<p>HI-
I don't know a lot about colleges, especially Christian colleges. I know that i want to get in to Ivy League and that I want to go to a Christian college. Are there any Ivy League Christian Colleges? If there are, then could you all tell me about them?
Thanks, amyloulou</p>
<p>The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions. It is not a type of school - it is eight specific schools, none of which are Evangelical or Catholic. They are not exclusively the “best” schools in the country either. There are many schools that are as academically exclusive as those that are part of the Ivy League.</p>
<p>Now there are a number of excellent Christian colleges, but not part of the Ivy League.</p>
<p>If you’re set on a Christian college, don’t bother with the stress of applying to Ivies. None of them have a religious affiliation, at least as far as I know. However, as susgeek said, there are plenty of academically rigorous Christian schools, so you probably ought to research into those instead of looking at Ivies.</p>
<p>you should look into pepperdine. it’s a christian college, but it’s not an ivy league. it is relatively selective though (28%?) and while it’s academically rigorous and pretty prestigious as far as christian colleges are concerned, it’s definetely not up to par with surrounding schools like ucla or usc, let alone ivies.</p>
<p>There are plenty of Christians at all the Ivy League schools, But if you really want a Christian school, you should look at Wheaton College (Illinois).</p>
<p>The Ivies were started as seminaries! But a long time ago…now they have dropped their affiliations with the Baptists, Congregationalists, Church of England, etc. </p>
<p>What kind of “Christian” are you thinking of? Evangelical Protestants, Lutherans, Mormons, Catholics? You cover a lot of territory there, saying Christian.</p>
<p>Colleges like Georgetown and Notre Dame are usually considered of a similar academic caliber, and (I believe) the highest rated Christian (in this case Catholic) schools.</p>
<p>Ivy League schools are secular. They don’t encourage discrimination and promote logical thinking.</p>
<p>The top religious schools tend to be Catholic universities like Georgetown, Boston College, or Notre Dame. These are similar to the Ivies in some ways. But none of the traditional Ivy athletic conference colleges like Brown, Yale, etc. are Christian colleges nor are any of the top liberal arts colleges, either. Many (all?) were once founded as training schools for the (Protestant) ministry. But, that was centuries ago, and they have all been secular for generations. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and they all offer first-rate educations, and they are academically ranked much higher than most of what are considered traditional Christian colleges. A Yale education is a few steps above a Pepperdine education, at least in the public’s eye, fair or not. </p>
<p>If you looked at the typical rankings of top universities and liberal arts colleges from different sources, rankings based on academic quality, endowment, variety of programs, tough admission standards, top professors, that sort of thing, Christian colleges will not be anywhere near the top group. Only the top Catholic universities make it into that list unless I’m forgetting some school here or there. </p>
<p>And Christian schools like Wheaton College (the one in Illinois since there’s another small liberal arts Wheaton College in Massachusetts which is not a religious school) or Pepperdine or Grove City College or BYU or others may be good colleges based on serious religious principles, but they generally do not attract most of the very top students who are seeking a broader and more secular education. They will attract some, though. This is partly because some religious colleges offer a narrower curriculum for like-minded people without the broadly questioning liberal arts approach the better schools offer to a broader clientele. And I’m not talking about strange courses in witchcraft, but about having an outlook considering all types of human experiences. </p>
<p>Personal question worth thinking about: I’ve always wondered why a devout Christian would feel he wanted to avoid other types of people? I think of college as an opportunity to experience more, not more of the same. It’s the difference between staying home vs. traveling the world and seeing many new things. I understand the idea of a seminary where you isolate yourself from the world for spiritual study. But, attending college is a mind-opening experience, not training for the ministry. </p>
<p>Many mainstream liberal arts colleges and large universities also have devout conservative Christian students (as well as Catholics, Jews, mainstream Protestants, and atheists, too!) And learning about and from them is not a bad idea. Religiously-minded students attend these schools for the excellent educations they offer and still manage to remain religious inside that broader context. </p>
<p>Just my thoughts. Please don’t take them as a personal criticism of what you decide to do.</p>
