Provided By: Associated Content, Inc.

You are fresh out of high school or just now deciding to go to college and you are ready for a fresh new start. You have probably looked at local colleges and they just don’t fit your taste; or you have probably ruled out attending an ordinary community college.

So what’s next? Well if you are a college-bound African-American student, than attending a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) just may be the answer.

College can be fun and it can also be culturally stimulating. Attending a black college is one of the best experiences that an African-American or a non-African-American can have. The struggles, the history, and the successes of most Historically Black Colleges/Universities are astounding. It is truly a privilege to follow the legacies of some of America’s most profound black leaders by attending and graduating from a Historically Black College/University.

I have had the opportunity to attend two of the countries top HBCUs. I would have to say that this was definitely one of the best experiences in my life. I was able to grow and understand who I was and the struggles that African-Americans have gone through in order to get me there. Besides all of the parties, different cultures, and excitement, I did end up learning more than I thought that I would. My experience at an HBCU has helped shape the person that I am today.
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Source: News You Should Know
The Nashville institution is getting flack for trying to sell a prestigious art collection
Fisk University in Nashville, like many historically Black colleges, is facing some hard financial times. In fact, Fisk’s money woes are such that to stay afloat fisk-university.jpgit must sell half of its stake in an astonishing collection of artworks for $30 million. (more…)

Where’s the outrage?

The Michael Vick dog fighting news gained mass television news coverage, but yet here we have a clear case of brutality against a human and not a peep about it on television news outlets. His brutality towards dogs is indeed horrible, but where is the same outrage for the mistreatment and brutality against a fellow human being? This is the most horrific act of racial hatred I’ve heard in a very long time. It saddens me to think that such evil exists today. What I want to know is, why hasn’t this story aired on the national news? This is ridiculous, this story happened sometime in September and I am now just hearing about this.
Read Story Here: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3590598

Jackson State University became the first historically Black Institution to have its golf team invited to Division 1 tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic association.
Jackson state being a historically black university has an all white golf team. Some say that Jackson State’s inclusion into the tournament is as ironic as it being historic. It is thought that situations such as this undermine the mission of black youths excelling in majority white sports teams. Whites being the minority at colleges and universities such as Jackson State get much more appealing scholarships and financial aid.

Whether or not white students validate a historically black college being Division 1 in golf is still up in the air. Raymond A. McDougal states, “I believe you should call the white schools that have predominantly Black basketball and football teams and see what they say. It is not who plays: it is the school that counts.”

I would agree with the statement. Most college/universities black or white have a predominant black football or basketball team. To say that the University of Florida would undermine its basketball program due to it being a majority white school and it having a predominant black basketball team would be absurd. Likewise Jackson State should get the benefit of the doubt.

De’Angelo

“Inexpensive out of state college tuitions”
What is the Cost of College Tuition?
By Michael Carter

What is the average cost of college tuition? This is one question that most parents and future students ask themselves and need to know in order to plan for a college education.

The national average college tuition rate for public universities is $4,694 per year for in state residents. This figure includes both tuition rates and fees for a full time student.

The average college tuition rate at private colleges and universities is around $20,000 per year in tuition and fees.

Many students take advantage of the low tuition rates of two-year public colleges and junior colleges. The average tuition for a two year school is only $2,076 per year.

College Tuition Increase

While it is good to get an idea of the current cost of tuition, it is also important to understand the expected increase in tuition costs. Students who still have several years before entering college and their families should be keenly aware of the projected estimates rather than the current costs so that they can plan accordingly.

Tuition rates increase at about twice the general inflation rate. On average, tuition rates tend to increase about 8% per year. Some academic years see a greater increase than others and many economic factors come into play when a college decides to increase tuition.

For the school year 2005-2006 many colleges dramatically raised tuition rates. An example of such tuition hikes is at the University of Colorado where tuition rates have been raised for all of the system’s campuses. Tuition at the Boulder campus will go up by 27.8 percent, from $3,480 to $4,446. Other University of Colorado campuses will see a similar increase.

And now the good news…

Even though college tuition rates increase, more students than ever are benefiting from educational aid programs. According to a report from The College Board, “In 2003-04, the amount the average student actually paid for a public four-year institution, after receiving grant aid and education tax benefits, was about $1,300 per student.”

