Morehouse students are confident that their undergraduate
experience is truly one-of-a-kind. As one of the nation’s oldest Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, this private all-male university in Atlanta
strives to produce the ideal “Morehouse Man”: a young, community-minded,
African-American leader cut in the mold of the institution’s most famous of
alumni, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As one junior says, “Morehouse is an institution of male empowerment. Not superiority or dominance, but more emphasis on social conscience and enriching of leadership.” However, what it specifically means to be a Morehouse Man is a hotly contested
issue. Even though the school is all-male and mostly black, a sense of
diversity pervades the campus. One senior identifies the ways in which “the Morehouse Man image is changing” as “the biggest controversy on campus right now.”
More specifically, as a senior studying psychology explains, “due to the conservative nature of the school the student body is slow to accept personality differences that lend themselves to a subculture not commonly associated with Black people. Hippies, punks, and metal heads be warned.”
In terms of the academics, most students seem satisfied with
the school’s approach, which includes an intensive core curriculum. The school
provides both traditional liberal arts programs (“To me the education at MC is geared more toward learning for its own sake,”
remembers on alumnus who studied music ) as well as an intensive business
administration program (“Education at Morehouse College is geared toward getting a job,” writes
a senior studying business). Regardless of the academic path one takes up at
Morehouse, most students think highly of their education. “At Morehouse, you WILL be taught to think for yourself. Period. And each teacher has a unique way of presenting that,”
writes a junior English major. While the academics are held in high regard, most
students seem to find their interactions with the university’s administration
to be wearisome. One senior studying psychology identifies “[a]dministration and staff apathy,” as
one of the most frustrating aspects of the Morehouse experience.
The school has 40 on-campus organizations,
including the Student Government Association and the newspaper, The Maroon Tiger, but overall, students
don’t seem to get too involved in on-campus groups. “I rarely participate in school-sponsored activities, even if they are sponsored by school frats, clubs etc,”
says one senior. Morehouse sporting events also don’t tend to garner much
enthusiasm. In spite of what some may characterize as apathy, Morehouse
students carry with them a distinct sense of pride in their college. According
to one alumni, Morehouse is “THE BEST COLLEGE IN THE WORLD…THE MYSTIQUE
WILL AMAZE YOU!!!”While
that might come off as hyperbole, Morehouse students have a genuine sense of appreciation
for their college experience.
