Experience attending a private college with different church affiliation

[klmama]

What kind of experience did you have attending a private college with a church affiliation that you didn't share? (Attending a Catholic college as a non-Catholic, a Lutheran college as a non-Lutheran, BYU as non-LDS, etc.)   Did you feel comfortable there? An oddity?  After graduation did you have any problems caused by people assuming you shared the faith foundation of your alma mater?

[magnificent_baby]

Just graduated from a university that was Jesuit (I believe similar to Catholic) and I'm Lutheran. This was NOT an issue whatsoever. Had to incorporate their core values into many assignments, but they were very generalized and could apply to many religions across the board. They held mass during graduation, but that was a separate event. 

[DawnM]

I think it completely depends on the University.   How strong is their religious affiliation?   Does the school have mandatory religious services to attend?  Are there restrictions at that Univ. based on their religious beliefs that you would have to adhere to that you would find difficult to follow?

 

 

[happi duck]

I attended a ucc school and its church affiliation was pretty low-key.

 

I would imagine assumptions and fitting in issues only at conservative schools, especially the schools that require students to sign pledges.

[Crimson Wife]

The Jesuits are a Roman Catholic order (Pope Francis is one), though Jesuit schools tend to be pretty liberal in their interpretation of Catholicism. The non-Catholics I know who attended Jesuit schools all experienced zero problems with doing so. Ditto for the non-Jewish students I know who attended Brandeis.

 

Now there are lots of religiously affiliated colleges that require their students to sign a code of conduct and those schools I think a student would have a hard time if he/she did not agree with the tenets of the affiliated faith. This is true even for students who say they are that denomination (for example, I've read about complaints from non-heteros*xual Evangelicals at Evangelical colleges).

[bettyandbob]

This is really school dependent. Certainly not everyone at Georgetown is Catholic and it doesn't affect the experience. Other schools it is more intertwined. 

 

I do remember when I was younger my dad had a coworker who had encouraged his dc to go to BYU. The main reason was BYU was inexpensive compared to some other options at the time. The man was apparently surprised that both his dc became Mormon. I would not be surprised that a student attending a school of a certain faith would adopt that faith. I remember being surprised as a teen that my dad's coworker didn't foresee the possibility. 

 

 

 

 

[AK_Mom4]

I attended Baylor -Very Southern Baptist.  I was non-denominational Christian at the time.

 

I was welcomed everywhere.  I struggled with (then) mandatory Old and New Testament Bible classes as some of the things that were taken as a given were totally foreign to me.  I never had anyone assume I was baptist because of where I graduated.

 

I ended up converting during college - to the Episcopal Church.

[Tenaj]

I attended a conservative Baptist college as a Mennonite (not the cap-wearing kind).  The doctrinal statement between the college and our church were almost exactly the same so I didn't anticipate any problems and really didn't have any.  

 

The only problem I ran into was when I traveled on a ministry team that visited different churches for a few years.  Some pastors were flabbergasted that a Mennonite girl was traveling to represent their Baptist college - LOL!  I learned pretty quickly to change the subject when asked about which church I grew up in.

[Frances]

Several of my closest high school friends, all Catholic, attended a small Lutheran LAC, as did several of their siblings. None reported any problems and there was a Catholic mass held on campus each Sunday.

 

One interesting story I recall is from my boyfriend at the time. He and his freshman roommate, a Lutheran, hit it off and ended up rooming together for four years. The roommate wanted to be a Lutheran minister and did attend seminary after graduation and become one. But my boyfriend was very surprised that during the entire four years they roomed together, the roommate never once attended a church service. This was very puzzling to my Catholic boyfriend who attended mass every weekend.

[bibiche]

The Jesuits are a Roman Catholic order (Pope Francis is one), though Jesuit schools tend to be pretty liberal in their interpretation of Catholicism. The non-Catholics I know who attended Jesuit schools all experienced zero problems with doing so. Ditto for the non-Jewish students I know who attended Brandeis.

 

I agree with what you say about Jesuit schools, but for Brandeis you are incorrect: it is not a Jewish school, although this is a common misconception. It was supported by the Jewish community in part as a response to quotas on Jews at Harvard and other schools, but it has always been nonsectarian and I think less than half of the students these days are Jewish.