Government grants such as the pell grant provide funding for many college students. In fact for students who attend two-year colleges the grant award may cover the entire cost of tuition.

Scholarship programs awarded by colleges, businesses and non profit organizations are available to help students defray the cost of college tuition. There are many college scholarship programs available and it is becoming even easier to find these programs with the use of the internet.

With a combination of savings, financial aid, and scholarships many students today are able to afford college tuition and further their education.

Michael Carter is a contributor at College Financial Aid Guide, an online informational resource for educational funding, scholarships and student loans. Find out about more College Financial Aid Information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Carter

“George Washington collage tuition programs”

True or false: A college education is more important than ever.

True or false: There are more African-American men attending college today.

True or false: There are more college-age black men in prison than in college.
Give yourself credit if you marked the first question true. People who get ahead in today’s economy start by getting a college degree. Almost all the fastest-growing careers require at least a college degree. The college graduate makes twice as much as the high school graduate.

You can also give yourself credit if you marked the second question true. More black males than ever before are applying to college, enrolling and getting their degrees.

The third question? That one is false — 179,500 black men ages 18 to 24 are in prison. But 469,000 — more than two-and-a-half times as many — are enrolled in college.

You often read that there are more black men in prison than in college. But that misleading statistic compares the number of black men in college, almost all of whom are in their teens or twenties, with the number of all black men, of any age, in prison. It’s like comparing apples to oranges.

But what about those 179,500 young black men who are in prison? As president of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), an association of 39 private historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and America’s largest minority college scholarship provider, I’m concerned about what we can do to keep them out of trouble and out of jail.

There is one thing that drastically reduces the chances of going to prison: having a college degree. We also know that African-Americans are statistically much more likely to stay in college and graduate if they attend an HBCU like LeMoyne-Owen College, our UNCF member school here in Memphis, or all-male Morehouse College in Atlanta or co-ed Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C.

Getting a college degree doesn’t start in college. You have to have a good high school education. Far too many African-American males have been tracked into courses that won’t ever get them ready for college, as Bill Gates has put it, no matter how well the students learn or the teachers teach.

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By Roy Gasquet:When considering where to attend college after graduating from high school, many students often opt for the large university setting. The wide range of class options and the larger number of amenities and services make the larger campuses the most attractive choices in most people’s eyes. But before you cement plans and mail off that rather hefty tuition check, there is another alternative: smaller campuses.

Regional campuses tend to be similar in nature to larger colleges just smaller in setting. Regional colleges usually make it quite easy to transfer credits to a larger college. This allows you to attend a smaller campus setting to earn your required credits and then move on to the large University if you wish to. You can take your required courses at a regional college in order to set you up for success at a University.

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By Emma Fernton:

The path ahead, as many studies and surveys have brought out, is taking some online courses or getting an online degree. This opportunity that has rapidly evolved in the recent years allows many of us who do not have access to university or college campus to get ahead and obtain an education. Today, more and more institutions are offering a variety of classes online and you can choose between a certificate, a diploma or a degree.

Online education opens vistas that were unavailable. It allows people to take courses in their own time while continuing with their jobs, it allows people to upgrade their existing skills, or perhaps change careers completely. Those who are unable to go back to school full time can still pursue their dreams while working and continuing to pay the bills of everyday life. Not everyone can quit a job for school as student loans are not easy to obtain and they do not cover enough of the costs associated with a quality education.

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This article is exceprted from 8 Steps to Help Black Families Pay For College by Thomas LaVeist, Ph.D. and Will LaVeist.

A school’s atmosphere is very important.It determines whether you’ll feel comfortable there, whether you’ll find your niche. We once heard it put like this: “Going to college ain’t about getting in, it’s about fitting in.” This issue has raised for many African American students the question of whether to attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or a predominantly white institution. African American students can be successful at either; it’s up to the student.

The Scoop on HBCUs
First of all, by definition, an HBCU is a school that was established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. Often people talk about HBCUs as if they were all the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are more than 100 HBCUs in the United States, and they come in all types and sizes. HBCUs can be public or private, and come in both the two-year and four-year variety. Some are large, and some are small. HBCUs are located in 20 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands, in both urban and rural areas. Some have competitive admissions standards, whereas others offer quality educational opportunities to students who have less than stellar high school grades. Some, such as Lincoln University of Missouri, actually have large white populations. And few, if any of them, are really all black.

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