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Howard University

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ATTENTION:Quite BrightOther
ATTENTION:
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATTENTION:
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the Fall of 2004, I came in as a freshman to Howard. Even though I knew about the ROUGH neighborhood since I'm from the Baltimore area, I still was surprised by it:

homeless ppl walking up to you on GA Ave
trash, liquor bottles, debris everywhere
etc- picture the "roughest" part of any major city
I had never lived in the city so this was all a big shock to me.
I came to Howard expecting a FULL tuition & fees scholarship from CEACS (Coll of Engr) so I could study civil engineering. Within my first week, I was notified by CEACS that somehow my name was MISSING from the list of scholarship recipients & that I would have to wait for them to find some money or borrow $ from another source within the university. I was SHOCKED to say the less!!!!

Here, I came to THIS school because I was given a scholarship & then when I get there THEY DON'T HAVE IT!!!

Even though I had a huge run around from one building to another during my 1st week about this scholarship situation that I didn't even have a chance to enjoy the "Orientation" activities at Crampton Auditorium with all of the other freshman.

Nonetheless, I decided to stay because this WAS the school that I "wanted" to go to most of senior yr in high school... therefore, I switched to the School of B (Business) since that was the strongest program on the whole campus.

THE ONLY "GOOD THING": SCHOOL OF B
Even though the School of B was very organized, had good teachers for Business Orientation, had corporate reps at the bldg every week, placed us in teams for group projects, & to be "adopted" by a Fortune 500 company....

IT STILL WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH:

-ADMINISTRATION PROBLEMS!!!!!!!
(they'll lose you'll stuff, send you from 1 line to another, do things the old & long way, no one knows what they're doing, rude, don't care about you)

-project building dorm- Drew Hall
(no AC, old rundown bldg, blends in w/ the slum neighborhood, dirty communal bathrooms, HOT & STICKY, etc)

-unsafe neighborhood
(feel like a "prisoner"- restricted to only the campus since it's in the hood)
-math teacher(Sitarman- College Algebra II) who didn't speak english & struggled to talk over the loud fans so I had to go to math tutoring everyday to do my work & teach myself the work

-math teacher (Bayne- Applied Calculus) who doesn't care for students:

on the 1st day he said: "What, ya'll couldn't get switched out of my class? Didn't ya'll hear about me? Well, this class has about...45 ppl about 2-3 will have As, 3-6 Bs, 15 Cs, & the rest Ds & Fs"

-computer system (Internet) ALWAYS down
-OLD run down facilities, esp the library
none of the copiers work, old books & copmuters
-BAD cafeteria food
(you'll be sick (constapation, diarrhea) every other day: chicken sausage?)
-ALL they talk about is "The History of Howard"
I'm tired of hearing about the "legacy" & it's past
What is it doing today?
"GOOD THINGS" ABOUT THE SCHOOL:

-VERY SOCIAL
lots of ppl from across the country & world
lots of off-campus parties, but don't go to too many & flunk out 1st semester (it has happened)
-alot of "opportunties" in DC area (jobs,concerts, etc)
However, because of all the problems at HU, I'm now at UMBC (a tech school) only 30 mins from my home outside of Baltimore & I'm satisfied (new dorms w/ AC, good food, new buildings,diveristy- Asians, Whites, Indians, Blacks, Latinos)...much better than HU

BE SMART, JUST SAY NO
ATTENTION:
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ATTENTION:
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THIS SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st Year Male -- Class 2008
Social Life: A+, Individual Value: F
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Students: Howard is filled with some of theQuite BrightPolitical Science
Students: Howard is filled with some of the most beautiful people I've ever seen. As a result many here are into their looks. There is a lot of competition between the girls and between the guys to look the best, which (from what I've heard) leads to little arguments between some people. I wouldn't characterize this materialism any worse than a high school in a well to do area (based on the fact that many of the students come from areas like that). Fashion and confidence are things that are important to the average "Bison", you can see many people making their own clothes, shopping a lot...etc.

