. ( my family has so many AKA's we could start our own chapter.) : )</p>
<p>Yes..my skee-wee is strong.</p>
<p>FAMU...don't know much, but my cousin's (AKA) daughter (also AKA) graduated from FAMU and just finished from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. So I would guess that FAMU was just fine for her. </p>
<p>As an aside, the daughter of another cousin (AKA) is now attending Xavier. She came from a PWI. And the son of one more cousin is now attending Central State University. He, too, came from a PWI. I am quite proud of my daughter and her cousins for selecting HBCUs. They had quite of enough of being the torch-bearers of their race. They all have White friends, Asian friends, Italian friends, Polish friends, Middle-eastern friends. Heck, one of her classmates had an MTV Super Sweet 16 party. They manage to move smoothly through all the groups. Sounds very well-rounded to me : )</p>