 

ETA a link to Jewish attendance at American universities, in case anyone is interested. I was surprised by some of them. http://m.jpost.com/Diaspora/The-most-heavily-Jewish-US-college-and-other-facts-about-Jews-at-American-colleges-437701#article=6017QzdGNDU5QTY3REJCNDNDOEQ2OUZBQTgyOTRCMzMwMUE=

Edited July 26, 2016 by bibiche

[MaeFlowers]

I agree with everyone else. It depends on the school.

 

I attended a small LAC that was church affiliated (Presbyterian). I think the connection was more historical than anything else.

 

However, in the same town there were two other schools where affiliation did matter and drove the school culture. Statements of faith, curfews (earlier for girls than boys), dorm lockdowns, etc. Not for me, for sure.

[G5052]

After graduation did you have any problems caused by people assuming you shared the faith foundation of your alma mater?

 

This part can be an issue. I've told this story here before, but I was frequently on hiring committees in my professional life before children. 

 

And yes, behind closed doors I observed some assumptions about people based on their schools that may have been incorrect. In particular, the very restrictive Protestant schools were often singled out even if it was an undergraduate degree with graduate degrees from secular institutions. 

 

The argument is that you want your children to go to a school that will upload the faith of your family, but in some cases (not all), it can mark you for years to come. For example, I never observed anything said about Georgetown University graduates, but I did about a Bob Jones University graduates.

[DawnM]

This part can be an issue. I've told this story here before, but I was frequently on hiring committees in my professional life before children. 

 

And yes, behind closed doors I observed some assumptions about people based on their schools that may have been incorrect. In particular, the very restrictive Protestant schools were often singled out even if it was an undergraduate degree with graduate degrees from secular institutions. 

 

The argument is that you want your children to go to a school that will upload the faith of your family, but in some cases (not all), it can mark you for years to come. For example, I never observed anything said about Georgetown University graduates, but I did about a Bob Jones University graduates.

 

I don't even put those two in the same category.

 

Bob Jones is accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges.  I don't even know what that is.

 

Georgetown is a regionally accredited college, a secular group that grants accreditation.

 

Last I read, Pensacola Bible College was seeking accreditation because they were churning out nursing majors and education majors who couldn't get jobs because their school was not accredited or recognized outside of their bubble.  The founder loudly proclaimed they would NEVER seek secular accreditation or "man's empty praise" and they would only rely on the Lord's approval.

 

Apparently they have changed their tune and do need that "empty praise" so that their graduates can get jobs and go to graduate schools.

[G5052]

I don't even put those two in the same category.

 

Bob Jones is accredited through the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges.  I don't even know what that is.

 

Georgetown is a regionally accredited college, a secular group that grants accreditation.

 

Last I read, Pensacola Bible College was seeking accreditation because they were churning out nursing majors and education majors who couldn't get jobs because their school was not accredited or recognized outside of their bubble.  The founder loudly proclaimed they would NEVER seek secular accreditation or "man's empty praise" and they would only rely on the Lord's approval.

 

Apparently they have changed their tune and do need that "empty praise" so that their graduates can get jobs and go to graduate schools.

 

I agree. I picked polar opposites just to show.

 

Bob Jones University claims a lot in their literature, but the reality is that their accreditation doesn't fly in addition to what people know of their policies. IMHO a degree from there may hold you back in secular employment and applying to graduate schools.

 

There are Protestant schools who have secular accreditation and more reasonable policies toward their student bodies, and I don't believe they have as much of a negative reputation. For example, I think that Baylor and BYU are generally well-thought of.

 

Our lawyer actually went to Pensacola, worked as a paralegal, and then go into a good law school. She encountered some naysayers, but she's top notch and is with the best firm in our area. She worked very, very hard and networked a lot to get where she is today, but even she said she wouldn't recommend that road in retrospect.

 

Important to talk about though!

[TravelingChris]

My youngest is attending a Presbyterian college but there I believe most students aren't Presbyterian.  She is but that isn't why she chose the college.  IN fact. she had a problem with her Search class first semester because the Professor wasn't anti Christian but teaching the Bible.  Her second semester was a lot better.  

[DawnM]

My youngest is attending a Presbyterian college but there I believe most students aren't Presbyterian.  She is but that isn't why she chose the college.  IN fact. she had a problem with her Search class first semester because the Professor wasn't anti Christian but teaching the Bible.  Her second semester was a lot better.  

