For many students, college application season is the pinnacle of their high school career. It’s an opportunity for all of our hard work and dedication to materialize into a final reward. We throw ourselves into hours of research and writing essays all for one goal: college admissions.
In a lot ways my experience was average, I wrote essays submitted SAT scores and hoped for the best, but there was one concern that made my application process unique. As an African American one of the hardest decisions I had to make was whether to attend a HBCU (Historically Black College or University) or a PWI (Predominantly White Institution). I currently attend a predominantly African American high school in the South, so I have pretty much grown up in and around HBCU’s. HBCU’s are highly regarded in my community, and a lot of my peers will be attending them in the fall.
Unlike many of my peers I will be attending a PWI next school year. My decision was definitely not as simple as I had hoped it would be. Actually, it was the toughest part of the entire college process. My family and friends pressure me to make a decision quickly. Each of them had different ideas about my future and which school would be the best for me. The most difficult part was getting over my fear of being judged. I didn’t want people to think I was a “sell out” or that I thought I was “too good” for an HBCU. At times, I felt so pressured that I would force myself to research all of the HBCU’s in the country, fearing I missed the one that fit me.
In the end, I chose not to let my friends and family push me into my decision. Instead, I decided to look at all of my options both HBCU’s and PWI’s and select which school was truly the best fit for me. The main factor in my decision was diversity. I wanted to select a school that would offer racial, ethnic, religious and political diversity. I currently go to a predominantly African American school and I really wanted to branch out and surround myself with all kinds of people. I’m really excited about meeting people with different backgrounds from myself. Also, I attended a very diverse middle school so the move from middle school to high school in terms of diversity was difficult. Sure, going to school with people that look like you is comforting, but I noticed that I began to feel less comfortable in more diverse settings. At times, I felt like I couldn’t truly relate to people who weren’t like me. My anxiety really hindered my ability to get out and meet new people. I didn’t want to miss out on opportunities to learn and grow. I don’t think I chose against a HBCU or for a PWI. I just chose the school that offered what I needed, and it just happened to be a PWI. I can’t say that I’ll never attend a HBCU, but currently, they aren’t right for me.
For many students, college application season is the pinnacle of their high school career. It’s an opportunity for all of our hard work and dedication to materialize into a final reward. We throw ourselves into hours of research and writing essays all for one goal: college admissions.
In a lot ways my experience was average, I wrote essays submitted SAT scores and hoped for the best, but there was one concern that made my application process unique. As an African American one of the hardest decisions I had to make was whether to attend a HBCU (Historically Black College or University) or a PWI (Predominantly White Institution). I currently attend a predominantly African American high school in the South, so I have pretty much grown up in and around HBCU’s. HBCU’s are highly regarded in my community, and a lot of my peers will be attending them in the fall.
Unlike many of my peers I will be attending a PWI next school year. My decision was definitely not as simple as I had hoped it would be. Actually, it was the toughest part of the entire college process. My family and friends pressure me to make a decision quickly. Each of them had different ideas about my future and which school would be the best for me. The most difficult part was getting over my fear of being judged. I didn’t want people to think I was a “sell out” or that I thought I was “too good” for an HBCU. At times, I felt so pressured that I would force myself to research all of the HBCU’s in the country, fearing I missed the one that fit me.
In the end, I chose not to let my friends and family push me into my decision. Instead, I decided to look at all of my options both HBCU’s and PWI’s and select which school was truly the best fit for me. The main factor in my decision was diversity. I wanted to select a school that would offer racial, ethnic, religious and political diversity. I currently go to a predominantly African American school and I really wanted to branch out and surround myself with all kinds of people. I’m really excited about meeting people with different backgrounds from myself. Also, I attended a very diverse middle school so the move from middle school to high school in terms of diversity was difficult. Sure, going to school with people that look like you is comforting, but I noticed that I began to feel less comfortable in more diverse settings. At times, I felt like I couldn’t truly relate to people who weren’t like me. My anxiety really hindered my ability to get out and meet new people. I didn’t want to miss out on opportunities to learn and grow. I don’t think I chose against a HBCU or for a PWI. I just chose the school that offered what I needed, and it just happened to be a PWI. I can’t say that I’ll never attend a HBCU, but currently, they aren’t right for me.