The Advantages of Choosing a Christian College
by Ryan McElhany
A Christian student’s college search is all about finding the right academic, social, and spiritual fit. Find the right school for you with this expert advice!
H
ow many college applications do you plan to submit? Six applications once seemed like a lot. Eight applications was ambitious. But a
New York Times article indicated that high school seniors regularly apply to as many as 20 colleges, with some students applying to as many as 30. With most college application fees costing $40 or more, seniors today are making a pricey investment before they ever set foot on campus—equally in part because of anxiety of being accepted and because they aren’t certain where they want to attend. For students look- ing for a Christian college or university, here are some ways you can make that process a bit less intimidating (and expensive).
Christian values vs. college stereotypes Evaluating your top colleges is like weighing things on a scale. The aim is for the pros on one side to signifi- cantly outweigh the cons on the other. For Christian
students, some of the most significant pros and cons are related to the spiritual characteristics of the schools being considered. Contrast that with what pop culture considers top college attributes—from the film Old School to the show Grown-ish, the big and small screens depict parties and pledging as rights of pas- sage. Experimental excesses and risky initiations are presented as essential pieces of the American college experience.
Several organizations regularly rank “top party schools.” But when Syracuse University claimed the top spot in 2014, University officials were not pleased. They implored the public to take note of the University’s “long-established reputation for academic excellence with programs that are recognized nationally and inter- nationally as the best in their fields,” as opposed to its glorified party scene.
Many non-Christian schools now acknowledge the negative effects of a heavy party atmosphere on the
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college experience. Studies show students above and below the legal drinking age guzzling unprecedented amounts of alcohol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) decries the negative impact this is having on generations of students. Almost 2,000 college students between the ages of 18–24 die of alcohol-related causes each year, while nearly 600,000 suffer from alcohol-related injuries. Party atmospheres also contribute to deterioration of academic performance. Nearly 25% of all college students report academic consequences of drinking, including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall. Heavy party atmospheres can be closely linked to soci- etal pressures to engage in other risky behavior as well. On the other end of the spectrum, college review web- site Niche allows students to rank the “tamest party schools” by state, including the likes of Biola University in California, Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, Southeastern University in Florida, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Texas. Many of these “tame” schools actually embrace the label (like SAGU, which produced T-shirts emphasizing the honor). On many Christian campuses, student codes of conduct create an atmosphere of accountability and support through Christian peers and professors who help prevent the negative outcomes described above. This is not to imply that secular universities are bas- tions of evil or that Christian colleges are boring. That’s certainly not the case. In fact, you’ll find thriving Chris- tian societies on many secular campuses. However, even the most active Christian society cannot compare to the unique community offered at Christian colleges.
What makes the Christian difference? Christian colleges offer studies from a faith-based
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