 

I have no idea what this means.  What is a Search class?  And the problem was that he was not anti-Christian and he taught the Bible?  Isn't that what you want at a Christian school?  

[DawnM]

I agree. I picked polar opposites just to show.

 

Bob Jones University claims a lot in their literature, but the reality is that their accreditation doesn't fly in addition to what people know of their policies. IMHO a degree from there may hold you back in secular employment and applying to graduate schools.

 

There are Protestant schools who have secular accreditation and more reasonable policies toward their student bodies, and I don't believe they have as much of a negative reputation. For example, I think that Baylor and BYU are generally well-thought of.

 

Our lawyer actually went to Pensacola, worked as a paralegal, and then go into a good law school. She encountered some naysayers, but she's top notch and is with the best firm in our area. She worked very, very hard and networked a lot to get where she is today, but even she said she wouldn't recommend that road in retrospect.

 

Important to talk about though!

 

 

Interesting, I actually know a lawyer who went to Bob Jones!   

 

But the real problems I heard were in Education (unless you are only seeking private Christian school employment) and medicine, where the degree was not recognized at all.

 

I still wouldn't recommend PBC or BJU for my kids.  There are a lot of other issues I have with them.

[TravelingChris]

I can't remember the whole title of the Search class. At my daughter;s college, all freshman have to take a joint literature-history class.  There are two choices- one called Foundations which is basically a western civ sequence and the Search class which has most readings from the Bible the first semester and readings from other sources the second.  IF you pursue a religious studies major, the Search class counts towards that major and not just the college requirement for all the students.

 

NO, I phrased that wrong.  He was anti-Christian and teaching the Bible.  The Christians in that class had a hard time.

[Mom22ns]

So I just had this discussion with a friend Saturday. He grew up AG and went to a Baptist college. He was not happy there and was frustrated by the religion professors desire for him to believe as they did - or at least that was his perception.

 

I have another friend who grew up Baptist and went to an AG college. She talked about a missions class where the professor didn't cover the material for an exam, but told them not to worry they all knew it. It turned out to be all about AG missionaries. My friend had never heard of any of them, but would have been fine on a similar exam in her own denomination. 

 

Both transferred after two years. It wasn't that they felt unwelcome, but both were frustrated by assumptions made by faculty. One transferred to a college of their own denomination, the other to a secular university.

 

All that to say that it does depend on the school. As far as do people make assumptions about you based on where you went to school, as someone who reads a lot of resumes, the answer is, I do. If I see BYU I assume Mormon. If you say you went to Liberty, I assume conservative Christian. Now there are colleges who have a much looser affiliation that don't trigger those assumptions for me, but some really do. I don't know that, that is in any way damaging. I don't screen resumes for religious preference, but I do notice and jump to conclusions.

[OneStepAtATime]

What kind of experience did you have attending a private college with a church affiliation that you didn't share? (Attending a Catholic college as a non-Catholic, a Lutheran college as a non-Lutheran, BYU as non-LDS, etc.)   Did you feel comfortable there? An oddity?  After graduation did you have any problems caused by people assuming you shared the faith foundation of your alma mater?

As with almost everyone else responding I will say it entirely depends on the school, its reputation, any accreditation it has, the specific campus life, how the classes are handled, etc....and also who may be looking at the student.  There are some that will make assumptions about nearly anything with a religious tie, however loose or tight that tie may be.  Knee jerk reactions abound on many sides.

[Kareni]

What kind of experience did you have attending a private college with a church affiliation that you didn't share? (Attending a Catholic college as a non-Catholic, a Lutheran college as a non-Lutheran, BYU as non-LDS, etc.)   Did you feel comfortable there? An oddity?  After graduation did you have any problems caused by people assuming you shared the faith foundation of your alma mater?

 

I attended a Southern Baptist University even though I did and do not claim any church affiliation.  At that time, there was a requirement that each student take two religion classes (or one religion and one Philosophy class) and also attend weekly chapel.  This was in addition to classes required for one's major.  It was a dry campus (though for some reason, frat row was considered off-campus even though the university owned the buildings).  No one ever took attendance at the weekly chapel.

