Because there are so many other components to take into consideration, applicants can't assume an HBCU is the best option for every student of color, she states. The choice of college starts with taking a close look at yourself, says Lori Wright, Coordinator of Multicultural Student Recruitment at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Though college definitely is a means to a career, those four years also offer personal growth and development. Thus the decision about which college to attend must include a thorough inventory of likes and dislikes on the part of the student. Parents attempting to help their children with the choice of a college should begin with an intimate knowledge of that child's abilities and aspirations.
Children are the ones spending four years at an institution, doing the work, and making the grades.
In many cases, this is a child's first step to independence, so it is the child who needs to make the final decision. Once the way has been cleared by honest communication between parents and children, then a list of institutions can be generated. His parents let him make the decision about college. In fact, Meeks started out at an HBCU and transferred to a majority institution because it had a better business department. His parents were behind him all the way.