1.) The best thing about Howard University is the “Howard Experience”. This experience is something that alumni and students only truly understand. The experience consists of the enriched history Howard University has and provides it’s students with. The fellow students you encounter that show you there are fellow Black students out there who are intelligent, driven, hard working, and working towards a better society just like you. Also the reputation Howard provides its students with, when you are a product of Howard University, you have pride in yourself and the skills you are able to give to the professional, political and social world. People will respect you as an individual thinker just because you are a product of this institution. 2.) Although Howard University is a wonderful place it definitely could use some changes. The two main areas I would say need some work are the employees that work at Howard and the facilities. When I say the employees, I am not referring to the professors, but the employees that work in the administration building, dorms, cafeteria, food court, security, etc. all need to be reconsidered. Most of the people that work in these positions are DC natives and are very rude to the students and do not do their jobs efficiently. If anything these jobs should be given to students as work study programs, or at least qualified individuals or professionals. The facilities around campus are one thing that really needs help. Most of the buildings look decent on the outside, but on the inside they are run down, lacking air conditioning, lacking proper equipment etc. I think instead of spending so much money on unnecessary things during Homecoming, maybe they should renovate the buildings, or upgrade some of the academic equipment. 3.) As far as the size of Howard University, I feel like it is perfect. I would not consider Howard a big school by any means, but it is still not very small either, Howard holds almost 11,000 students undergrad and graduate, making it the perfect size to where you feel like you’re in college but not too many students, so each student feels like they get the attention they deserve. 4.) The way people react to when I tell them I go to Howard depends greatly on the person. If you tell a fellow African American they are very happy and supportive, and may show more support for me than Black students who go to predominantly White institutions. When dealing with other races I’ve found many have heard of Howard and respect it as a good source of higher education, and the handful I have encountered who have not heard of Howard respect it and me very much after I tell them about the school. 5.) When on campus, most students will hang out on the big open area in the middle of the campus called “The Yard”. The yard is the perfect place for students to hangout, show off their outfits, and see all their friends. The Yard is also a place where many of the big events take place including the Howard University Homecomings Yardfest. When it is cold though, The Yard along with the rest of the campus is like a ghost town. 6.) Unfortunately Howard does not have a traditional “college town”. Howard is located in the heart of North West Washington DC, and the surrounding area is considered to be not very safe. So majority of the things happen on and immediately around campus. One good thing about Howard’s location is that it is ten minutes away from downtown, U street, Adams Morgan, and various colleges and universities around DC such as American, George Washington, and Georgetown, making fun very easy to find on and around Howards campus. 7.) The administration at Howard is terrible. The employees are very unorganized and rude, they are not looking for the student’s best interest, and they are just there to make a paycheck. Administration is probably one of the biggest issues at Howard University; they lose stuff, don’t call back or answer the phones, and also don’t email students back. 8.) Some controversy that Howard seems to face is the credibility of the education that an HBCU can provide. The credibility of a degree from an HBCU is questioned frequently and Howard students always seem to prove the credibility. Proving the credibility has been hard lately due to budget cuts, and Howard University almost closing down many different programs around campus. 9.) Howard has a lot of school pride! The pride is not seen in the same way as other universities through sports, but it is seen through different realms. Howard marching band, dormitories, alumni, homecoming, dance teams (ooh la la’s and bisonnettes), and academic organizations are all areas where the great HU school pride is seen. 10.) I don’t think there is anything “unusual” about Howard the only thing that is maybe untraditional is that the school is predominantly Black. 11.) The largest complaints you will hear around Howard University’s campus are complaints about the administration, facilities, unprofessional employees, and lack of urgency in the campus police.