Washington DC - Day 1 - Howard University

Howard University surprised me in so many ways. It was first college we visited. Though the trip was focused on Ivy league colleges, we thought including few other colleges would broaden our view. 

Since this tour of colleges was for my son's undergraduate and my daughter's post-graduate school, it was important that we have a feel of each campus: where it is located, the aesthetics and whether the area feels safe, does it have a campus quad (nothing screams college like a quad)!

Howard is located right in the heart of Washington D.C. Unlike most city colleges, it actually has a campus; that's its biggest appeal! Campus is beautiful and feels safe. It actually has a quad!

  It is considered a historically black college (HBCU) and is ranked number two in HBCU rankings. 

Another thing that impressed me about Howard is it's record on civil rights! As someone who originally hails from South Africa, I was impressed by the civil rights leadership they produced and how they continue to honor civil rights from around the world, including South Africa's struggle against apartheid. Thabo Mbeki, former president of South Africa, is honored at Howard University with a plaque as you get in the main building. 

My daughter and my son

We had an opportunity to tour the library (my daughter's obsession as you will see in subsequent posts). At the library we met a passionate young man who is studying medicine. He told us about how much he loves Howard and how much he feels is preparing him for his career. 

Library at Howard

 We walked around the campus and found engineering building to check it out.

Engineering Building in Howard.

We had planned to visit Georgetown as well where we planned to eat lunch but accessing the college was not allowed as the gates were closed.   Thank you for reading :)!