NOTE(I am not tring to offend anyone, this is a serious question)
I am currently a Junior in High school, and my focus is completely on academics, and politics. I was speaking to an African-American friend of mine a couple of days ago, and what he said was obserd. We were speaking of where we wanted to attend college, and I told him “I’d like to attend Hampden-Sydney” He laughed at me and said that Morehouse was 100 times better than Hampden-Sydney. According to him Hampden-Sydney is full of rich, racist snobs. He said that Morehouse was comparable to top colleges like Dartmouth and Williams, while Hampden-Sydney was comparable to a mediocre public school.
This really amused me. The average incoming freshmen at Morehouse has a GPA of 3.11, the average incoming freshmen at Hampden-Sydney has a GPA of 3.5.(that’s a huge difference) Hampden-Sydney has a larger endowment, nicer facilities, and better professors. I don’t have anything against Morehouse(I know Dr. King went there, and I have great respect for him), but to say it is better than Hampden-Sydney is a joke. I think the black community puts Morehouse in a place where it doesn’t belong(the scores show that it’s not that great of a school academically. Why is Morehouse so overrated?
Spelling of Morehouse fixed so people can focus on the actual question - FC
This is an issue with people on here. I never said Morhouse was “Academically weak” It’s just not comparable to Hampden-Sydney. That’s not debatable. If you think it is, then present your argument.
“Over rated” depends on what kind of ratings system you’re using of course. I didn’t go to Morehouse or to an HBCU for that matter but I’d argue that for a variety a reasons that the Morehouse experience and education might be “better” suited for most African-American men that a Hamden-Sydney one would be. Like all HBCUs, Morehouse’s entry stats are skewed by the range of students they accept. Part of that may be due to “mission” and part of that is just the spectrum of such stats for all AA students in the yearly application pool. If you’re going by high school stats alone though, Morehouse (and Spelman, Howard, Hampton, etc.) still do attract a good portion of top Black students, comparable to Black students matriculating anywhere, including places like Dartmouth and Williams. But beyond the high school stats–which mean nothing after you’re accepted-- you have to look at the outcomes.
For Black men, Morehouse is a key pipeline to top graduate school and programs. I’ve seen it turn many a mediocre high school student into Ivy League grad students, doctors, lawyers, ministers, teachers, professors, etc. From afar, I have a great deal of respect for Morehouse’s liberal arts tradition; you don’t see any Basket Weaving majors coming out of Morehouse. Take a glance at what the black students at places like Hamden-Sydney are majoring in. And are they majoring in those things because they’re getting weeded out of hard majors because of the lack of nurturing and support that they might get at Morehouse? Do they lack mentors or the fellowship of students with similar struggles or experiences? Is the expectation of success higher at Morehouse?
Most Morehouse grads come out of school, charged, confident and with broad academic exposure, prepared to take on the most rigorous grad programs and professions around. Also, One notable ranking where Morehouse consistency comes out on top is alumni satisfaction. Schools change over time and no two people’s academic experiences are going to be exactly alike, but I think that is telling that so many Morehouse grads have such high regard for their experience and how well it prepared them for their lives and careers.
My classmates and peers tried everything in their power to stop me from attending Texas Southern Univesity (I’m in the Honors College) but I’m glad they didn’t. I’m enjoying my experience, I love the culture, I love Houston, and I’m learning, that’s all that matters (free of cost may I add). And I truly believe that my black high school classmates who ended up at more well-known, very expensive, mostly white colleges are envious of me for being bold enough to do what I wanted to do and not fall for the peer pressure. My black high school classmates are constantly complaining about the subtle and overt racism they’re experience on their campus, on my campus there’s none of that lol
@OldCat Right on. It’s also worth mentioning that several HBCUs have quality and nationally recognized graduate programs that is a sign of the vitality of these great institutions. But I remember reading this article about Michelle Obama and how isolated and alone she felt at Princeton … she basically she said her only solace was her studies and being in an academic prestige. I thought to myself what a miserable existence and I know her story is common for blacks who are on overwhelming white campuses. Some are able to thrive it in, but I’m almost sure most don’t