As students begin to decide where they want to attend college, their determining factors should not be based upon–or swayed by–the opinions of others. Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) are institutions in the eastern and southern parts of the United States aimed to give African American students a “better” chance at reaching their goals and being successful. HBCUs are more affordable than state colleges and are known to be more sensitive and caring about their students as well as their future. For example, some black students find comfort in attending an HBCU because they are afforded the opportunity to be surrounded by administrators who are genuinely interested in their futures and other students who do not see them as a minor or secondary to them. They enjoy not having to feel as though they have to work ten times harder than their classmate just to be considered competition or a threat academically. However, even though HBCUs may provide more perspectives for black students, this does not mean that a PWI doesn’t provide the same luxuries, but it does mean that they are more present at an HBCU. Although HBCUs have proven to be some of the best college choices for African American students, it does not mean that every black person has to attend. On many occasions, black students that choose to attend a PWI rather than an HBCU, are looked down upon and shamed for “neglecting their blackness.”

  When making college decisions, students should choose a school that best fits them and  accommodates all of their needs, not the skin color of the other students on campus. A person is neither more or less black by the college that they choose to attend. As black people, we need to put a halt to shaming college students for choosing to attend a PWI. In reality, many black students do not attend HBCUs because they are not close enough to home,it isn’t the college that best fits them, or simply because the world is not full of just black people and they want to experience some diversity. Does this make them a bad person? Will their “blackness” be revoked for not attending an HBCU? As humorous as these questions may be, there are people who will make black students attending a PWI feel ashamed. It should not matter which of these two types of schools a person chooses to attend as long as they are receiving a quality education. According to many black students at PWIs, when making their college choice, they often felt pressured to attend an HBCU because their family members are alumnis of an HBCU or simply because their parents did not have the opportunity to attend an HBCU and are now trying to live out their dreams through their son or daughter. A black student should consider an HBCU in the application process because it could be an excellent experience, but they shouldn’t feel pressured to attend one if it doesn’t fit their needs or wants in a higher learning institution. And they certainly shouldn’t be shamed for not picking one. After all, shouldn’t the goal be to always create more diversity among PWI’s anyway?