DreamingOutLoud

Someone asked me this question and I didn't really know the answer. I don't think I ever considered going to an HBCU because they're down South, aren't really diverse and tend to have a really uneven female-male ratio. Still, it does seem like it would be an interesting experience to go there and a lot of them are awesome schools.

For those of you who didn't apply to an HBCU, why not?

Jcancollegebound

I didn't know much about them , I wanted an even male:female ratio too and I just found other universities that I fell in love with regardless of race distribution and frequency. (Which, I am just now starting to realise may not have been THE best decision ever because I'm not accustomed to a majority white population.)

2legit2quit

At first I wasn't considering HBCU's because I figured they wouldn't be diverse enough for me.
However, now one of my top schools is Howard.
I think that before you actually research HBCU's everyones fears are diversity, the male/female ratios, and the prestige.
But all of that pales in comparison (for some people) to the overall experience. It's pretty much a once in a lifetime chance. After you graduate you will most likely be spending the rest of your life in racially diverse settings. For a lot of students, I think HBCU's can be places to really appreciate black culture and grow into being role models for the black community.
And on top of that, there is SO much diversity that can be found within an HBCU.

I understand that an HBCU isn't the right school for everyone. But my only hope is that people don't discredit the opportunity until it is too late, like I almost did. I am so grateful that my mom essentially forced me into applying to Howard &Spelman.

Dbate

I am unaccustomed to being in class with alot of black people, and unfortuantely it would seem rather strange. Most friends of mine are not black so I wanted to go to a more Asian/white school. Also I don't think I would fit in with alot of black people.

superwoman

Dbate- I feared the same thing! Because when i would be at school, being the only black femlae they would expect me to talk in a certain manner, but i dont lol, i talk just like them! And then when i go to hang out with my african american friends outside of school they would categorize me as white, because of the way I talk. I think that my fear in applying to an HBCU was also that diversity thing, i mean i would love to be surrounded by people with my skin color but at the same time i dont think id fit in. my personality in general is based on my haitian-based born & raised culture, i only speak english at school, but once im out and with the family and friends, i dont even bother, i stick to French Creole. But i did apply to Spelman, but mostly because I love womens colleges because of the sisterhood soo, hopefully i get in, which im expecting, and then ill visit it. But its not my top choice, its more on the lower end. For me, its mostly that i dont know what to expect.

p.s. my parents never even heard of HBCUs until i told them, all they know is Harvard, which is the school i didnt apply to lol.

LadyT

Well actually HBCU's are the only schools I'm giving any serious consideration. Mainly Howard, Hampton, and Spelman. I gave brief consideration to Fisk, but I'd rather not go to Tennessee.
As far as them all being in the South, that is a common misconception. Howard, one of the top HBCU's is in D.C. Lincoln University is in Pennsylvania, Morgan State is in Maryland, not far from D.C. Charles Drew University is in California, Los Angeles to be exact. Wilbeforce and Central State are both in Ohio. Cheyney is also in Pennsylvania. The University of D.C. is also an HBCU. So there are many options that are not Southern. Plus many are in the Mid-Atlantic area, which has a mix of east coast and southern feel.

As far as not fitting in goes, I have visited Spelman and fit in just fine from what I could see. BTW, I go to a white PREP school. So, really the fear people have of "fitting in" is kind of an unjustified fear. I talked to many of the students, and seriously half the students I talked to came from white private schools, and wanted to be surrounded by other intelligent black students for a change. That is the environment I got. It wasn't "ghetto," which is another common misconception. Actually, I found some of the students to be kind of stuck up. Not all though, many were extremely nice.

It really depends upon which HBCU you are considering because just like with predominately white universities, the tier 1 schools are going to have more driven, focused students, than the 3rd tier hbcu's who often have alot more students who are just looking for a good party.

With regards to diversity I think people are forgetting that there are other types of diversity than just race. While most HBCU's will consist mostly of black students that doesn't mean they are all African-American. I know Howard has quite a high percentage of black students from the Carribean and parts of Africa, which I'm sure we will all agree provides alot of diversity because it is a very different culture. There is also religious diversity, and socio-economic diversity.
Some even have racial diversity. I know Morehouse's valedictorian was white last year, and Tennessee State has a sizable white population. Really it is just reversed. You can either be at a college with a 90% white population and 10% minorities, or 90% African-American with 10% white, international, and other minorities. These schools are not 100%black.
Lastly, prestige is often a topic discussed when deciding rather to attend an HBCU. Just so you guys know the top tier hbcu's all have Ivy league recruiters for grad, medical, and law school because many of their top black students come from HBCUs. So I really wouldn't doubt the prestige the top HBCUs hold.

