Shows such as “A Different World” and the reality series “College Hill” offered a glimpse of black college life for kids growing up in the ’80s, ’90s and ’00s. Aside from VH1’s recent movie “Drumline: A New Beat,” today’s teens who are interested in a historically black college or university may have fewer pop culture references as inspiration when deciding where they’ll apply.
And if prospective students want to find a book that helps them figure out if a historically black school is right for them, they may be even more hard pressed to find a resource.
“There are not a lot of things to read that are not kind of scholarly,” says Marybeth Gasman, who has studied historically black institutions for more than 10 years.
Even though there may be limited content available that captures campus life for the prospective student, these types of schools are still a popular choice for African-Americans — especially those in the South, where black schools are more prevalent, experts say.
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There are 106 historically black schools, as designated by the U.S. Department of Education, and a long list of African-American actors, civil rights activists and political stars have attended them, including television mogul Oprah Winfrey and movie director Spike Lee.
Many are drawn to these institutions for a variety of reasons.
The school environment is known to be more close knit, says Michelle Asha Cooper, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Prospective students might also be interested in continuing a family legacy if their relatives attended a historically black school, or, if they attended a predominantly white high school, being in an environment where African-Americans are the majority, says Marybeth Gasman, who’s also a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the school’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions.
College experts highlight other aspects of a historically black school’s campus and academic offerings that prospective students can consider before deciding to go.
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— Resources: “A very real challenge that many HBCUs face, but work to overcome, is around resources,” says Cooper. “These schools have historically been underresourced and that’s evident even until this day.”
Historically black colleges, like other minority-serving institutions, may have a smaller budget than other types of schools.
A report issued earlier this year by the Institute for Higher Education Policy stated four-year schools that are not minority-serving institutions received more than double the amount of federal appropriations, grants and contracts than minority-serving schools, a disparity likely driven by federal funding for research. They also have less funding from private gifts, grants and contracts, return on investments and revenue from affiliated entities — 5 percent of total revenue, compared with 22 percent at other schools, the report states.
Many administrators at these schools, however, find ways to stretch the few dollars they have, Cooper says. “From a student perspective, these people tend to do such a good job of compensating or maybe overcompensating for that lack, that sometimes students aren’t even aware that they are at a institution that is severely constrained.”
— Campus culture: The campus culture can greatly differ at historically black schools and predominantly white institutions, experts say.
“For example, both universities, HBCUs and PWIs, may offer the same Greek life opportunities for African-American students but how those entities engage at the university can be quite different,” says Chance Lewis, the founding director of the Urban Education Collaborative at University of North Carolina–Charlotte and a professor at the school. At a predominantly white school, he says, African-American fraternities and sororities may have small memberships, but at a historically black school there can be 100 students trying to get into one organization.
Homecoming can also differ at the types of institutions, says Lewis, who is a graduate of Southern University, a historically black school in Louisiana. “Homecoming at a HBCU is a major deal,” Lewis says, and African-Americans in the community who are not part of the school often want to participate.
Popular hip-hop artists, such as Drake and Big Sean, have performed at homecoming events for black colleges. Schools also may host gospel concerts and step shows by black Greek organizations.
At a predominantly white institution, homecoming may not attract African-Americans from outside of the university in the numbers it would for a historically black college, Lewis says.
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— Stigmas: Some may tell prospective students that attending a historically black school has drawbacks. They may say “Going to an HBCU is not a realistic environment,” says Gasman, because of the predominantly black atmosphere. Others may view historically black schools as less prestigious than predominantly white schools.
“People do have to grapple with those stigmas, because they’re there,” Gasman says. She encourages prospective students to evaluate which school will give them the best academic experience for the least amount of money.
“I would think about what I want my major to be, and I would think which of these schools has the best program in my area,” she says. “I would also look at the graduation rates of these schools for students like me,” says Gasman, noting that graduation rates for black students can sometimes greatly differ when comparing certain historically black schools to predominantly white institutions.
Students should also consider aspects like the size of a school and if they prefer a more liberal arts education, she says. “You have to have a really good feel for the place that you want to be,” says Gasman.
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Decide if a Historically Black College is a Good Fit originally appeared on usnews.com
