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Essay about Cultural Differences in the College Experience

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"Where do I belong?" aimlessly day dreaming about my future I disregarded my U.S history teacher as she began taking attendance.

Should I attend Morgan State University, Tuskegee University, Howard University, Bowie University, or Jackson State University? These historically black colleges or universities (HBCU) all received applications for admissions from me early in my senior year of high school.

Should I attend the University of Illinois in Urbana Campaign, Marquette University, or Northern Illinois University? These predominantly white institutions also received an application for admissions from me in my senior year of high school. Like many African American students I was faced with the issue of whether to attend a HBCU or …show more content…

My mother provided no such counsel, saying that she didn't care if she was surrounded by "white parents or black parents, as long as in August of 2002, you have your butt in somebody's college." I found myself sitting with my best friend trying to decide where we were going to college. The idea that we were going different places never crossed either of our minds.

"We should go to Florida A&M" I said, "the weather is perfect, and I like the dudes they put on the packet."

"Do they have our majors" my studious friend asked.

"I guess we could call and see."

"Or you can stop glaring at those boys and look under majors and find out" she said while stealing the packet and laughing hysterically.

There are many advantages and disadvantages of attending a HBCU and a predominantly white university. In terms of financial aid, which I deemed most important, the advantage would be given to a predominantly white university. These larger institutions receive more state funding as well as large donations from alumni and corporations. These strong funding resources provide them with the opportunity to offer more generous financial aid packages. The disadvantages for a HBCU is that they don't have these large endowments, which explains why there are unable to offer the scholarships or the grants needed to fund a student's education.

While a black student may receive greater financial resources because of funding sources at a

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