 

In general, I felt quite comfortable there and made friends from a variety of backgrounds.  My closest friend was Catholic.  Two close friends came out to me as being gay during that time.  Neither felt comfortable there -- the one who was not Baptist transferred; the other stayed.

 

I did not feel an oddity while there.  I was amused that fellow students on learning I had moved a great deal as a child assumed that my parents were missionaries.

 

I never had any issues after graduating that pertained to my university's religious affiliation.

 

The university has since separated from its Southern Baptist affiliation.  It was a shocking but pleasant surprise the first time I saw mention of a gay marriage in the alumni magazine.

 

As others have said, I suspect that each college or university will offer a unique experience.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Dmmetler]

This part can be an issue. I've told this story here before, but I was frequently on hiring committees in my professional life before children.

 

And yes, behind closed doors I observed some assumptions about people based on their schools that may have been incorrect. In particular, the very restrictive Protestant schools were often singled out even if it was an undergraduate degree with graduate degrees from secular institutions.

 

The argument is that you want your children to go to a school that will upload the faith of your family, but in some cases (not all), it can mark you for years to come. For example, I never observed anything said about Georgetown University graduates, but I did about a Bob Jones University graduates.

This also depends on the major. One of DD's mentors is the math/science department head at a small religious college in a denomination with a reputation of being YAC, and based on her experience in trying to get her students into grad school, recommends against DD using some of the conservative homeschool class providers or doing DE at her college or a similar school. It hasn't been a problem for students applying to medical school or similar programs (PT school, Graduate nursing programs), but for kids planning to be biologists, it is much harder for them to get not only into grad schools but into REUs and similar programs. The name of the school works against them, even though their college bio classes actually do include a very thorough grounding in evolutionary biology.

[Beth S]

Another thing that a friend brought up (as we considered this option) is that it is likely your child will find a spouse during college.

Ideally, you shouldn't have an issue with the child marrying someone from the faith of the school.

[creekland]

Interesting, I actually know a lawyer who went to Bob Jones!   

 

But the real problems I heard were in Education (unless you are only seeking private Christian school employment) and medicine, where the degree was not recognized at all.

 

I still wouldn't recommend PBC or BJU for my kids.  There are a lot of other issues I have with them.

 

Neither school would have been a good fit for us either, but I can say there are grads from Pensacola who go on to med school and it's a regular occurrence.  Previously I had believed the myth that they would be shunned.  Now I've seen it with real people - breaking the myth.

 

My theory is that med schools (and law schools) want to train doctors/lawyers for the population.  Therefore, they want representatives of the population and look for them in all sorts of schools.

 

I have seen bias for grad schools though - esp in science fields.  Grad schools want those who generally agree with the established foundations, so if attending a school that doesn't, that's a pretty severe nick against a student.

 

My oldest went to a strongly Calvinist Protestant school.  We aren't Calvinist.  He didn't have any problems.  He also told me there are Catholics there and they seemed to fit in too.  One has to realize the teaching will lean toward their specific faith, but that's no big deal to us.  We always tried to teach as many different "thoughts" as possible anyway.

 

My youngest goes to a school that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  To say that it is a Christian college would make anyone who knows it laugh though.  He tells me it ranked 9th on some list of "Least Religious Schools."  Nonetheless, there's a small group of rather committed Christians there (including my guy).

 

To anyone considering Christian schools - nothing wrong with them, my oldest graduated from one - keep in mind that there are also Christians at pretty much any college.  All a student has to do is seek out groups.  Both my younger two boys are happily at secular schools and have friends who share their faith.  (Of course, they also have friends who don't share their faith... but we're ok with that.  I have friends who don't share my faith too.)

[Dmmetler]

And, FWIW, if you want a job in a Christian school, having a degree from a college in that denomination is a big plus, especially for traditions where parochial education is part of the doctrine and is seen as an essential part of faith formation, but as long as the school is regionally accredited and the applicant is state licensed, it's not a negative in hiring for PS. The only hurdle may be licensing areas (It's much easier to get a job as a highly qualified math or Chemistry teacher than as a highly qualified music or PE teacher)

[J-rap]

I don't think it's a big deal to be at a college of a different faith affiliation, depending.  If you are a conservative Christian and attend a conservative Christian college, you would know that ahead of time and might even have to sign a statement of faith.  So, even though there may be some minor theological differences, you would know that most people there share the same core faith as you.  If you do not align yourself with any conservative Christian church at all, then you would probably feel uncomfortable with aspects of the college but you would also probably not go there in the first place.

