Howard University Top Questions

I was a transfer student when I came to Howard University, and I wish I would have known that all my Accounting credits earned from my previous academic institution were not going to be accepted. If I had known this fact, I would have been in a position to make well informed decisions.

I am completely happy with the choice I made in attending this univiersity. It has created an entirely unique learning enviorment that not only gives a student of color tools to to have a brighter future but helps us thrive in the carreers we have chosen. I ony wish someone would have told me how drastically my life would change after attending only one semester at Howard University. I look athe world so differently now; I strive to an active part in the community rather than looking from the sidelines.

I wish I knew to really put myself out there and try new things and really be comfortable socializing a lot as a freshman. I was kind of shy in my first semester, and really learned to open up.

Before I came to Howard University I wish I would have known how important it was to created a strong, stable foundation for yourself. This includes a mindset that will not allow you to deter from having a healthy mental state and that will allow you to focus on the reason you're in school, which is to get an education. At times you will feel overwhelmed and like you have lost all control. Take a second to breathe and remind yourself that you are great. You will be fine.

I wish I had been a lot smarter about scholarships and financial aid.

Before I went to Howard University, I wish I would have realized how much sacrifice both my family and I would make. Upon graduating high school my main goal was to get into a well known four year university. I did not consider the financial strain I would be under nor did I consider how stressful living out of state can be. I soon realized this when both my grandparents suddenly became ill and unfortunately my grandmother passed away. Finally I would have done more research on Howard University to make sure it was the right fit for me.

I wish I would have known the many resources this school offered. My freshman year I dealt with the death of my grandmother in NY and my tuition money was spent on her funeral. It was both a stressful and depressing time for me and I wasn't fully focused on school which caused my grades to slip and ultimately my academic suspension. I since spent time at a neighboring school maintaining a 3.5 or better GPA and returned to school. I wish I knew about the counseling and emotional leave options.

I wish I knew how to manage my time better and also that I was depressed so that I could deal with it and not let it hinder my work. I also wish I knew excatly what I wanted to do so that I wouldnt have had to change majors two times.

I wish I had known more about the area and neighborhood my school was in because it is not as nice as I would have thought.

Before I'd come to this school I wish that I would have know how much like high school it is socially. People made groups of friends pretty quickly and once they made those friends most people did not really look for friendship outside of those group. The key to success is to be socially with people even if they are not the type of people you normally associate with. The people that you know are how find opportunities and connection. If you don't know many people being success is a lot harder.

That the real world is HARD.

Before I came to college, I wish I had known that the workload in college is much more difficult than in high school. I knew that college would be a little challenging but I definitely under estimated the workload that I would receive. Had I known that college would be this strenuous, I would have prepared myself in high school by practicing good study habits and routines. I had never developed a study habit that works well for me until I came to college because in high school it was not necessary.

I wish I would have known that the financial administrators do not have the students best interest at heart and if you need something done it is solely up to you to find the right person to talk to because they will give you the run around and treat you like a number intead of a person.

I wish I knew how competitive it was and how horrible the financial aid office is at allocating funds. There are very little funds for students so many are forced to consider cheaper schools.

I honestly wish I had more scholarship money to pay for school. I wish I knew that procrastination is a bad habit to keep through out college. I wish I knew more about greek life so that I can be apart of it.

Being from Texas, I didnt really know how far the distance between Washington, DC and Houston was. Once I realize that I couldn't come home when I wanted to or come home for Thanksgiving, I said to myself that I wish I would have known about the didtance before I came to Howard. Another thiing I wish I would have know is the weather. Im use to the summer sun all year around, but when I came to DC, the summer sun actually went way when summer ened and the snow begin to fall. I hate being cold.

Always keep records.

I wish I would have known more about the staff, administration, and financial aid at Howard Univeristy. I think these are three departments that need extensive work done to them inorder to make the university as a whole a better place for its students. I also wish I would have had an opprotunity to take a tour of the dormitories.

I never contemplated a set career goal once entering college. My main focus, once graduating high school, was to enter a college/university (Howard University) and pick an easy major once I found something definite. Now that I'm beginning my third year at Howard, I still have not realized a thought out career goal and any objectives leading to that specific idea. All high school seniors who are planning to attend any college should definitely make sure that your goals and plans are planned out accordingly and it will make your college experience even easier!

I wish I had known more about traveling in the surrounding area of my university.

There are a few things i wish I knew about college life that I did not know before I started attending this school. The first thing would be how I was going to pay for school. It has been a bit of a struggle so far trying to pay for school and everything else and I feel that it has hendered my grades so far. I also wish I knew how much more I would have had to work to keep up my grades. I was not fully prepared because I have not had to work as hard before.

The one thing I wish I had known would be how the FASFA/Financial Aid process worked. I am the first college student in my household, so I had to learn alot of things for the first time without any gudance.

The amount of individual work and effort that you have to put in.

I have done my due diligence(homework), I have had several visits to the school while I was still in high school. All of my questions concerning the school were answered prior to my decision to attend.

Approach the undergraduate experience with an open mind. Realize that you are an individual and your experience will not be the same as everyone else’s. Furthermore, you must respect the diversity you will soon encounter because it allows you to understand life from many perspectives, which gives you a deeper understanding of people. Give yourself space and time to live, learn, and grow.

Before attending Howard, I wish I would have learned better time management. In college, time is valuable, and whether I am socializing with friends or attending mandatory business team meetings, I find myself at a loss for time when it comes to tending to homework. There are limitless activities on campus that consume my time, and time management is the most difficult college aspect to handle personally. However, by setting aside a specific time and place for me to study, and abiding by it, I not only have time for only homework and studying, but a social life with friends.

