Last Updated on September 6, 2023
Choosing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) is a major decision. The best way to do this is to research the cost, find your degree program, discuss with your guidance counselor, connect with alumni, and visit the campus to talk to faculty and students. By doing this, it will help you to choose an HBCU that is the right fit for you and to help you achieve college success.
In my previous articles, I discussed the pros and cons of attending an HBCU. I covered
3 Positive for Choosing an HBCU, while also providing a peek into Opportunities for Social Improvement at HBCUs. Here, I touched on some of the “elephant in the room” issues that are very present at our institutions. Yes, we have our difficult moments, but what college or university does not have their set of issues. However, the key thing that should be remembered, the education that you receive, both academic and “real world,” is the reason that you attend or plan to attend.
Yes, the HBCU is still relevant. As the world becomes a changing demo-graphic, we see that these institutions are serving not only African Americans, but Africans, Hispanics, Caucasians, Asians, and so forth. These students are all learning about African American culture, but gain caring instructors who can relate to their students, an opportunity to gain membership into a Greek Letter Organization, and get to be involved in the community. This makes the experience at the HBCU an enlightening one, one well worth the time.
Since you know that in all situations, there can be some situations that can arise that do not best represent the college or university, but please do not allow these infractions to deter you from your education at your HBCU. If you are a student interested in attending an HBCU, I say the same thing to you. Other institutions have the same issues that we do, but in some instances, they may even be on a larger scale. By no means, should you allow these issues hinder your decision from attending an HBCU.
One could notice that the things that are our positive attributes are often also the some of the same issues that make our schools what they are. Choose wisely. Evaluate all elements involved in your selection process. Choose an HBCU. I did. You will be glad that you did as well.
Photo Credit: John S. Cross, Tennessee State University (TSU) Media Relations
Naykishia D. Head is an Instructor of Freshman Composition at Tennessee State University. Her research interests are African American literature, Women’s Literature, and Gender Studies. As an alumna of Jackson State University, she made it her professional goal to teach at an HBCU.
