<p>Going to a HBCU was the biggest mistake of my life.</p>
<p>So, in other words don’t go to one. Go to a PWI and deal with the real world.</p>
<p>Made4malice, a proportionately larger group of students from black colleges go on to do those things than from predominantly white colleges. It’s not just sheer numbers, it’s proportional, which is a big difference.</p>
<p>As for thinking HBCUs are serious…a lot of recruiters who didn’t even touch colleges in the same tier came to my #75 ranked HBCU (Spelman College) and Morehouse College, which isn’t even ranked in the U.S. News & World report top 100. Many of our alumnae work at places like Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, JPMorganChase, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and other businesses on Wall Street. A lot of them go on to top medical schools and top law schools – all the top law schools came recruiting at our pre-law recruitment fair. They know that our school is a top school and produces excellent students, plus they know that they will come and find an instant pool of diversity recruits (sad as that sounds).</p>
<p>A lot of kids from PWIs do come to HBCUs for a semester to party. They THINK they’re going to boost their GPAs and a lot are surprised when they realize the work is just as challenging as their work at home (with the exception of a handful, and I can only speak for Spelman and Morehouse). However, I’m not really bothered by the party perception. We do know how to party, and we’re not ashamed of that. It has little to do with HBCU – I go to an Ivy now and when I party with the black student groups, it’s very similar to the parties at HBCUs.</p>
<p>Oiram, going to an HBCU may have been the biggest mistake of your life, but there are thousands of HBCU alumni who disagree with you (me being one of them). I went to a great HBCU that challenged me and helped me deal with “the real world”, and now I attend an Ivy League graduate school for free. And there are a good number of HBCU alumni here, too.</p>
<p>Juilet, I’m happy that you had a wonderful time at Spelman and is attending a Ivy League graduate school for free. However, I think the HBCU experience is extremely over-hyped and for certain individuals it is counterproductive and harshly disheartening for one to attend. The HBCU I attended the main concern was the image, the image of the college and image of the students. During meetings and official events this school officials often spoke of a major slain civil rights leader principles but, in reality, the institution I attended “looked the other way” when it was politically expedient. Honestly, this particular slain civil rights leader is just used as a marking tool. (I think you know what school I’m talking about) Furthermore, I think a PWI is a lot more reflective of the real world in a scene that we, blacks are the minority in the United States. And it better to get use to that fact and deal with being with different types of races, cultures, and religions. Thus, I’m happy to be transferring from HBCU I was attending. And to top it off several students that attended the HBCU I attended hated it there as well…</p>
<p>Spelman is unique among the HBCUs; I know many young women who have chosen Spelman over top PWIs/LACs - - so a Spelman experience is not particularly reflective of a typical HBCU experience.</p>
<p>nyc, then what is the typical HBCU experience?</p>
<p>A more typical experience would be at a more typical HBCU - - co-ed and more middle-of-the-pack in terms of HBCU selectivity and cache. I wouldn’t consider attending Wellesley a typical LAC experience for the same reasons.</p>
<p>i hope this doesnt sound obnoxious…</p>
<p>well, from my perspective,the only hbcu i’ll be applying to this fall is howard, i would’ve seriously considered spelman, but its too far (im from NY). i can’t give more hbcu’s a chance because there is one widespread criticism of hbcu’s that i can’t get with, that criticism being horrible administrations. whenever i get feedback from students who attended/currently attend hbcu’s, i always hear about hbcu administrations not being supportive, being unorganized, losing people’s papers etc… who wants to deal with that?</p>
<p>nyc I think most of the hbcu’s that people from cc would be talking about are the atypical ones. That doesn’t just go for hbcu’s. Most people considering pwi’s are talking about the Ivys and top 20’s not the regular everyday run of the mill state schools. So when people are saying that HBCU’s offer an excellent education and opportunity most of us are talking about schools such as Spelman, Morehouse, Hampton, Howard etc.</p>
<p>Initially I was open to the idea of attending an hbcu. My brother is a recent graduate of Hampton and I spent alot of my senior year making trips down there to party with him but I couldn’t see myself there for any other reason. He had the full HBCU experience through Greek life etc etc. Many of my best friends from my HS went to Hampton/morehouse/clarkatlanta and love it but the one thing they say is that it is not academically challenging. My gf goes to spelman and openly admits to learning nothing her freshman year. Their schedule is pretty much set for them 1st yr so it’s not like she had the option of selecting more challenging courses. It seems like the faculty and administration holds the hands of the students to a certain degree. I attend a large top ranked flagship university and I can honestly say the most educational experience I have had was being thrown into an envoronment where I have to search for and utlize the resources available to me. The facilities aren’t as nice, they’re largely underfunded (this includes the most eellknown ones). Some of them battle with accredidation as well. Some people do need the experience however. I see people at my school who get left in the dust and would benefit from the more personalized attention that they provide. I would not suggest someone to go to one unless they believe they need it. The lack of resources relative to pwi’s can be hindering.</p>
<p>Honestly I can’t be with all those black people (I’m black), I need some diversity.</p>
<p>I apply to college later on this year and HBCUs aren’t even on my list for consideration. Just me personally, I NEED diversity !