<p>The top religious schools tend to be Catholic universities like Georgetown, Boston College, or Notre Dame. These are similar to the Ivies in some ways. But none of the traditional athletic conference colleges like Brown, Yale, etc. are Christian colleges, though many (all?) were once founded as training schools for the (Protestant) ministry. But, that was centuries ago, and they have all been secular for generations. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and they all offer first-rate educations, and they are academically ranked much higher than most Christian colleges, typically.</p>
<p>What I mean is if you looked at the typical rankings of top universities and liberal arts colleges from a number of different sources, rankings based on academic quality, endowment, variety of programs, tough admission standards, top professors, and that sort of thing, Christian colleges will not be anywhere near the top group. Only the top Catholic universities make it into that list unless I’m forgetting some school here or there. </p>
<p>Christian schools like Wheaton College (the one in Illinois since there’s another small liberal arts Wheaton College in Massachusetts which is not a religious school) or Pepperdine or Grove City College or BYU or others may be good colleges based on serious religious principles, but they generally do not attract most of the very top students who are seeking a broader and more secular education. Some of these schools will offer a more narrow curriculum without the broadly questioning liberal arts approach which the better schools offer. I’m not talking about strange courses in witchcraft, but an outlook considering all types of human experiences. </p>
<p>Personal question: I’ve always wondered why a devout Christian would feel he wanted to avoid other types of people by attending a school that mirrors their own family life so closely? I think of college as an opportunity to experience more? It’s the difference between staying home where you’re comfortable vs. going on a long trip where you see many new things. I understand the idea of a seminary where you isolate yourself from the world for spiritual study. But, attending college is a mind-opening experience, not training for the ministry. </p>
<p>Many mainstream liberal arts colleges and large universities have devout conservative Christian students (as well as Catholics, Jews, mainstream Protestants, and atheists, too! And learning about them and from them is not a bad idea). Religiously-minded students attend these schools for the excellent educations they offer and still manage to remain religious in that broader context. </p>
<p>Each person goes to the college or university that appeals most to them. Some go to large state universities, some to “party schools,” some to small isolated rural schools, some to intensely intellectual schools, and so on. You have to find what appeals most to you. But, clearly a Christian college generally narrows the applicant pool pretty dramatically. To me, that would be like going to a college which only admitted atheists. </p>
<p>Religious schools can also have a somewhat narrow focus where students don’t have to deal with different types of people as much as elsewhere. Will that prepare you well for life? Just my thoughts. Please don’t take them as a personal criticism of what you decide you need to do.</p>
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<p>I can’t answer for everyone, but I can answer for my oldest who chose a Christian college to attend. For what it’s worth, I graduated from a secular highly ranked state school a few decades ago and had ALWAYS planned my boys would attend there when of age, but… upon visiting… when I was SURE it would appeal more than the Christian schools we had visited… I ended up being incorrect. I’m now completely comfortable with oldest son’s decision.</p>
<p>This son was in our local public school up through 8th grade, then homeschooled (due to our high school considering anyone who got 1100 (M/CR) on the SAT to have an outstanding score). He also took community college classes his senior year as a dual enrolled student.</p>
<p>His reasoning? He wanted professors that shared his beliefs and could openly speak about it in class. He had a self-professed “Feminist, Socialist, Liberal” as his Community College English teacher and, while he did well (got an A), he missed not being able to discuss things that he felt deeply about (ie conservative, libertarian views). By choosing a Christian college he will no longer need to separate his religious views and life from his academic pursuits. This is as appealing to him as attending Smith would be to a liberal.</p>
<p>One would never tell someone who was big on liberal, secular views that they ought to attend Liberty or Bob Jones as they certainly wouldn’t fit in and wouldn’t enjoy themselves in the least (though… the student from Brown that wrote the book about his semester at Liberty seems to have had a decent, eye-opening time - hearsay as I didn’t read it).</p>
