Huffington Post cites Morehouse as among the nation's most grueling

By Mashaun D. Simon

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Morehouse College is among the country’s most grueling colleges according to a listing released Thursday by the Huffington Post.

The all-male school is the only HBCU listed among the likes of MIT, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Caltech and the U.S. Naval Academy. The school’s commitment to upholding standards of excellence as well as its reputation for having notoriously difficult pre-med courses is what landed the school on the list, the Huffington Post writes.

The listing does not appear to be an official ranking and the schools are not listed in any particular order. But Robert Franklin, Morehouse’s President, considers the recognition an honor, and said it is a terrific affirmation to the college’s academic vigor as well as the school’s success of developing Renaissance men in a Hip-Hop culture.

“We have really high expectations and strive to provide an ivy-league education with black college resources,” he said. “We work to inspire our students to work hard and do their personal best. And it seems its paying off.”

But to get a better understanding of just how grueling the curriculum at the school is, we went right to the source – the students.

Jeron Rowland, a rising senior Psychology major agrees with the Huffington Post. He references the faculty’s commitment to “over prepare” students for the “next level.”

“I believe Morehouse is one of the most challenging colleges in the nation, especially for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) majors,” he said. “I am currently in a research program, John H. Hopps Research Scholar Program that requires 10 hours a week of research along with my 18 credit hours.”

But Aaron Paige, a graduating music major, feels differently. A member of the school’s now-defunct PILOT program who excelled in science and math, he agrees the school has a difficult curriculum, but thinks most grueling is a reach.

“Morehouse is definitely one of the highest ranking institutions in the country,” he said. “It will kick your behind and it should. But to be successful at Morehouse or any other school, you have to work hard and pace yourself.”

The complete list can be seen here.