Posted by Tiffany Anderson Howard University
on May 22, 2005 at 07:41:50:
In Reply to: Howard or Hampton??? posted by Tiffany Anderson on May 14, 2005 at 14:19:53:
: : Howard or Hampton???
I wasn't going to even register my information on the site, but I really wanted to respond to you, so I hope you read this before you make your decision.
I'm from Nashville, Tenn. and I have a lot of family that live in Milwaukee. So I'd like to address your concerns about "the hood" because they're valid. Ain't no hood like the Howard hood. And it's gotten a LOT better since I went there in 1991. My first year of college I went to a predominantly white school (with all the big state school amenities) because I didn't have the money my first year to attend Howard. After coming from a background where I was often the only black person in the class, it was an adjustment for me to go to an all black environment in "the hood." But I want to point out that I chose Howard not just because it offers a stellar journalism program (black or white school, period) but also because the city gave me wonderful access to internships and journalism mentors. It was a career and cultural experience that I knew I couldn't get going to school anywhere else. So keep in mind that the city where you go to school and the opportunities and exposure that THAT affords you is just as important as the curriculum that the school provides. Coming from the South, it took a minute to get used to going to school on the East coast (rude people) and stepping over the bums on the street. But getting a chance to step onto a campus that educated some of the most important leaders of our time far outweighed that. The alumni who have helped shaped the Fine Arts department at Howard (Debbie Allen, Roberta Flack, Ossie Davis -- not to mention the classes that were taught by Katherine Dunham) are legendary. While still great, it's a shame that the School of Fine Arts is now a department within the School of Liberal Arts. But I think you should consider the life-lasting experiences you would be giving up in order to have the beautiful surroundings of Virginia for four years. I loved Howard so much, that when my younger sister got tired of being a little black spec in a sea of white folks at a huge white state school, I pleaded with her to come to Howard cause I wanted her to be happy, to share in my experience, and I knew what the cultural exposure would add to her life. She didn't want to keep following in my footsteps. She was used to a spotless campus with computerized amenities and she definitely didn't want to come to the hood. She looked at Spelman, FAMU, and Hampton and finally decided to transfer to Howard. When she got to the dorm she was appalled. No study library downstairs? No Internet access in each room? After a little paint, a rug and some posters or two her living conditions were more bearable. More importantly, she got used to "the hood." And like me, in some ways, even grew to like "the hood." She thanks me for convincing her to come to Howard because the doors of opportunity that opened and the cultural experiences she had there were ones she wouldn't have gotten at Hampton or Spelman. I read your entry to her this morning and she asked me to tell you that the school has made a lot of improvements and you'll get used to the things that come with living in "the hood". Hopefully, your scholarship and the accommodations recently built for scholarship students will make your living conditions a little easier. And keep in mind, what makes any university a great university are the things that it provides beyond the buildings and the walls.... YOU'RE AND ARTIST, GIRL!!! and I would hate for you to choose an arts program that is not as good, in a city that does not offer NEARLY as many cultural opportunities, because the campus is nicer. U KNOW??????!!!! (If you don't get the inside joke, hopefully you'll choose Howard and then YOU'LL KNOW.)