I can’t see myself actually enjoying my college experience at a majority black college.</p>
<p>Too many black people for me. Let’s be realistic. When you get a job, how many black coworkers will you have? Not many. Don’t get used to it, when you know that’s not what the real world is like. We’re spread few and far between.</p>
<p>Ummm my sister went to an HBCU (Spelman College) She wanted me to apply there so badly but when I visited her I realized its just not for me. Everything is centered around the black community and going back to your “roots.” But I go to a predominantly white school and most of my friends are white so that type of environment is not something that I am used to nor do I prefer. I have friends from all walks of life and I love it. I would not change that to have friends that are all Black.</p>
<p>i have researched hbcus and think they are a great source of education. alot of hbcu alumni have done so much for the arts,education,science etc. When talking about diversity, most who are goin to a pwi are goin because it has alot of whites and or asians…which is not really diverse, its just wat ur used to. also the whole prestigious thing is not true for all pwi’s, the most prestigious are ivy league and thats all anyone has been mentioning when they refer to prestigious. and from what i have heard, they are not all that safe for other races especially blacks. from noose hangings(which are frequently happening now) to getting harrassed, which i do not think is safe. And hbcus give real world life experiences just as pwi’s do. all in all it depends on what you go to college for, if u go to harvard n become a drunkerd then thats what you will be but if you go to famu and try your hardest to be the best you can be the sky is the limit. i personally want to attend an hbcu, because i am a supporter and the experience you get there is like no other. lol sorry for the shorthand im only in the 10th grade</p>
<p>^That’s not shorthand. That’s misspelling and a lack of capitalization. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>First off, that’s what you heard. Did you manage to confirm that the majority–and I mean majority–of minorities there are subject to some form of overt harassment? Sorry, but retreating and living in the walled gardens that are HBCUs is just not for me. </p>
<p>I’m not denigrating HBCUs. I’m strongly considering Howard myself. Your point about many “prestigious” schools (whatever that means, lol) is well taken. And ultimately, you make your college experience what it is. But please, don’t make unsubstantiated claims without solid facts. I mean, noose hangings? Really?</p>
<p>Well, yes. A noose was found hanging at UCSD within the last week. Nooses have been found at Columbia and Baylor in the past several years. </p>
<p>Just be aware, informed and take care of yourselves.</p>
<p>[Racism</a> on campus: Hate crimes in higher education | TheLoop21.com](<a href=“http://theloop21.com/racism-campus-hate-crimes-higher-education]Racism”>http://theloop21.com/racism-campus-hate-crimes-higher-education)</p>
<p>well, if i didnt capitalize…its short hand…and how do u not know wat prestigious mans but u can see that i made spelling mistakes. and it is dangerous like silvermoon sed, dont u watch the news? the thing i dont understand is that, why when a black person says they want to go to a hbcu there is a big problem…but if a white,asian,or other race wants to go to a school where its predominently their race, nobody says anything. its the same thing, the are retreating to the walls of pwi or watever the case may be. so the question i have to everyone is WHY DID YOU APPLY TO A PWI?</p>
<p>^ Because I’m not letting race affect my college decisions.</p>
<p>@pinkonpointe: I know what prestigious means. However, a prestigious school is a far more nebulous thing to define. </p>
<p>And I applied to Howard because there were a lot of things I was attracted to (location, opportunities, price).</p>