cal tech: Black Scholar Debate: Private U. versus State U. versus HBCU

The Old Well at The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.

Let us evaluate the daunting paradox the confronts the Black intellectual in terms of collegiate alliance. The ultimate decision of granting support towards a public university, elite private institution, or a Historically Black College-University (H.B.C.U.) is of great importance at face value. As we delve deeper into the issue, we will expose the fact that said proposal is a mere microcosm of the other-worldly challenges confronting the Black Scholar.

We shall assume that the applicant is ideally positioned to select the institution of his choice as a consequence of academic and financial merit. This mandate allows for intelligent benchmarking as we may effectively compare and contrast the top programs of the aforementioned private, public, and H.B.C.U. categories.

Our analysis is not an indictment against artistic colleges or trade schools. Rather, the work highlights the personal experiences of the author. I am a 2002 graduate of The University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and carry numerous acquaintances from private universities and Historically Black Colleges. These are the circles with which I am most familiar.

Let us evaluate the merit: Private University versus State Public versus Historically Black College.

Private University

Examples: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, M.I.T., Stanford, Duke, Chicago, Northwestern, Brown
Pros: Name Recognition, Academic Rigor, Networking, Unlimited Resources
Cons: Irrelevant Sports, hyper-competitive atmosphere, limited social activity, expense
Challenges for the Black Intellectual: Minimal Black enrollment. Students and graduates largely subjugated to "Uncle Tom" venom by the Black Community.

The academic rigor of the elite United States Private University is unmatched. 22 out of the 25 top Universities according to the U.S. News and World Report are Private Universities. The names loom large as a salute to intellectual firepower from the Harvard - Yale - Princeton - PENN - Dartmouth - Cornell - Columbia - Brown University Ivy League to the Duke - Stanford - Cal Tech - M.I.T. - Johns Hopkins - Chicago - Northwestern - Vanderbilt University regional stalwarts.

These institutions are worlds unto themselves and are even responsible for outright intellectual movements. For example, Stanford brainpower dominates the Internet; the University of Chicago has introduced the world to a school of economic thought; and Hopkins, along with Duke University are synonymous with medical breakthroughs.

The academic capacity along with the sheer networking available to the attendants of these schools is unparalleled. Barack Obama went to Harvard, Google and Intel were nurtured in the hallowed corridors of Stanford University, and the late Milton Friedman introduced the world to the term "Chicago" economist.

Although we intimated earlier that expense was not an issue for our prospect - the decree was telegraphed in response to the admit-reject scenario. The admit-reject is an applicant that is mockingly admitted to a University that he is unable to afford. We are assuming that our ideal candidate enjoys the backing of personal, family financial support and/or scholarships.

Still, expense is always an issue due to the opportunity cost factor. 2008-2009 undergraduate tuition and fees for these top-25 private institutions average $36,545. The outliers are Rice University at Houston, TX with a $29,000 outlay and Columbia University in New York City at $39,326 for 2008-2009 tuition and fees. Expect total costs to approach one quarter of a million dollars in exchange for a diploma from the elite Private University.

Financially, middle-class parents are exasperated and Private U. graduates are often strapped with outrageous levels of debt throughout their working years.

Is it really worth it?

The crushing financials along with the sky-high expectations of these credentialed Golden Children may easily propagate an eerie aura of malaise. This talented-tenth elite group must not only accept the torch of family and peer expectations - but is unwittingly burdened with carrying the flag of an entire race. The Black Intellectual is tormented by this paradox. He must fully embrace a Western Culture that has not always embraced his person.

The toxic dichotomy is exacerbated by the jealous suspicion that seeks to degrade his every accomplishment. The Black Scholar "acts white," "talks white," and is ridiculed as an out-of touch snob by legions of his own crab-like people and society at-large.

Carlton Banks wanted to go to Princeton.

Private School University Recommendation: Attend for the intellectual stimulation. Money must really be a non-issue.

Public University

Examples: Cal-Berkeley, UVA, UCLA, Michigan, Wisconsin, UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech
Pros: Relative affordability, collegiate atmosphere, selective programs comparable to Privates, general diversity.
Cons: Crushing amounts of students, resources privy to State budgeting, distractions.
Challenges for the Black Intellectual: The Public U. graduate must fiercely battle for positioning amongst the bourgeoisie Jack and Jill crowd while still confronting the "White School" stigma.

The flagship Public University is representative of its State and entire region. Whereas elite private institutions are close-knit beacons of intellectualism - State U. is a coordinated mass movement of scholarship, sporting events, and social activity.

For example, the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill is embraced throughout the Tar Heel State while our Duke University neighbors our mocked as haughty Northern carpetbaggers -designated by the University of New Jersey at Durham quasi nameplate.

The collegiate atmosphere is under girded by the infusion of this regional sentiment. Although the University of Texas lists 2007 enrollment at an already staggering 50,170 - UT is actually backed by 25 million Lone Star residents in the name of State Pride and tax dollars.

Overall, State U. academics are not quite as rigorous as the aforementioned Private Universities. The University of California at Berkeley is the top-ranked public school - but is twenty-first nationally according to U.S. News. Berkeley, the University of Virginia, and the University of California - Los Angeles are the public universities that round out the bottom of the top-twenty five pecking order.

The top-tier public school is a bargain-bin value for state residents. 2008-2009 in-state tuition and fees for Berkeley, UCLA, and UVA average out at a very manageable $8,422 figure. Thirtieth ranked UNC is a special value for native Tar Heels with a minimal $5,396 tuition bill and Florida-Gainesville is a mere pittance for Sunshine State residents at $3,790. The expense of a full, four-year education is often equivalent to one year's tuition at a top private university.

Out-of-State tuition and fees expenses are roughly $10,000 less than the private schools, with an average $28,414 calculation for these three public schools that have been recognized as top 25 institutions. Still, the $29,600 charge for the University of Virginia exceeds the $28,996 tab for the higher-ranked Rice University; and twenty-sixth ranked Michigan carries a steep $32,401 out-of-state tuition tab that is comparable to any University in terms of expense.

Public school University students work hard and play hard. The State U. graduate must remain vigilant to effectively combat the debauchery that comes part-in-parcel with 30,000-50,000 young adults left to fend for themselves for the first time.

The State University easily degenerates into Animal Farm Party U.

This may not exactly be a bad thing.

Public School University Recommendation: The enrollee is seeking the complete collegiate experience and exudes the requisite stability to stand tall against the masses. The flagship in-state school should always be considered.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Examples: Howard University, S.C. State, NC A&T, Morehouse, Spelman
Pros: Community geared to support African Americans. Tightly-knit network.
Cons: Lack of resources, lesser academic rigor, unrealistic model of society.
Challenges for the Black Intellectual: Males dismissed as militant, angry Black Men; Females caricatured as militant, angry Soul Sistas.

The top-ranked H.B.C.U.s are Spelman College, Howard, and Morehouse.

(More Later - I am going to watch this BCS Championship game. I will be back to analyze the H.B.C.U. and present my conclusions. I think I will wrap-up by acknowledging that a diploma is really a piece of paper. It is what you do with it that matters. At the end of the day - a sheep is still a sheep, regardless of whatever school he attends. This work was intended to subtly or not-so subtly expose the fractures within the Black community and society at-large)



Source: onyxinvestments.blogspot.com