I wish I had known how to pay for it all.

I can't believe no one told me about the cockroaches in DC, especially in Howard University's buildings, and especially ESPECIALLY in Howard University's Dorms. Cockroaches, mice, rats, etc. All things the typical Howard student must deal with, aside from unorganized paperwork concerning grades, financial payments, and all things of importance. Oh and who can forget the smell of weed in every building, especially the dorms, at ALL times. Music blasts at 3:00am. Absolutely no rules are followed! NONE! HELL! THAT'S WHAT HOWARD IS! HELL; THE VERY UNDOING OF YOUR FUTURE! HEED THESE WORDS!

I wish I would have known about several scholarships/fellowship programs. I borrowed a substantial amount of money to fund my education and I want to avoid burrying myself in debt. I worked for Verizon as a Software Engineer but I wish I wouldve considered one of the federal agencies after I graduated from Howard. Most federal agencies forgive student loans ($10k per year) based on your tenure.

I would have to admit, before coming to Howard I thought classes we be easy, but that opinon would soon change. Now becaue I am a Biology major i have a passion to learn Bio, but high school Biology is completely different then high school biology. Before coming it would have beennice if someone tod what exsperience i was in for as a science major.

I wish I had known how much of a party school Howard is.

I wish I would have known the amount of responsibility I would gain living on my own and I wished I had known how much money I would really need because living in D.C. is expensive.

I wish I had known that it has such a competitive campus life environment where every female wants to be the best and on top of others. Most females that attend my school easily becomes so fashionable and always wants to dress to impress and attract males, including going the extra mile to really expose themselves just to get attention.

My home state is approximately 800 to 900 miles away. This means I flew toDC when I started school. My baggage allowance, like everyone knows, is very limited when flying. I wish I had known that there were no supermarkets or retail stores within the area, so anything that I needed to purchase that I did not bring with me on campus I had to travel a distance to buy them. Also, I wish I had known how costly text books are. I later discovered that an alternative to purchasing textbooks is renting.

Before I came to Howard University I wish I had the chance to talk more with financial aid and administrative officals to have a better understanding of how their process works. I also think I would have liked to know what types of student organizations where available so that I could better prepare myself to join the Howard community.

The main thing I wish I had known about going to college in general is how much college actually costs. Everything, not just the tuition, meal plans, and housing, but also the little stuff such as, the laundry expenses, book expenses EACH semester, especially if you're in the sciences. I also wish that counselors and universities would do a better job of using the word FINANCIAL AID, they should really say FINANCIAL OPPROTUNITY, if you qualify! Not off of a need base but if and only if you or your parents can guarnatee their money back!

I wish I had known that academic plans don't have to be set in stone. For my first two years, I was not only obssessed with graduating on time, but having the "right degree," and no such thing exists. College is supposed to be a great experience, and if you are passionate about something, you will be successful, because you're going to devote a great deal of your time to it.

I wish I had known that college included tons of work lol

I wish I had known to apply for financial aid earlier on in the year. Even if you qualify for a certain amount of aid, you still may not recieve the full amount if you had applied too late. Funds tend to dry up qiuckly, especially with a large student body. I wish i had known to decide on a major first on when applying, as more scholarships are available to those who have declared a major.

I wish I had known that the school credits those who wait last minute more than they credit those who try to complete things in a timely fashion.

A better academic based knowledge of various subject matter so that I could better compete with my peers

I wish I knew more about the school financially and difficulty in obtaining financial aid from the university. I wish I prepared myself to enter a school that doesn't completely help their students in paying for their education nor with other educational aspects. I believe the school could do a lot more in at least assisting students in need of help instead of turning them away or having them go all over campus for a simple answer.

I wish I would have known that my professors were not going to baby me and hold my hand just because I was in a new enviroment. Foolishly, I was stuck in the high school mindset; I thought that if I did bad my teachers would show mercy on me because I was new. Instead, now I know that teachers will help you, when asked, but they will not do anything to cripple you or your educational experience. I wish I would have known all of that before school started, it would have saved me a world of trouble.

More information regarding the requirements and mandates of my prospective minor and if I would have known that I probably would not have been here today.

Before I came to this school, I wish I would have known more about the programs and academic departments so that I could have started taking classes earlier that pertained to my major. That way I wouldnt have to be just a little behind. But I wouldnt trade my expereince for the world.

Before I had arrived to Howard University I wish that I would have known how easy it was to lose focus on the reason you came to school- to get an education. One of Howard's greatest aspects is it's social life, and between the endless parties and social gatherings (on and off campus), it's very easy to lose sight in your goals and begin to skip classes to sleep because you stayed out too late, or couldn't finish your work.

I wish I would have known how unorganized they were.

I wish I would have known about more scholarships, I'm really struggling with paying for school. Also, that I would basically have to do everything by myself, it's like there's no help out there. I wish I would have known

the scholarships they have available for students upon entering. I was an excellent high school graduate-honor's list, high recognition, plaques and awards, etc. but they were not used to the grading scheme yet because I came from a caribbean school, where we do not assign gpa but instead averages of numbered and lettered grades

I really wish I would have taken the opportunity to look for more scholarships and other sources to pay for my education. At Howard, I have grown to learn that it is not who you are and what you do that can open the doors of opportunity. It is all about who you know that can even give you that first step to success. With that being said, I wish I had a strong network or would have chose Howard as my first choice in order to gain financial aid that I would not have to pay back.