This is an interesting article... I would like to know what the negative comments were. People who never went to or considered HBCUs generally don't understand the appeal or legacy of those schools.
I remember on my very first internship I had a conversation with a guy from Morehouse and we talked about how we were forced to wear business attire to some courses so the school would know for a fact that we knew how to dress appropriately. We were giving our final presentation and a Black student from Columbia was wearing a light colored summer suit, for those that don't know, that is not business attire. I turned to the guy from Morehouse and said "That's why we have that class." Majority institutions do not prepare minorities for situations like that. Like it or not there are 2 sets of rules, at a quality HBCU you will know the rules you have to play by...
hbcus definitely offer a more nurturing (bad connotation) or mentoring (good) environment to minorities... I got similar questions when i received an ROTC full scholarship to any school with ROTC in the US and I chose southern... My scholarship was revoked for asthma and bad health history but people didn't understand my decision. I considered the same things he did (proximity to family, cost, and what my life experiences taught me). i think for people who are not roped into the hbcu culture with generations past don't understand that you know successful people from hbcus. most without the upbringing think CEOs and successful people only come from the ivy league...
the things that i considered did not include the mentoring and societal preparation i received at teh HBCU. i gained that appreciation later.... that trumps all the things i considered. I have attended majority institutions and i have encountered many people from those to know that there is mentorship and what-not at those places but its just done differently... either way that's what's most important.... is there a network that's prepares you and tells you you belong at the next level....
This is an interesting article... I would like to know what the negative comments were. People who never went to or considered HBCUs generally don't understand the appeal or legacy of those schools.
ReplyDeleteI remember on my very first internship I had a conversation with a guy from Morehouse and we talked about how we were forced to wear business attire to some courses so the school would know for a fact that we knew how to dress appropriately. We were giving our final presentation and a Black student from Columbia was wearing a light colored summer suit, for those that don't know, that is not business attire. I turned to the guy from Morehouse and said "That's why we have that class." Majority institutions do not prepare minorities for situations like that. Like it or not there are 2 sets of rules, at a quality HBCU you will know the rules you have to play by...
hbcus definitely offer a more nurturing (bad connotation) or mentoring (good) environment to minorities... I got similar questions when i received an ROTC full scholarship to any school with ROTC in the US and I chose southern... My scholarship was revoked for asthma and bad health history but people didn't understand my decision. I considered the same things he did (proximity to family, cost, and what my life experiences taught me). i think for people who are not roped into the hbcu culture with generations past don't understand that you know successful people from hbcus. most without the upbringing think CEOs and successful people only come from the ivy league...
ReplyDeletethe things that i considered did not include the mentoring and societal preparation i received at teh HBCU. i gained that appreciation later.... that trumps all the things i considered. I have attended majority institutions and i have encountered many people from those to know that there is mentorship and what-not at those places but its just done differently... either way that's what's most important.... is there a network that's prepares you and tells you you belong at the next level....