But some say — and no matter how long it might take one to graduate from college — a degree is still a degree.
Central State University graduate Malik Perkins offered some words of advice for many students that aren’t prepared for life at a 4-year college and in particular the 107 historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, in the nation.
“Unfortunately, many black high school students come from struggling school districts that don’t adequately prepare them for college,” said Perkins, commenting on the alarming news through text. “HBCUs are gracious enough to accept them, but it’s still an uphill battle.”
He continued, “Also, students from poor districts often lack the economic and family support to complete their education in a timely matter. This forces them to take semesters off or go part-time.”
“HBCUs are still needed but those issues have been straining them for years,” Perkins added.
This is a great observation because these colleges are like second chance schools. However, HBCUs continue to graduate students who probably would have never received the incredible opportunity to go to college otherwise.
“But they really can’t afford to do that and at high numbers,” Perkins argued. “Students who aren’t ready to go to college need to go to a community college first and catch up.”
“Its actually doing black colleges a disservice when we sell them a dream knowing the lack the skills. Some make it, but many of them don’t graduate and end up back at home with debt. It’s a tough problem to fix,” he said.
