Howard University
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: TV-Film
Minor: Playwriting
Student Self Identifies as: Black Heterosexual Female
Summary
I was an intern for the student newspaper, and technical I’m part of the California Club, but it’s not currently active.
Background
Gender Identity: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Black
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
High School Experience: Private high school in Los Angeles, CA with a graduating class of about 135 students. There was a culture of going to college.
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: TV-Film
Minor: Playwriting
Extracurricular Activities: I was an intern for the student newspaper, and technical I’m part of the California Club, but it’s not currently active.
Academic Experience
Is there anything you think the School of Communications has done especially well or poorly academically?
The teachers care about you. It is a small school, so they learn everyone’s name and want you to succeed. I haven’t had that experience when taking general classes in other schools. In terms of difficulty, I think it depends on how difficult your high school was. I find it relatively easy because I went to a difficult high school.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
It’s very collaborative, because most classes have a GroupMe, and everybody looks out for each other. When there’s a test we all make Quizlets and put them in the GroupMe.
How has going to an HBCU impacted your ?
It’s more Afro-centric instead of Euro-Centric when it comes to History. Even English classes have books by Black authors, which was different than my high school experience.
How accessible are your professors in your department?
It depends on the professor. Everyone has office hours, and they’ll always be in their office, but some professors just give off a vibe that they don’t want to help you. This is probably because they aren’t as invested in the large entry-level classes as they are with the older students and the classes that are smaller and more specific.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
I chose it because the majority of wealthy families at my high school were part of the film industry, and I went to my high school on scholarship and had never seen that kind of wealth before. It sounds kind of bad, but I really wanted it. I’m a great writer, so I figured I’d take my skill of writing and apply it to the film industry.
How was transitioning academically as a freshman? Are there systems in place that helped you transition?
Academically speaking it was a very easy transition. With all the technical stuff like scheduling and housing, our advisor was good at helping to explain things to us. Because of her it’s been relatively easy.
Reasons to Attend
1) It’s a historically Black college, so if you’re like me and come from a predominately White environment, or even if you don’t, I think it’s impactful to be in the majority. As an African-American, there are lots of opportunities for that to happen. This is the first time in my life where I can look around a history classroom when we’re talking about slavery and no one is looking at me sideways because we’re all on the same page.
2) It’s nice that it’s in D.C. It’s the only HBC not in the South, and you have the advantage of being in a major city because the other ones are more rural.
3) The collaborative environment. Everyone is always looking out for you even if they don’t have to.
4) Even though the administration is infamous for being messy, they do want to see you succeed. I just saw on Twitter how a guy wasn’t going to graduate because he had a balance on his account, and a faculty member gave him money so he could walk and get his degree.
5) I was able to make friendships quickly. They’re going to be lifelong friends without a doubt.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you’re unable to get a scholarship. Howard’s financial aid is notorious for being messy, and not giving a lot if you don’t get an academic scholarship.
2) If you’re looking for a really rigorous academic experience and you’re not a School of Business or STEM major, you’re probably not going to find it. It’s not that difficult.
3) It’s hard to get involved with the on-campus organizations. Everything has a pledging process similar to that of Greek life. There’s a week where you have to go to every event to show your face, then there’s an application process with multiple interviews. Even after that you may not even make it, and this could even be for a community service club.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: Bethune Annex with one roommate and two suitemates.
How was transitioning from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. in terms of location?
It was pretty easy because they’re both cities, so they’re similar in that way. I’d say adjusting to the cold and having a Winter is the hardest part.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
You have to be on edge because it is a city. We get alerts of robberies. It’s not horrible, you just have to look out for yourself and make sure you’re not walking by yourself in an isolated area.
Social Opportunities
What kind of nightlife or weekend activities do you participate in at Howard?
I go to house parties with my friends a lot, and sometimes bars or lounges. It’s mostly Howard students, we don’t just go out to a random place. The lounges are usually 18+.
What nights of the week do you regularly do things? Who hosts the events?
Usually Friday or Saturday, but not both. There is usually a poster with a theme and an address, and unless it’s a frat, it doesn’t say who’s hosting the party.
What is the impact of Greek life on nightlife?
Not a lot. Frats will occasionally throw house parties, but it’s not super common.
How happy are you with the weekend options at Howard? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I’m satisfied.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
I met a good amount of my friends over the summer when they split us up by school. It just so happened that a lot of my friends are in the School of Communications.
How would you describe the overall social scene?
Very social, and kind of a party school with the work hard play hard thing. Every weekend you can choose from multiple parties to go to. They have them every Friday and Saturday without fail, and they advertise them in GroupMe, so it’s not difficult to find out what’s going on.
To what extent do people of different sexual orientations mix socially?
My roommate is a lesbian, and she has a ton of straight friends. I see her at the same parties I’m at.
How would you describe the student body?
For the most part people are outgoing. It’s very much a family environment where even though you don’t know everybody you could approach anybody and it would be fine.
How has going to an HBCU impacted your social experience?
It’s given me more confidence, and because of that I’m able to approach more people and have more friends than when I was in a predominately White environment.
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
I always say the guys in fraternities are more mixed, whereas girls in sororities keep to themselves.
Do you feel more so like you’re more so a resident of Washington D.C than a student at your school?
Not really. Most people who go to Howards aren’t from D.C., so I never really feel like I’m immersing myself in D.C culture because even when I go out, it’s with Howard people.
How do you the size of Howard? How has it impacted your experience? [Howard has about 6,300 undergraduate students.]
The size is one of the reasons I picked it. It’s medium, so there are about [6,000] undergraduates. You don’t know everybody, but it feels small enough to have the family aspect I was looking for.
Careers
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They have a general job fair in the fall that we got extra credit for a class for going to, and they have school-specific ones. I went to the School of Communications one a couple weeks ago. In one of my classes, you have to write up a resume and a sample cover letter to prepare you for looking for internships.
Financial Aid
Have you used financial aid? If so, how easy is the office to work with?
I’m lucky to have a scholarship that covers tuition. I just pay room and board, so I don’t really need to go to the financial aid office, but I’ve hear they’re not very responsive and are notorious for having hour-long waits.