<p>I know from my time at a public U that there were absolutely NO times that any professor spoke of religious topics in a good sense. There were a few professors who openly dissed religion, including one of my Humanities teachers who was a self-proclaimed atheistic Jew teaching a New Testament course. She did a great job presenting liberal views of the Bible and didn’t even give lip service to any other possible scholarly interpretation. Diversity at its best I suppose. While I did just fine at the school and got a good [science] education, I have to admit, in hindsight, picking out a nice Christian school where I fit in actually might have been preferable to me simply due to not having to hide part of my life in the classroom (no hiding necessary in my personal life).</p>
<p>Academic-wise, according to the Major Field Tests, some Christian schools do quite well educating their students. Ditto that with graduate school placement. Some do not do as well. One can say that about public schools as well. The religious atmosphere in the classroom is 100% different. In real life I know of 3 National Merit Scholars this year (my son is not one of them - has the math and reading scores, but not the writing). All 3 have chosen Christian Colleges to attend. The Ivies don’t get them all. These three had no desire to even apply to the Ivies. Two applied to secular schools of other types, but chose Christian at the end due to their desire to study without hiding a section of who they are. </p>
<p>My middle son has a good chance of being a National Merit Scholar and will be pursuing a science field - perhaps research and perhaps Pre-Med. Whether he attends a secular or Christian school will be up to him. We’ll visit both types this coming year. He’s starting his Community College classes this fall as a Junior and will have an idea of how secular classes feel.</p>
<p>And we love traveling and seeing new sights. The analogy is not at all applicable. It’s also not at all about sheltering (in our case anyway). It’s all about studying with Professors and students who share a similar philosophy and being able to be totally open with one’s religious self in all aspects. It’s very akin to what draws the other end of the spectrum to the liberal schools. Would you suggest those folks open their minds and experience different “sights” by attending a conservative school (even Hillsdale if you don’t want the specifically Christian aspect)? I wouldn’t.</p>
<p>All that said I’ll end with, yes, each secular school will have Christian groups that meet. I attended a couple of them and enjoyed my time at secular U. It is definitely an option for many people. It’s just not the only option or the only “good” option. It will all depend on what one wants for their college years.</p>
<p>Not fair to compare your son’s CC experience to the sort he would get at a well-respected LAC or Ivy. Sure, some of these schools are known for being extremely biased and intolerant of conservatism/religion. But most aren’t. I have conservative, Christian friends at my school (Yale) who regularly take classes in traditionally liberal fields such as AfAm and Women’s Studies, yet feel completely comfortable speaking up in class. </p>
<p>If you choose one of the best colleges in the nation (HYP, etc.) the ethos of students and professors tends to be one of acceptance. As long as you can provide a well-reasoned argument for your beliefs, others are likely to respect them. The only times I’ve ever seen conservative students run into problems is when they advocate very controversial opinions (e.g. arguing that homosexuality is unnatural and sinful, at a very LGBT-friendly place like Yale) without being able to back them up with anything except “the Bible says so.” Oh, and proselytizing isn’t looked upon kindly, either: Students tend to have a live-and-let-live attitude regarding religion, so since atheist students would never try to “convert” a Christian student, they don’t appreciate it when a Christian student tries to convert them. </p>
<p>If you’re really secure in your conservative, religious beliefs, and are able to 1. defend your beliefs logically and 2. accept that most students there will disagree – and continue to disagree – with you, then you will have no problems. </p>
<p>Oh, and I think comparing a place like Yale to BJU in terms of “comfort level” for students who don’t fit the mainstream profile is entirely unfair. BJU operates on exclusionary principles and forces its students to sign a statement of faith. Its purpose is to give students a solid foundation in one narrow set of beliefs. Yale, on the other hand, accepts a much broader range of students, and its educational mission is grounded in openness.</p>
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<p>It’s not at all unfair. The two are totally different and are likely to appeal to totally different students. Period. One poster wanted to know why someone would choose a Christian C. I explained the reasoning my oldest gave us. It’s not sheltering (to him), it’s liberating. He wants to study with like-minded (philosophy-wise) professors. The department he’s in is a superb one from my research. Since the education level is there at his college (Fulbright Scholars, good grad school acceptance stats), I’m ok with that.</p>
