There may be some programs at Howard that are on par or better than USC's.

The social side is also important. We had a lot of black students at my school but the school generally wasn't very supportive of students, minorities in particular.

I feel like the guys at HBCU's generally had alot more camaraderie and their administrations wanted to see them succeed. At mine, the professors generally would rather be doing research than teaching and you were on your own to find a support network.

A completed degree is still more valuable than an incomplete one so you have to be real about what you need to get to the finish line.