FLVADAD

Well said, LadyT. You offer some very good points.

collegebound_91

1. For my major. I want to go into Chemistry or Physics. I'm not trying to bash HBCU's, my brother went to one and got a great education. But I want to attend a major research university that is reknown for its success in the sciences. This cancels many of them out. I have family and freidns that have come back from great HBCU's like Howard and Hampton and have said that the labs are not as advanced, technology wise, as the ones in my hs. I mean my hs does have a lot of money put into the sciences, but still. My guidance counselor also says that many of these schools wouldn't suit my intrest in undergraduate research

2. I come form a very diverse hs and I dont want to give that up. I love being around black ppl, but I also value having people around me who are completely different. My brother liked Howard bc he met black ppl of all kinds (filthy rich, dirt poor, country, city, etc etc). but I really want a diverse school where I can experience ppl of all ethnicities, cultures, religions, etc. I want a school where I can have my group of blk friends, but where most people are different.

3. It doesn't reflect the real world. Being around all black ppl is great, but many come out not accustomed to interacting w/ ppl of every background. When my brother came home, he had to consciously change the way he talked and acted bc he was so used to being around all blacks. And he grew up in the suburbs. Also, you need a strong network base that includes ppl pf all backgrounds.

4. Foreign teachers. I know this is true at every school, esp in the sciences, but my brother said most of his teachers were foreign and he had trouble learning from them. HBCU's have many blk teachers but a large chunk of them are foreign, like from Africa. There is a shortage in general for AA professors.

5. I dont mind being a minority or the only black person in a class, its what I'm used to

6. I want to pledge a sorority, not sure which one yet. And I know this is extremely hard at an HBCU. Its difficult @ most schools, but at schools like Howard, where deltas were founded, you pretty much have to know someone to get in

But HBCU's are great schools, and they offer a very unique college experience that will be great for many people. I've heard ppl say there is no use for them now, but I think they still serve as an important part of AA culture. They're just not a good fit for me. I am so proud, many of my friends will be attending Spelman, Howard ,and Hampton next year!!

simpliiswe3t1

I can`t seem to fathom why people think they wouldn`t necessarily fit in at an HBCU

Honestly how on earth can you fit in with others if you can`t fit in yourself [people of your own race] ? Seems hard to me.

Nevertheless I applied to Howard, which is like my #2. (=

LW Trojan

HBCUs tend to have little funding, and that will ultimately affect every students' learning opportunities (or lack there of).

blu_g8orade

i agree.

i go to a majority white school, and i'm the only black kid in most of my classes, and still most of my friends are black. so i don't have a problem with being around black people or anything.

the only reason i didn't apply to an HBCU is because none of them really have great engineering programs. Morgan State is good, but the environment is horrible and the rest of the school is underfunded.

LadyT

thanks flvadad

To adress the point of the science classes, Xavier actually has the top program for black undergrads in pre-med, and I know they are strong in the sciences in general. They ranked above Harvard for black students, Spelman did as well. Not all HBCU's would be good for that type of major, but not all predominately white schools would be either.


As far as not socializing well with others afterwards...that is kind of well...silly. I attend a completely white school now, yet I can still socialize with black students. I use to attend an all black grade school, but I still had no issues socializing once I switched to an all white prep school. People are people. If you aren't socially incompetent I would think you'd be able to talk to people regardless of their race. You may choose not to befriend them because of culture differences, but they don't need to be your friends, you just have to be able to get along in the world. Studies have actually shown that hbcu graduates do a better job in the real world because unlike black students at predominately white schools, those at hbcu's have had more leadership opportunities since the are in the majority at their schools.

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.