<p>As for my family, my boys get to decide where they want to go for the most part. I eliminate some schools mainly based on low level freshmen scores (secular or Christian) or getting a “red light” from the system at “Choosing the Right College.” I’m not paying for a severely-below-their-capability education nor a political indoctrination that goes against everything I’ve learned in life (brought up died in the wool liberal democrat, changed over the years once running a business). Other than that, it’s up to them where they feel they will fit in - small, large, rural, city, secular, Christian, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed my college years at large secular U and really would have enjoyed having my boys go there, but I suspect my oldest will equally enjoy his years at small Christian C.</p>
<p>Middle son has started his looking process and we will be making rounds visiting those on his top list this spring (his junior year).</p>
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<p>But let’s be fair: it’s not necessarily fun to be in a small minority. It’s easy for members of the majority to tell somebody that the environment is open and accepting, and that the minority person should expose himself to new experiences, etc. I think it’s fair to say that an *extremely *conservative/fundamentalist Christian might find it quite uncomfortable at many colleges, unless he really enjoys debating and defending himself.</p>
<p>But I can also speak as somebody who was an evangelical Christian (although not extremely conservative)–I personally had no problems attending a very liberal selective university. I don’t recall facing any challenges to my beliefs in my classes–rather, as an English major, I derived great benefits from being able to understand Biblical references in Chaucer, Milton, etc. I joined an Intervarsity group that fed my spiritual life.</p>
<p>So there may be some people who would really thrive better at a Christian school. If, for example, you don’t believe in evolution, that might be an indicator that you would find some tough sledding at a lot of other schools. But just being religious–even devout–doesn’t mean that you won’t thrive at a “secular” school.</p>
<p>I have friends who sent their children to Taylor University in Indiana, Wheaton College in Illinois, and Hillsdale College in Michigan and all have been extremely satisfied with the mix of academics and faith based needs that have been met at all three.</p>
<p>Short answer: No. There are none, altho all were. The key here is the progression. And they are all moving in the wrong direction relative to Christian values, beliefs, and tolerance. And on the latter, there is little to none. Do not be deluded or seduced into thinking otherwise. They have no room for Christian conviction. Studying Christianity as a lone subject or part of a “world religions” format, certainly. But don’t confuse the 2.</p>
<p>Simply ask the question …who if any of the faculty are outspoken advocates, devotees of the Creation story? And of course that is the essence of the foundation of all Christianity that leads to the Cross. To deny that is as C.S.Lewis is to deny the Bible which is to deny Jesus Christ.</p>
<p>So I’m not trying to be harsh. Merely blunt, direct. The notion of this thread topic is simply ludicrous.</p>
<p>Are there good Christians at Ivy League institutions? We all know the answer to that. But do not equate one with the other.</p>
<p>btw, mamadrama’s previous post is insightful, imo. And those institutions and more are a whole lot more open and susceptible to embracing, reflecting and conveying the tenants AND the conviction of Chritianity.</p>
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As I noted above, if this is your view, you probably really will be more comfortable at a Christian college, unless you like to argue a lot. But if you are a Christian who finds this view a bit extreme, or even slightly offensive,then you will probably be comfortable at plenty of secular institutions.</p>
<p>Where did the idea come from that Christianity is anything BUT extreme. Of course it is. And it’s the watered down thinking and theology to make people feel good that has diverted and enabled implied allegations that anytime a spade is called just that, it’s “extreme,” “offensive,” less than “comfortable.” JC promised His followers would be mighty offensive and outcast. Let’s cease and desist on this mamby-pamby, I feel good/you feel good idea of Christianity. Jesus raised holy hell with notions like this.</p>
<p>I went to a liberal Ivy league school. I had two evangelical roommates (in a suite of 6). I was born again there! There were tons of Christian groups on campus. My neighbor went to a Christian college and was very surprised at how secular it was. You will find strong christians and ways to grow in your faith anywhere. My faith was strengthened by being in a challenging yet supportive environment. Don’t rule out a secular school. You can be salt and light where you are. All the best to you.</p>
<p>Some Christian schools (such as Wheaton) encourage students to explore/challenge their faith and one’s college years are a prime time to do that. </p>
<p>My friend, who happens to be the Valedictorian of her class, went to Wheaton over some VERY well known schools for exactly that reason</p>