Howard University Top Questions

Some positive and negative stereotypes about Howard University are that we are fashionable, opportunists, Greek, political, nerdy, party animals, alcoholics, and more. The most common stereotype is that Howard students are uppity or pretentious, which is only partly accurate. We strive for the best in everything we do and are confident in our abilities and worth.You will find every possible stereotype here, but even more amazing people that don't fit the mold.

Howard University and its students harbor various stereotypes. The most known stereotype of Howard is the idea that it is the “Black” version of Harvard University. Howard University is full of scholars, intellectual thinkers, and activist, giving it the reputation of having some of the most intelligent Black people in the nation. Most students at Howard take their education extremely serious, and many times having the best grades, internships, honors, or being in the most organizations becomes a sort of competition between students around campus. At Howard people don’t necessarily praise the athletes or jocks, the intellectuals seem to get the most praise around Howard University’s campus. Although Howard students pride themselves on getting a good education it is true that Howard is a big party school (perfect example, Howard University Homecoming). It is very rare that you can walk around campus and not hear music or see people dancing. When it is warm in DC, the middle of the campus called “The Yard” is full of students and loud music. Howard is also known as a fashion school, students take pride in the way they dress. Howard represents students from all over the nation and even outside of the country, so the school shows many different styles and fashions, making the student very critical of what themselves and others are wearing. At Howard students are not afraid to break the norm when it comes to fashion, and it is not strange to see a female walking up a hill on campus for an 8am class in six inch heels. The last stereotype Howard students have is that we are stuck up and think we are better than other Blacks. This stereotype is one that is very absurd, many Howard students do represent the middle class Black, but each student is just there to get an education, have fun, and give back to the Black community.

Howard is known as the Black Harvard. We have a lot of scholars at the university. Most students take their education very seriously and are on scholarships. Howard is known for Greek life as well as a top school for performing arts in the African American community. We know how to party, but are known to be cool kids because every state and several countries are represented. Howard is very diverse.

Students at Howard are often stereotyped as just going through the motions and no one here is really educated or receiving a quality education. Also, because our school is predominantly African American, every student is perceived as the same. This couldn't be farther from the truth as Howard University students are a very diverse group of people from various backgrounds, whether it be financially, culturally, or geographically.

Party-freeks

A stereotype is that there is a "dress code" classified as the Howard girl look. This stereotype comes from the way some girls at Howard dress (heels, top of the line clothes, makeup, nails fancy hair styles, etc.) but it is not fully accurate as not all girls dress like that as well as its not required for you to dress like that.

When most people think of Howard University they think, "Oh their parents must be rich to afford that school". In some cases, this is a true statement, but not all of us have that luxury; we also work for our education. You do have the few people that are stuck up and strictly come to school to put on a fashion show and flaunt all the new Apple Products, designer bags and blah blah blah but for the most part that is just a typical day on the yard. You will see several fashionable people and you will see several fashionless people (if we can even call that a word) and this is coming from a Fashion Merchandising major. Uhm yes! there are a good amount of stuck up rich kids, there are a lot of stuck up people in general but you can find them anywhere, especially living in DC. Other than the fact that we are the real HU, we are your typical everyday college that I have grown to LOVE!

Stereotypically speaking Howard students represent the Black "elites". They were more than likely class president, football captain, cheer captain etc... in high school. They more than likely were members of Jack & Jill. Many of their parents are successful businessmen, politicians, entertainers and philanthropists. They take fashion relatively seriously compared to your average state school. Although all of the above is true it doesn't represent the essence of Howard University. Being that Howard is a private institution located in the middle of the Nation's Capital, the student population is very diverse. People often ask how can the university be diverse when the school is an HBCU. Geographically, ethnically, culturally and academically, the students vary. We all look, talk, and dress differently.

This is such an interesting question! Since Howard has a history of being such a prestigious University amongst other HBCU's, it has earned the nickname "The Mecca". A stereotype that I have heard about the students is that we are uppity/conceited. Howard students do have a tendency to be cocky, but we usually have the accomplishments to back it up!

When I was about to start my freshman year of college, one thing my mother told me was that I better not come back thinking I'm better than everyone. From her experience and from the reputation of Howard, a lot of people who graduate from the school look down on other people. While I will say some students leave with a feeling of superiority, the majority of us do not. We work hard while we're here and you learn a lot that prepares you for the real world. You will also find that most people tend to join groups that are closely related to their career interests.