What's So Great About HBCU's Anyway?

87 replies · 25826 views · Started by venom3384 · Apr 2005

venom3384

Main City, CA

venom3384 Main City, CA

This is my question. I hear all kind of people lauding the HBCU experience and seem utterly enraptured with the idea that they will be able to spend the four years of their undergraduate experience with people who share their same ethnic background. 1st question: Is this at all representative of real life? From my personal experience I have found that we, or at least in the upwardly socio-economic realm that you high achieving and socially conscious African-American (predominantly) hope to take part in, live in a white world. How will an HBCU where you will be surrounded by people like you and taught be professors like you be at all representative of real life? Or at least the one you hope to be living? My 2nd question involves personal and academic preference. I have been accepted into a number of Universities and can go anywhere I want. So what would make me want to attend a HBCU rather than a more traditional Ivy League school or one of its equivalents when my goals is to become as educated as possible and subsequently be the most qualified for any future position or work that I would like to pursue. Furthermore, how diverse can an HBCU be and how much can you learn about other cultures/environments when you are surrounded my only one megaculture?

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· May 2005

#51 Reply

I was keeping away from this topic but I guess I'll post. I attend an PWI...was it by choice? Partially. Growing up I attended schools where I WASNT the minority. In my graduating highschool class it was a total of 5 white people who graduated with us and about 10 mexican's and the other 150 people were black. So of course...I wanted to continue my path of being around "my people". I applied AND got accepted to CAU,Hampton, and FAMU, and for a second I was on my way to CAU. Then I applied to SIU (southern Illinois University-carbondale) and got accepted with a damn near full ride. Now I was going to take out that 25,000 loan and take my black broke **** to ATL and go to school, but I though about how I never....ever...have been around "other" races. It was at a point that I could almost call myself a racist. Hated white people...so I made the decision to come to a PWI to open my eyes to the things my mom/grandmom always told me about. And guess what yall....that ****is real. I wanted to bring my **** home but you know...I prayed and talked to my family and friends about it and now I'm cool. One thing I will say is...The world isnt just BLACK. Going to a PWI is going to give you an even better feel of how the world really is. I mean I'm sure having the "black" experiance is great....hell I had it for 8 years of school....and sometimes I STILL wish I had it. But now I have opened my eyes to things I was ignoring because I was so use to having "us". Yeah PWI's have its perks as well. I mean in some cases I'll have the advantage over someone at a HBCU because I'm more "diverse". And trust me....its slackers all over at every campus. No matter where black people go there are still going to be the ones you wish didnt attend ur school....Hell I applied to Howard and don't know if I got accepted...and I see people at Howard and **** throwing up the GD (gang) sign...like come on now...but hey... I think I'm just kinda ranting but I think Both PWI'S and HBCU'S serve their purpose.

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cafe-aulait · May 2005

#52 Reply

Ms.H.B.I.C wrote:
I was keeping away from this topic but I guess I'll post. But now I have opened my eyes to things I was ignoring because I was so use to having "us". Yeah PWI's have its perks as well. I mean in some cases I'll have the advantage over someone at a HBCU because I'm more "diverse". And trust me....its slackers all over at every campus. No matter where black people go there are still going to be the ones you wish didnt attend ur school....Hell I applied to Howard and don't know if I got accepted...and I see people at Howard and **** throwing up the GD (gang) sign...like come on now...but hey... I think I'm just kinda ranting but I think Both PWI'S and HBCU'S serve their purpose.

Well personally, I feel I am becoming more well-rounded attending an HBCU in the south. HBCUS probably have a more diverse group of people than most PWIs. First off.... ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT THE SAME. It is a fact people. As much as we wish to be a homogenous race, we are not. Bout what you said about the Howard dudes throwin up GD- just like there are rebellious white men, there are rebellious black men... The way they express their rebellious nature is different of course. Some crazy white men binge drink beer and holler; crazy black men take shots of Grey Goose and throw up gang signs. Its the same thing. I know the girl said something about a lot of HBCUs not having a family atmosphere, I don't know what HBCU you are referring to, but I know for sure that FAMU does... and Xavier... and Hampton (the last two b/c my best friends go to them). You will network and build bonds at an HBCU, that are different than those you would at a PWI. In the Princeton Review's book, The 357 Best Colleges, about 6 HBCUs are in there, and thousands of PWIs arent even mentioned. So Obviously some HBCUs offer a better college experience than most PWIs. Straight up, the key factor is YOU. If you are a slacker, you're gonna be a slacker no matter where you go. If you are an assertive, go-getter.... You will be the same whether you attend an HBCU of PWI. No matter what a lazy, close-minded person will never finish first in this race we call LIFE. Whether they are white, back, or anything in between.

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Mountain of Molten Lust! · May 2005

#54 Reply

cafe-aulait wrote:
Ms.H.B.I.C wrote:
I was keeping away from this topic but I guess I'll post. But now I have opened my eyes to things I was ignoring because I was so use to having "us". Yeah PWI's have its perks as well. I mean in some cases I'll have the advantage over someone at a HBCU because I'm more "diverse". And trust me....its slackers all over at every campus. No matter where black people go there are still going to be the ones you wish didnt attend ur school....Hell I applied to Howard and don't know if I got accepted...and I see people at Howard and **** throwing up the GD (gang) sign...like come on now...but hey... I think I'm just kinda ranting but I think Both PWI'S and HBCU'S serve their purpose.
Well personally, I feel I am becoming more well-rounded attending an HBCU in the south. HBCUS probably have a more diverse group of people than most PWIs. First off.... ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT THE SAME. It is a fact people. As much as we wish to be a homogenous race, we are not. Bout what you said about the Howard dudes throwin up GD- just like there are rebellious white men, there are rebellious black men... The way they express their rebellious nature is different of course. Some crazy white men binge drink beer and holler; crazy black men take shots of Grey Goose and throw up gang signs. Its the same thing. I know the girl said something about a lot of HBCUs not having a family atmosphere, I don't know what HBCU you are referring to, but I know for sure that FAMU does... and Xavier... and Hampton (the last two b/c my best friends go to them). You will network and build bonds at an HBCU, that are different than those you would at a PWI. In the Princeton Review's book, The 357 Best Colleges, about 6 HBCUs are in there, and thousands of PWIs arent even mentioned. So Obviously some HBCUs offer a better college experience than most PWIs. Straight up, the key factor is YOU. If you are a slacker, you're gonna be a slacker no matter where you go. If you are an assertive, go-getter.... You will be the same whether you attend an HBCU of PWI. No matter what a lazy, close-minded person will never finish first in this race we call LIFE. Whether they are white, back, or anything in between.

That is what you call intellegence and wisdom. You are the Enlightened One. :grin: