My mother and father are both proud Hampton University graduates. I come from a lineage of family members who have mostly all attended Historically Black Colleges and Universities. So, it was no surprise to me that when I was growing up, I was encouraged to attend an HBCU.
I do, however, have a favorite aunt who attended a PWI (predominantly white institution) and claims to have had an amazing college experience. She took me out to lunch last weekend and tried to sway me to attend a PWI, listing some of the benefits she has gained from having graduated from one.
She mainly said that the prestige that comes along with names such as Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Georgia Tech, and the like is incomparable. There is a club you become a member of upon graduation, she says, and membership truly has its privileges.
Related: My College Roommate and I Used To Crash Funerals and Repasts to Ensure That We Ate.
As things currently stand, I can write my own ticket, and I am heading towards being the valedictorian of my senior class. I have well over a 4.0 GPA, but I’m on the fence about what type of college to attend while being pressured by my entire family outside of Auntie Gayle to go the HBCU route.
Read the full story at Atlanta Black Star.
I am taking what my aunt Gayle has been telling me into strong consideration, but I am afraid of how the rest of the family will view me if I make such a shocking decision. My fear is that I will be considered a sellout if I choose a PWI over an HBCU. My parents won’t disown me, but they will be highly disappointed and will never forgive me for not following in their black footsteps.
Should I strike out on my own college journey and start a new tradition or follow the tradition that has been established by my family and choose an HBCU?
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