Howard University

I think its important to visit Howard, or any other college you are interested in, and really be honest with yourself about what it is that you want from a college experience. The visit is extremely important. It should even be done more than once, if possible. The visit will allow you to see if Howard is what you want. If you have a good eye, and your intuition says yes, and you can truly picture yourself attending Howard, then Howard is for you.

The mistake I made, was that I visited Howard one time, and I was passive. I was excited about attending the "Mecca", and I convinced myself, when I visited, that even though I instantly disliked the feel I had on campus, that I would grow to appreciate what I did not like and experience would turn out great. I attended Howard with an open mind.

The things I personally dislike about Howard is that, in my opinion, the social life far outweighs the academics. As others have commented, Howard is big on networking, fun, and fashion, but the academics suffer to a certain extent. If you are a social and outgoing you will love the experience at Howard. However, it is important to balance social life with studies.

As an introverted, hard-working, confident student, I felt overwhelmed by Howard's overly social scene. I found, after being here for a year's time, that a college which somehow accommodates solitude and optional quiet time is what I not only wanted, but needed.

If you want to make tons of new friends, be apart of the social HBCU family, are ok with alot of interaction and less quiet time on campus, then by all means, Howard is great.But if you much rather appreciate a beautiful, predominantly quiet laid back campus with trees and grass and beautiful surroundings that you can indulge in when you want "you" time AND the OPTION to socialize if you feel, then I would recommend looking into other colleges. That is what I am doing at this moment.