Morgan State University

Date: May 22 2010
Major: Communications (This Major's Salary over time)
I am an alumnus of Morgan State University. During my undergraduate career at Morgan, I majored in telecommunications. I have to say that my experience at Morgan was a mixed bag:

The Students

Many of the students were local, hailing from Baltimore City and the suburbs of DC. Most out of state students were from NY and NJ.

As a whole, I'd have to say that the student body was very apathetic. Most were concerned more with fashion, parties and hip-hop than education. Many of the girls spend WAY too much time worrying about what's on their bodies when they should be worried about what's in their head. Many of the guys are wanna-be Lil Waynes and gangsters, instead of wanna-be Barrack Obamas. Many students would text in class, show up to class late on a regular basis, and just not take their education seriously.

Of course there are always exceptions, and if you search hard enough, you'll find students with a passion for learning. But you must search hard.

I know that part of the mission of HBCUs is to offer a college education to those who didn't do well academically in high school but plainly put, some people at Morgan just shouldn't be in college and are just wasting their money. I don't mean to sound cruel, but there are some truly dumb people that go to that school.

School Spirit is absent, except during Homecoming week. If you're looking for a politically active student body, this is not the school for you. Some of the students probably can't even spell 'activism', let alone know what it is. If it isn't fashion or hip-hop, most students don't care.

The Professors

Another mixed bag. Some were brilliant, others had no business teaching. There are a couple in the communications department that fall into both categories. Most are pretty accessible, though and are willing to help you out.

The Administration

Awful. Incompetent. Rude. Inefficient. Take your pick. I could devote a whole essay to the incompetence of the Morgan administration. Getting even the simplest of tasks done requires a trip to at least 2 offices. Many of the staff in financial aid and the bursar offices were rude and could use some lessons in customer service. Several times, the bursar's office attempted to bill me as an out-of-state student when I live in-state. God help you if you have business with financial aid the week before school because the lines are outrageous.

The Dorms

Since I'm a guy, I can't speak for Blount Towers and Harper-Tumbman hall, although the general consensus is that Blount is an awful place to live with ghetto, disgusting girls, and Harper-Tubman is somewhat better since it's an honors dorm. The guy's dorms aren't too bad. The worst is O'Connell Hall, where most of the freshman boys live. Don't live there if you expect to get any work done, because you won't.

The Campus

It's not bad looking. The new library is GREAT and was sorely needed. Same with the student center. The school is lacking in resources, though. I can't speak for other divisions, but the communications dept. had outdated TV equipment, and well as the studio. There were never enough cameras available for students, and you could only use them for three hours. I hear the school of business and the school of engineering is top-notch, though.

Campus Saftey

It's pretty safe during the day, but can be a pretty shady at night. Since it's an open campus, anybody can (and does) pretty much walk around at any time. Security supposedly does random ID checks, but I've never seen or heard of that happening. Robberies are pretty frequent late at night, so I would advise using common sense, or hitching a ride with a friend at night. That goes for the area surrounding the campus as well.

Overall, I would advise future students to think long and hard if they're considering attending Morgan. I would also say visit the campus and see if it's right for you. I had an okay experience, but it could have been much better. Fortunately I'm attending a graduate school out in California in the fall.