To Pack... or not to Pack?

After receiving my acceptance letter to Howard University, I knew that it was where I was destined to be. Great journalism department, number one HBCU, located in the heart of the United States, Washington, DC… and oh yea, a scholarship that covered my tuition. Yup, Howard was IT. Now the only decision left to make was what dorm do I want to live in?

“Girl, you want to come to Miami with us for Spring break?” my best friend, Tekea asked me while setting her lunch tray down next to mine in our overcrowded high school cafeteria.

“We’re trying to rent a car and drive down there. Netia’s aunt said we can stay with her. Pick up some hot Miami boys!” She smiled her mischievous grin at me that was as clear as a DUI commercial telling someone not to drink and drive. Only her commercial was advertising not to miss out on a spring break trip of a lifetime.

Only I couldn’t go. Instead I was going on a Georgia, trip to the MECCA, to visit Howard University for the first time before I would call it my permanent home that fall. I was nervous, anxious, but mostly excited. How big was the campus? Would I get lost? What did the dorms look like? This annual trip took about 50 students to visit Howard while pairing them with a student to live with and I would be partaking in this trip in a week.

“Man, Alyssa. Her aunt has a condo right next to South Beach. We’re going to go clubbing every night. Cooomme ooon, “Tekea begged. “You gotta come. We’re only going for a few days and then you can come back and go on that trip to D.C.”

So. I decided to do what any exemplary, focused student would do given the option of partying on South Beach in Miami versus taking an educational and beneficial trip to my future university. I did both!

After partying for days and my brown skinned friends getting tired of my “white ass tanning and swimming like a white person”, I headed back to Atlanta tan, optimistic, and ready for my trip to Howard University.

We arrived on a foggy, Thursday morning that suffocated our butterflies swarming in our stomachs. So THIS was Howard.

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For those of you who have never visited Howard before, your freshman move-in can be even more nerve racking. Will all of your stuff fit? Can you bring you're keyboard that you love to death? What should I bring?

Here are some pictures (that I could find) of the inside of some of the dorms. If you want you can also check out the Howard website for a virtual tour

http://www.howard.edu/Campustour/points/residence/1.htm

Just click on the dormitory you are staying in and check out the pictures.

This is a normal sized double in Drew Hall .. notice the fan in the window cuz it is hott as HELL in there

Annex doubles are narrow and long. They can't lift their beds so if you buy storage containers get the ones that are long and short to slide under your bed.

Look at the ROOM behind the girls :)

Quad triples CAN be more cramped than a Mexican mini-van... the trick is to arrange it properly! The rooms consist of one lone bed and a bunk bed, so get there FIRST so you won't get stuck in the bunk, and if you can TRY and sweet talk your way into getting a corner room, they are WAY bigger!

See the lone bed on left; bunk bed right. Truth Hall.

Quad doubles are wider and its easy to raise your bed to stock stuff underneath. This is most Quad rooms will be setup when you first get there, BUT if you want more space and want to make it look more homey, have fun being your own interior designer and play around with moving furniture!

This was my room AFTER we moved it around. We had WAY more floor space and it just felt more like a room at home, not like a dorm where it's "MY SIDE- YOUR SIDE, dont touch my shit or ima cut yo ass bitch!" Just make sure you and your roomate communicate and decide what you're more comfortable with.

Baldwin 2nd Floor

"You know my Baldwin Bosses; We 2 Bad!"

For all my other dorms I couldn't find pics on FB so just check out the Howard site.. I've also been receiving a lot of questions about what you should bring! And WOW is there a LOT! lol. Target has a really good general list however dont pay attention to the kitchen stuff as a freshman because you really won't be cooking much.

Check out the list HERE -> http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/16/00/00/04/76/33/63/476336370.pdf

ALYSSA's #1 ITEM TO BRING::: TUPERWARE