For those of you that don't know:
1. I am a black girl.
2. I am a rising sophomore at Stevenson University, a PWI.
3. PWI = Predominantly White Institution
The acronyms "PWI" and "HBCU" were vacant from my life until this past year. When I was a junior in high school, life after being a teenager became real. Adulthood was quickly approaching and I needed to finalize my plan for life after high school. College was my first step. I knew I was going to further extend my education and eventually earn a degree in something, which, after months of debating, will be in Accounting, but that's another story for another day. For the next year, I was researching colleges and universities like I was writing a paper. Collegeboard became my best friend.
In my search, I pretty much only cared for the majors the institution offered, the distance between the campus and home, the size of the campus. It wasn't until I moved onto SU's campus did the HBCU vs PWI conversation appear in my life.
When applying to college, I didn't take this conversation into account, and neither did my roommate, Jasmyn: "What the school offered, my major, and whether I can be comfortable was what I thought was important."
"When I first spent a couple weeks at my PWI," Jasmyn states, "I felt the divide, but it wasn't like I was uncomfortable. I managed." In some situations, you feel the difference. All it takes is running into the wrong people, those who see skin color before anything else. A close friend, Deja, touches on this subject: "some white people look at you funny, especially when you try to say 'hi' when passing by. Many times, professors and white classmates usually think that black students lack intelligence."
Running into people like that completely kill your vibe. I've always prided myself on being calm, cool, and collected, but there have been times when I was pushed to my max. What brings me back down is the reminder that not everyone on that campus is like that. Here's to breaking the myth that all white people at a PWI are against the black students. I've made friends, both white and black, that I genuinely enjoy being around. I go to campus events, when I'm not completely buried by assignments, with these friends. I have my career planned at this institution.
I think what most people ignore about this HBCU vs PWI conversation is the degree. If a black student is attending a PWI, some people insinuate that we're trying to abandon our culture. Yeah, I squinted my eyes and tilted my head to that, too. College is about getting that degree. Everything else comes after that. If you can see yourself succeeding educationally at whatever school you're considering, being comfortable while you're attending, and aren't going to be in such terrible debt after graduation, go for it.
