This is the time of year when many of you are in an enviable position. You are choosing between colleges instead of crying over being rejected. About 40 years ago, few people of color wondered whether they would attend to a black college or not. The answer was almost always yes, because before the late 1960s, few white colleges (north or south) admitted black students. Those northern schools that did have a history of accepting black students traditionally took in only a few each year. In 2005, however, the college landscape is somewhat different as historically black colleges fight to keep up their enrollments and compete with larger, better endowed, predominantly white institutions. There are four primary factors to consider when choosing between a historically black college and a majority white institution. The first is your high school experience. If you attended a high school where you were one of a handful of “colored folk” you may want to have a different college experience. As W.E.B. DuBois once said, black Americans forever feel their “twoness” and nothing is worse than feeling ill at ease with people of color when you are one. If, on the other hand, you went to a predominantly black high school, you might consider broadening your experience by choosing a majority institution. You may suffer a bit of culture shock in either situation, but if you are adaptable you’ll come away with some great life lessons.
No matter how important grades, classes and professors are, a major part of your college experience will be the social interactions you’ll have with your peers. So a second major consideration should be your social needs. Black colleges meet a number of social, political and economic needs for students. For instance, you are likely to find other individuals with interests the same as yours -- forming a study group to explore African cultures, economically empowering the black community or attending hip-hop concerts, for example. Because most black colleges are located in black neighborhoods, you have the chance to play an important role in shaping the community in which you live while having fun with fellow students. This is also possible at white colleges, but you will want to visit to assess what life is like for black students on campus. You might want to find out if there is an active black student union.
A third major consideration is how the institution will meet your emotional needs. While most high school students think they are already grown up, colleges still play a role in shaping them as adults. Therefore, you want to be in an environment that supports your learning and development as a human being. What type of support systems are in place at the schools that you are considering? Are there professors who will mentor you? While many people argue that a black college does not prepare students for the real world because few work environments are all black, I argue the contrary. They provide you with an opportunity to develop the leadership skills and confidence necessary to flourish in any environment.
Another major consideration for most high school seniors is how they and their parents will pay for college. Some private, historically black colleges may be more expensive than white ones because they are often unable to offer the same types of financial aid packages as majority institutions. Only you can decide if the trade-offs are worth it when you calculate that a black college will cost you more than a white one.
Finally, you must put the most emphasis on your academic needs. If you are entering college with a career goal in mind, make sure that the school has the major and/or course offerings you will need. Some black colleges are known for training future medical doctors and Ph.D.s while others focus primarily on the liberal arts. For instance, Xavier University in New Orleans is known its high percentage of students who go on to medical school. But if you hope to enter a specialized field and the black college you are considering does not offer the appropriate courses, you may need to attend the white college.
Take into account the above considerations, as well as any others that you might add, and you can create a profile of your choices. Whether you choose a predominantly white or historically black college, make the most of your college experience by establishing social networks, developing support systems and taking advantage of all that your classes have to offer.
*Pictured in the photo is Holmes Hall, a building at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
*About the Author
Stephanie Wright is an assistant professor of history at the University of West Georgia.
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Thursday, June 30th 2005 at 10:44AM
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