Howard University

Date: Jan 14 2004
Major: Journalism (This Major's Salary over time)
I think that the first thing that attracted me to Howard University was the friendliness of the people here. Most of the students are nice (with the exception of the ubiquitous snobs) and the teachers are extremely helpful. I found that the teachers weren't coldhearted and uncaring-rather they really care about your success, they often inquire into your other classes and how you are doing in general. The most important thing that I have learned is that you must make yourself available to the teacher-that is, learn to approach the teacher and be friendly with them so that they can attach a face to a name. This comes in handy when you are having difficulties in their class-they are more apt to go the extra mile to help you out if they see that you are truly interested in doing better. Also, get to know them really well, ask them about their education history, as well as their job experience and their current job outside of teaching. Many of them have very interesting stories and can be a source of internships, or advice.

The campus is moderately asthetically pleasing, the buildings are nice and nothing is falling apart, and the shubbery and so forth are maintained. The only unfortunate thing is the placement of the main campus; Georgia Avenue and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods are a bit run down. In regards to safety, it's safer than some schools that I know in nicer areas. Regardless, as with any other school in an urban setting, you have to be careful when walking around at night, and be very aware of your surroundings. In the daytime, it's safe, however at night, it's best to travel with friends, or if you are travelling through a particularly abandoned area, call the escort service.

On campus, it's important to join whatever club interests you, make lots of friends! Howard is a wonderful learning experience, there are many things for you to learn outside the confines of your classroom. Regardless of the predominantly African American community, it's very diverse, with people coming from many different areas of the world such as Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Rome. Get to know as many people as you can. Not only does this help you get adjusted, but many of the people you are getting to know will be the future CEO's of very successful businesses-I cannot stress enough the need to network and the importance of connections.

DC has many job opportunities, but in relation to the night life, there are many different nightclubs, poetry cafes, museums, etc. Everything is relatively easy to get to, whether via the bus or the metro, usually with stops in close proximity to wherever you desire to go.