I agree that pledging a sorority at a pwi might be easy, but I also think they are more willing to accept people would wouldn't qualify at an HBCU. If I decide to pledge I would prefer to pledge at an HBCU beause the experience is unparalleled. At a pwi white sororities are the main focus, but at a black university these white sororities don't exist. Black sororities are the main focus. Plus you'd be pledging with alot more girls, and to me that provides a better experience. It is kind of like that saying "I don't want to beat you when you are at your worst, but when you are at your best because the former wouldn't tell me anything about how talented neither I am nor you are." I say its similar to that because to me pledging at a white school because it is "easier" doesn't really show you your full potential. It is harder to pledge at a school like Howard where there are Alpha chapters of 5 of the Divine Nine, but if I can't make it there then I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I won't take the easy way. Both my mother and aunt pledged AKA at different HBCU's, and had amazing experiences. I am not sure if I will pledge or not, but if I do decide to I feel I'm good enough to hang with the best. Not to downplay sorority sisters at pwi's, but the experience is different from that at hbcus.

Lastly, I also cannot grasp this idea that people think they won't fit in. Do you have no black friends? Not all black people are the same. Think about it this way, all of you who say you won't fit in...well you'd probably fit in with each other considering you all have that mindset. Hence, there would be your group of friends. There are various types of personalities at HBCUs just like anywhere else.

foolishpleasure

"Lastly, I also cannot grasp this idea that people think they won't fit in."

I'm with you! I don't recall white students saying, "I won't fit in with the other white students." They might think the other students are too conservative, or too liberal, or too into partying or too religious- - but they do not treat their race as a monolith.

I worry that liberal D might be out of place b/c black schools tend to be more religious and conservative than the schools she has attended. But I understand than if she attended a pwi, she'd be in the minority as well.

It seems to me that one of the great things about attending a HBCU is that with such large black enrollment, one is more likely to find same-race friends of similar interest than at pwi LACs where there can be as few as 40 black students on campus (.02 x 1800 = 36). And don't even get me started on dating or hair care, both of which can be issues for young black women on pwi campuses in remote areas.

And Jcancollege, what world do you live in? These days many colleges/unis have a 60:40 female:male split - - and are struggling to keep the number of male students from dipping. At number of the pwi schools on D's list, women outnumber men by more than2:1, so HBCUs are not unique in that regard.

kb09026

Sorry to pick on you, Dbate, but since I generally agree with what you say, could you expand on what you meant in your post?

LadyT

foolishpleasure:
I completely understand the dating issue because I'm going through that right now. Attending a white prep school has limited opportunities of dating to the point where I have just given up. I'm not strange or ugly.lol. In fact I was recruited into a modeling agency, but that isn't really my type of thing. Yet still there aren't any dating opportunities I've run across. I have black guy friends...well like 2...but still. All the black guys I know are really into interracial dating, and that is cool but I'd rather date a black guy. As far as the ratio at hbcus...to me this isn't that bad. Considering that the prep school I currently go to has an even girl to guy ratio, yet all the black girls still have to look outside of our school to date I would think that at an hbcu I'd probably have better luck.
Many girls worry about the dating competition they will face at an HBCU, but the way I see it, if there are 2 girls to every one guy not all of those girls will be "datable" some are weird, some are homebodies, some will have bf's at other schools, someone will probably be more interested in hanging out with all the guys than finding a boyfriend. So really the ratio isn't that bad. Plus you are correct that there are pwi's that have similar ratios. New York University, one of the only pwi's I'm slightly interested in, has a ratio of 3 to 2.

As far as the usually conservativeness of hbcu's I do agree with that, but they aren't all extremely conservative. I'm really REALLY liberal, and I think Howard is pretty mixed regarding social views. Hampton on the other hand is extremely conservative. Going to a high school that I consider pretty conservative I've learned to deal with it. I just joined the Young Democrats club, and this year took an officer position, and that has really helped me deal with my prep school's conservative environment.

I completely agree with you about being able to find black friends who have similar interests as you. Currently where I go to school all of the black students are friends and that is nice, but many of us have nothing in common except being black. Many people ask why we don't just befriend people of another race, and many of us do. I have other friends as well, but it is still nice to have that group of friends that understands your culture and heritage. I'd love to be able to have that AND them have similar interests as me, and I feel that going to an hbcu will finally give me this opportunity. I'm not going to worry about not getting along with the other students. I highly doubt I'm going to be the only upper-middle class black girl who went to a prep school. There will be thousands of other students so I'm sure I'll find friends who I have tons in common with. 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.