When talking to many of the people here you come to realize how this school is an intelligence mecca. Everyone is here for a reason, don't think that someone is smarter or dumber than the other (or you!) I have met people here who seem like they don't like school, yet they are very talented in certain arenas (i have a friend who i barely see study always skips class yet he writes beautifully, he has published plays that have been performed in major cities...everyone here is sooo goal/career oriented).

The majority of the students on campus seem to be a little closed-minded. We cannot forget where most students have come from...protestant suburban areas, rough inner city ghettos, seemingly archaic rural areas, and other more culturally conservative nations. this leads to both an attitude of disgust for other lifestyles and celebration of other societies (sorry, can't really articulate it well)...in other words some students can be really conservative/religous (this is the majority) and look down on those who do not share their values and others can be open-minded and a little more liberal, wanting others to "accept" there lifestyles.

Campus: (safety) We are in the middle of the ghetto (LeDroit Park), which explains for a lot of the events and procedures that occur on campus. In years past LeDroit was a MUCH worse neighborhood than it is now (an alumni told me that "crack-heads were just apart of the atmosphere [on campus]"). However much of washington is going under gentrification and lets just say Chocolate City is melting away. Our neighborhood is (to me) is like an urban area, you have to watch your back at night. If you are smart (for the lack of a better term) you might get robbed...if you here stories of this happening people were probably CUTTING THROUGH THE PROJECTS, WALKING ALONE AT NIGHT, TALKING ON THE CELLPHONE WHILE WALKING AROUND/NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THEIR SURROUNDINGS, AND NOT USING THEIR RESOURCES LIKE THE FREE CAMPUS ESCORTS/CAMPUS SHUTTLES ETC.

Campus (facilitis) The campus is nice on the outside (nicer than i expected) somewhat park like in the middle of the city, however the inside of the facilities are ridiculous. there is barely security, the rooms are dirty and never maintained, paint is peeling off the walls, old, old heaters. the desks are old and falling apart (not built in which IS a fire hazard). if this is important to you i would advise you to look at other schools as this can get very frustrating...the school claims that there is no money to fix up the classrooms. if you do decide to go here you will come at a time when they are fixing up and building new buildings...they just put in a multi-million dollar library which is astonding, they are retrofitting the historic building (libraries, classrooms and dorms) and the are also building new dorms (about three new dorm halls).

Faculty: the professors here are a sorted bunch. you have those that are very-very approachable and inspirational, and you have those who are pretty strict and difficult to get along with i.e. arrogant (i haven't had any of them yet but i have heard a nightmare or two). As long as you make a good impression, always stay involved in class discussions, and maintain a positive attitude about the subject matter you will not have any trouble.

The Faculty: this school is pretty bad with organization. They lost my MEDICAL FORMS and almost forced me to pay for shots that i didn't need. I have about four other issues with the faculty including: switched meal plans, unprocessed transcripts etc. Howard could do a lot better with changing the faculty and making sure that things run the way that they should. Be aware of some of the attitudes from the staff members as they are over worked underpaid and don't really care about customer service. After being here for a while the faculty has seemed to ease up they smile more and seem more relaxed (i guess they are really busy at the beginning of the year, processing the students transcripts and such).

There are a lot of positive aspects to the experience you'll have with the faculty/admin. many alumni told me that it really prepared them for their career and life; having to deal with pushy DMV workers, unorganized business offices, rude clients, etc...one alumni i spoke with said that it helped him get more organized, more patient etc....i'm not trying to make excuses for my school unproffessionalism, just giving you a warning, if you are a little bit dependent (on others) this may really help you or really hurt you...you decide.

1st Year Male -- Class 2008
Faculty Accessibility: A-, University Resource Use/ spending: F
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Howard is a great social and fashion sceneBrightMusic - Performance
Howard is a great social and fashion scene if that is all you care about. Half of the students are quite arrogant, and the faculty is not helpful most of the times. However, as far as the students go, you will definately find a group of people that you can relate to, and some of your professors will actually care about your progress. The facilities are not great, but they are managable. Howard is, however, the ultimate cultural experience, and you will experience a great educational experience also(depending on your major).
1st Year Female -- Class 2007
Social Life: A, Perceived Campus Safety: D
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