HBCU VS. PWI
 

Which type of school do you think is beneficial to the growth of Black students, Historically Black or Predominately White? I have attended 2 predominately White schools and I think it was an excellent experience. The first school I went to had a Black population of less than 2 percent. We all knew each other and were VERY active on campus. Although there were incidents that made us question why we where there, I think it made us strong and pushed us to think outside of the box. Now that I'm at a school with a larger Black population, I'm kinda dissappointed at the lack of activity by the Black students. There seems to be a lot of complaining but little action. I'm sure this is not true of all campus's with a sizeable Black community but this is what I have noticed.

As someone who has attended a PWI (undergrad) and a HBCU (graduate) I don't think you can adequately compare the two. They literally are like apples and oranges. The climates are different. At PWI, there is a culture of entitlement, privilege and education intrinsic to the atmosphere of the school. The assumption is made that students at PWIs, particularly large PWIs with substantial endowments and grants, come from educated families, and are the best and the brightest. I've noticed that at HBCUs, the atmosphere seems to consider both students who come from a privileged background, but also students who may be the first in their family to attend college. That's the one thing that HBCUs have over PWIs. However, I think it's unlikely that given the choice, I'd ever attend another HBCU. My educational experience there was top notch, but the administrative aspects of the institution left a lot to be desired. In addition, HBCUs suffer from a lack of funding. Graduate students depend on assistantships and grants, and HBCUs just don't have the money to spare.

Dove1920 your experience sounds so identical to mine. My first school had a black population around 2 percent. Everybody was close and it was an insult to walk past another black person and not speak. We were like family and Black History month was full of events. My second school was larger and had a lot more black students and there was so much apathy and indifference that I wished I had never transferred. I would prefer the smaller environment because it made us work harder on being a community and leaders in the general campus environment.

i feel that you should attend the school that in your determination will promote your development best...whether at an HBCU or a PWI...both have there positive and negative aspects...but only the individual knows what they are seeking and what will best help them to realize their ultimate goals...

Girl if you only knew!!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif I'm not happy at the school I'm at now but I'm hoping that I can use the things I learned at my first school to get the ball rolling here. I definetly think small is better. I like the attention! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif And I also noticed that the Greeks got along better at small schools. We all hung out and did events together. Thats probably because there weren't that many of us. I was the first Zeta to grace my campus!

Personally I think it depends on what you make of the situatuion, meaning you can benefit from both of the institutions if you apply yourself. PWI's and HBCU's can both teach you to be competitive in the real world if you think about it. In a PWI just because your a minority you have to compete for admissions, scholarships, "honors", etc. (Affirmative Action can no longer be used for these reasons) At an HBCU "being the majority" you still have to compete for the same things. In either situation you will have to step up to the plate and apply yourself. I strongly believe that either way you go it is an humbling experience, and you can get a good education at both.

I am actually glad that this forum was started because this same thing was going thru my head. I attend a PWI, and although they have top notch facilities and admin, I hate being a minority. All the white folks are scared of us (or most, I should say), and it seems like if you succeed they think its because you received a hand out.

I had thought about attending an HBCU or at least a more diverse campus for grad school, but I have been reluctant. In my major they just don't rank near the top and I'm not sure if I am willing to sacrifice a better atmosphere for a lesser known program.

Truly, I was blown away when I went down south and so many black people. It was unbelievable! (I'm STRAIGHT outta BOSton, yall, so forgive me.)

Education comes first, so its hard to decide. School is so expensive, so I want to choose wisely. But I guess you never really know the deal until you actually attend classes.

A former professor of mine once told me that students from HBCUs who hope to go to graduate/professional schools following their undergraduate years have to have higher GPAs than students who come from PWIs. I'm not sure if this is true, but just to be safe I made sure I carried a 4.0 in the graduate program at CAU. I didn't want there to be any discussion on whether I could excel and succeed at Berkeley (my school of choice) when it came time to do my Ph.D. work.

HBCU vs. PWI? Research says that Black students who attend HBCU's are more likely to graduate than those at a PWI, for a variety of reason. Adjustment, one of the major determining factors to whether a student gradutes or not, is much easier becuase of the familiarity with faculty, administrators and students who look like you. These universities produce more Bachelors degrees within Black people than PWI's However, as a graduate of both a PW undergraduate and graduate institution, I can say that PWI's are unique in the opportunity and challenge to step out of a "comfort zone". To survive here, you have to be able to coexist and compete with Whites, Asians, Latinos and many other ethnic groups. This training will undoubtedly prepare you for the world beyond the walls of academia. However, the key varible is the INDIVIDUAL. That student must become involved, connected and take ownership of his/her college experience wherever they are.

Philosopher1963

http://www.howard.edu/experience/excellence.asp

HOWARD U GRADUATE...with Honors http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif thank you!
I think its fair to say everyone will not have the same experience...but I am hard pressed to find many Howard grads who will say they did not thoroughly enjoy their Howard days. In speaking to other HBCU grads there is a common acceptance that we bear the responsibility of uplifting our community as we were priviledged to attend college. We did not get here alone.

Not to discredit PWIs but I rarely get the same sense of conciousness from them as I get from my fellow HBCU grads. The only exception to my last statement comes from grads who are in BGLOS or those who were very active in the BSU in their respective campus.



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Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated...Every Finer Woman's Dream!