Spelman College has a reputation for academic excellence, leadership development, social awareness, and enlightenment. If you are a woman looking for an HBCU experience, why not go to the most celebrated HBCU in the nation, located in one of the most exciting cities in the South? As a Right C3 coach, I had the pleasure of visiting this coveted institution.
Getting to Spelman was an easy journey after arriving at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Spelman offers a shuttle that will take you directly to campus. Spelman students also have access to a shuttle service that transports them to neighboring colleges, West End, Vine City, and the Ashby Street MARTA stations for free. This is very convenient since first-year students are not allowed to bring cars.
The first thing you notice when pulling up to Spelman is that the entire exterior of the campus is gated. So despite its downtown location, Spelman manages to feel like a small, tight-knit community. With a faculty to student ratio of 12:1 and an average class size of 20, young ladies are able to get the individual attention they need in order to excel in the classroom and beyond. Spelman students are required to combine rigorous learning in the classroom with service-learning, campus involvement, and global awareness. This is referred to as the Spelman M.I.L.E. – My Integrated Learning Experience. Alumnae mentors, who serve as compelling role models, also provide professional resources and a worldwide network.
One of the most common hang-ups for students when first introduced to Spelman College is that it is an all-girl school. You should not let that deter you. The nearest all-male school in Atlanta, Morehouse College,is within walking distance! In fact, Morehouse College, along with Clark Atlanta University, share the library on Spelman’s campus. The campuses intermingle constantly, so although Spelman is not co-ed, it will most likely feel like it.
Spelman girls are also paired with an upperclassman from Morehouse College and a female upperclassman from Clark Atlanta University. Through this experience, Spelmanites are said to have a “Morehouse Brother” and “Clark Atlanta Sister,” who serve as their mentors. The three colleges, along with Morehouse School of Medicine, make up the Atlanta University Center (AUC), which is the largest association of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The AUC strives to enhance the quality of life in its community by combining member institutions’ resources, and students are allowed to cross-register. This means that Spelmanites are not limited to just what Spelman offers, but anything offered by AUC institutions.
Spelman College is consistently ranked first amongst HBCU’s on the US News and World Report. It is ranked highest in the nation for sending African American women to medical school. In fact, more than half of the U.S.’s African American female doctorates in all science fields attended Spelman College or Bennett College for Women as undergraduates. Spelman also has an impressive group of alumnae. The daughters of Morgan Freeman and Martin Luther King, Jr. attended Spelman. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sister also attended and went on to serve as a professor at Spelman well into her eighties.
Sound good? Want in? Simply put, Spelman College is looking for academically sound young ladies who are socially conscious and ready to change the world. Spelman College is ready for you. Right now they are still scheduling virtual information sessions for prospective students. What are you waiting for?