 

Other colleges that have more of a tradition of religion rather than a constant emphasis would be pretty seamless.  That would include many mainstream Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. schools.  For example I attended a Lutheran college that had the Lutheran tradition and chapel time, but other than that, there was really no difference between that one and a secular college.  Chapel time was optional and many of the professors were not even Christians.

 

One of my dd's attended an all-girls Catholic university.  She considers herself a progressive/liberal non-denominational (Protestant-type) Christian.  The school definitely had a Catholic tradition and chapel services daily (which she never attended) and Catholic sisters (whom my dd enjoyed for their spunkiness and kindness).  She really enjoyed the school.  Many of her professors were Catholic but many were not even Christians.  Many Muslim girls attended the school since it was all-girls and had a spiritual tradition.

 

My other dd currently attends a Lutheran college which of course has the Lutheran tradition, but in reality it is mostly a tradition and any faith aspect is more watered-down.  Two of her roommates happen to be Christians but neither of them are Lutheran.

 

Those three colleges are well-respected in our state.

 

 

[DawnM]

Neither school would have been a good fit for us either, but I can say there are grads from Pensacola who go on to med school and it's a regular occurrence.  Previously I had believed the myth that they would be shunned.  Now I've seen it with real people - breaking the myth.

 

My theory is that med schools (and law schools) want to train doctors/lawyers for the population.  Therefore, they want representatives of the population and look for them in all sorts of schools.

 

I have seen bias for grad schools though - esp in science fields.  Grad schools want those who generally agree with the established foundations, so if attending a school that doesn't, that's a pretty severe nick against a student.

 

My oldest went to a strongly Calvinist Protestant school.  We aren't Calvinist.  He didn't have any problems.  He also told me there are Catholics there and they seemed to fit in too.  One has to realize the teaching will lean toward their specific faith, but that's no big deal to us.  We always tried to teach as many different "thoughts" as possible anyway.

 

My youngest goes to a school that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.  To say that it is a Christian college would make anyone who knows it laugh though.  He tells me it ranked 9th on some list of "Least Religious Schools."  Nonetheless, there's a small group of rather committed Christians there (including my guy).

 

To anyone considering Christian schools - nothing wrong with them, my oldest graduated from one - keep in mind that there are also Christians at pretty much any college.  All a student has to do is seek out groups.  Both my younger two boys are happily at secular schools and have friends who share their faith.  (Of course, they also have friends who don't share their faith... but we're ok with that.  I have friends who don't share my faith too.)

 

 

I am not talking about a myth.  I am talking about real people who had real problems getting licensed as nurses in the state of FL.  And real graduates who had real problems getting teaching credentials.  Both state licensing issues.   It had to do with accreditation, not the level of academics.  I don't know a whole lot about the academics, other than Pensacola produces Abeka and Bob Jones produces, well, Bob Jones!

[Dmmetler]

I am not talking about a myth. I am talking about real people who had real problems getting licensed as nurses in the state of FL. And real graduates who had real problems getting teaching credentials. Both state licensing issues. It had to do with accreditation, not the level of academics. I don't know a whole lot about the academics, other than Pensacola produces Abeka and Bob Jones produces, well, Bob Jones!

It may actually be easier to get into medical school than get a state license, coming out of a non-accredited school. It's basically impossible to get a state teaching license in my state without a diploma from an accredited school, and I can't imagine nursing is any easier (and may be harder).

[knoxinsox]

Interesting, I actually know a lawyer who went to Bob Jones!   

 

But the real problems I heard were in Education (unless you are only seeking private Christian school employment) and medicine, where the degree was not recognized at all.

 

I still wouldn't recommend PBC or BJU for my kids.  There are a lot of other issues I have with them.

 

My OBGYN had her undergrad from BJU.  I believe she then went on to USC.    I wonder if within SC they overlook where the degree is from?  I know a lot of people who have gone there and have jobs in the field that they studied in. Teaching, finance, etc.  

 

Still wouldn't send my kids there, even though I have friends that are currently sending theirs.  I was always a little annoyed that the students who were actual members of our church could not attend their own church if they lived on campus, since our church was heretical. 

Edited July 28, 2016 by knoxinsox