While it is normally believed that predominately white institutions prepare people for the real world more efficiently, historically black colleges and universities provide education parallel to that of a predominately white institution. Majority white institutions are normally more diverse and offer a wider variety of major fields of study. Historically black colleges are known to build life-long bonds with students of the same skin color while preparing them for corporate America. Statistics have proven that it does not matter what college you attend. A bright individual will shine wherever they are. When it comes to choosing what a person wants to major in, that is usually the deciding factor in what school they choose
to attend. It falls back on what you are interested in studying. Typically, HBCUs have a smaller pool of majors to choose from compared to PWIs. For example, Georgia State University offers Mass Communications as a major. Tuskegee University, a HBCU in Alabama, does not offer classes in that area, but is known for its nursing classes and engineering. Nonetheless, both of those schools are respected universities in particular areas of curriculum. An area of contrast between PWIs and HBCUs that is widely noticeable to students is the financial aid offices. At HBCUs, surveys have shown that they are less organized. Students have complained about phone calls being ignored during office hours. Financial aid workers at black colleges are also known to have slight attitudes at times. At PWIs, they reflect a better organized system. The financial aid workers are usually more focused on helping you resolve an issue and tend to not get upset as easily. Transactions tend to move more fluently this way. Despite the popular assumption, HBCUs are just as diverse as PWIs are said to be. Although black colleges are populated mainly by students of brown skin color, other races that choose to attend as well. Professors at HBCUs are widely diverse. Only about 50% of the professors at most black colleges are actually black. HBCUs are usually equipped with foreign or Caucasian instructors. Student life at PWIs is very diverse. Students of all types of race and backgrounds are enrolled. This is more of a real world environment that you will see once you enter corporate America. Only downfall with this is that cliques are usually formed. Students of similar ethnicity tend to group with each other instead of engaging with others. HBCUs, on the other hand, usually build lifetime bonds with the student body. To sum it all up, different universities can offer different experiences of the college life. It depends on a person’s preferences. If you are looking for a variety of cultures among students, you would choose to attend a PWI that offers classes in the major you’re interested in. If you are looking for an education in which you grow closer to your peers along the journey, a HBCU may be the best choice for you. At the end of the day, it is all about the student not the university. Attending a large PWI is just as good as attending a HBCU. It is all about what you do in that said university what will speak for you.