Best schools for religion studies major?

College Search & Selection
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<p>My D is a rising senior. She is interested in a Religious studies and/or theology major with a biology double major and/or minor. Her GPA is a 3.75 weighted (probably higher now but grades haven't come out yet). She scored a 2120 on the SAT. Her guidance counselor told her that she is in the top 15% of her class. She attends a small, rigorous, independent prep school in the north east. She has always taken predominantly honors and AP courses.</p>

<p>We have looked at </p>

<p>Villanova (legacy)
Boston College
Holy Cross(legacy)
Notre Dame
Fairfield
Providence College
Loyola Maryland
Catholic University</p>

<p>Are there any other schools that we should look at? I feel like we are missing something. She would like a Catholic school but that is not a necessity. She did not attend a Catholic high school. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated as I feel that we have a list of reaches and targets but no safeties.</p>

<p>Thanks!!!!</p>

2

<p>U Dayton would give her some merit aid and would be a safety.</p>

3

<p>The University of Chicago is probably the finest school for religious studies at the graduate level, you might want to look at their undergrad major specifics. Other good religion grad schools that might have good spillover into undergrad include Columbia and Vanderbilt and HYP. Some of these departments are pretty post-Christian, so if you are looking into Catholic theology particularly, maybe stay with your list.</p>

4

<p>Thanks! We look into Dayton. Can you think of any others?</p>

5

<p>Based on her stats, I think that all of these schools would be major reaches for her. Can you think of any others that are not so competitive?</p>

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<p>Reaches? Not at all. I’d think Villanova and Fairfield would be safties. Our neighbor got into those with no where near those SATs scores. The only true reaches might be Boston College and Notre Dame. Also look into Fordham.</p>

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<p>Notre Dame, BC and Holy Cross are reaches. Excellent chances at all the others. Agree with danceclass on Fordham (excellent chances there as well). Best of luck!</p>

8

<p>Agree with UDayton, maybe check out the other Loyolas (Chicago, New Orleans, Marymount).</p>

9

<p>danceclass and poi would appear to be more informed on this than some others, and I’d concur.</p>

<p>THE issues for your daughter would appear to be 2:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>What does she want from a religious studies program? Comparative study of the world religions? Chicago, as noted is great. Conversely, if one desires to honor Christ in this pursuit, that would definitely be one of my last resorts, even if I were admissable. One needs to be very careful in this area of study particularly, even at Catholic and/or Christian institutions. There are tons of enlightened, “progressive” religion scholars at many seemingly religious institutions. All in the name of scholarship and diversity, the buzz notions too many places.</p></li>
<li><p>In studying biology, what is the POV on evolution and creation science? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Yours is a most complex combination for students serious about either area of study with a heart for Jesus Christ. However, it is well and too truthfully noted by Oswald Chambers, that f many are enamored with Christianity with little or no heart for Christ.</p>

<p>So my own inclination is that absent knowing what your student really desires and dreams of studying and its context in the the light of Christ, any counsel and its provider might be inadequate and/or naive.</p>

10

<p>*My D is a rising senior. She is interested in a Religious studies and/or theology major with a biology double major and/or minor. Her GPA is a 3.75 weighted (probably higher now but grades haven’t come out yet). She scored a 2120 on the SAT. *</p>

<p>What is her career goal? </p>

<p>If she would like a Catholic U, then any of the ones on your list would be find. Any of the other Jesuits, Gonzaga, St. Louis U, Loyola chicago…as well.</p>

<p>If you’re certain that you can afford any of these schools then you don’t need a financial safety school because certainly she’ll get accepted to Fairfield and Loyola Maryland.</p>

<p>however, if you can’t pay $50k per year, be sure to include a couple financial safeties. :)</p>

<p>*
2. In studying biology, what is the POV on evolution and creation science? *</p>

<p>that would not be an issue if she attended a Catholic U. Catholics can certainly believe that the universe is billions of years old.</p>

11

<p>

I’m sure, despite the Bible’s contention to the contrary, there are many Catholics among the culture who do believe in a billion year crawl from nothing matter to everything does, and Darwin’s atheistic notion. But as you note this, I suspect I’ve failed to convey the more essential point. The REAL issue is finding a bio department open to the Christian’s reality that it isn’t boxed into the billion football seasons schedule, and was in fact, instantly … or at least a week’s Creation. Isn’t it interesting how we proclaim that God might do everything but what we’re told in the first 4 chapters of the Text that Thomas Jefferson deemed required of every school in the USA.</p>

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<p>^^^</p>

<p>Perhaps you misunderstood. If this student goes to a Catholic U (and she is Catholic) her bio program will not be at odds AT ALL with her theology courses or religious studies.</p>

<p>Catholics are not taught to believe in the literal bible story of creation…a “day” may be 1 billion years.</p>

<p>If this student belonged to a more fundamentalist religion, then it could be more of an issue. At a Catholic univ…it will not be an issue at all.</p>

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<p>I attended U. of Dayton for my undergrad degree. UD is Marianist and a very liberal catholic university. All undergrads are required to complete 18 hours of theology, so every graduate actually finishes with a minor in religious studies. I took advantage of it and was able to take Judaism, World Religions, and even 400 level grad courses on Spirituality and Mythology. Growing up Jewish myself, UD was actually a very welcoming community and the religious aspects of the campus aren’t dominating. Although I will say that I had no idea what was all over everyone’s forehead on Ash Wednesday, lol! My brother also attended UD and he had the exact positive experience I did, but chose to fulfill his theology requirements by taking Philosophy courses (all students have this option). He ended up majoring in Philosophy and then staying at UD for Law School. It’s a wonderful university and I highly recommend UD. </p>

<p>I also took lots of biology courses for the record. From bio 101, to environmental bio, to 400 level invertebrate bio, and trust me, no one was talking about creationism at any point during any science course.</p>

<p>The only last thing I will add is that your D legacy at Holy Cross may be a enough of a nudge for it to be a possibility.</p>

14

<p>Thanks so much for all the information! I didn’t mention before but I am not really interested in D attending an “airplane school”. The only school like that on the list is Notre Dame and, given its competitive admission requirements, I doubt that she would be accepted there. Since we live on the east coast, with so many good schools nearby, I see no reason to put her on a plane to go to school. All of the other schools on the list are easily reachable from our home by either car or train.</p>

<p>We are Catholic, so I would prefer D to attend a Catholic school. She is primarily interested in studying Catholic Theology but would consider Religious Studies at a school that does not have a Theology major (most do not). As far as her desire to study biology, she has always loved bio and would like to continue with it at an advanced level. She is thinking that she may want to get involved in bio ethics at some point but for now is not sure. (She is only 16 after all!)</p>

<p>We will look into Fordham and perhaps Dayton. Dayton may be too far and my D absolutely hates NYC (we used to live there) so Fordham may be out.</p>

<p>Any other possibilities? I would be interested in schools that you folks think might be financial safeties for her. We will not qualify for any financial aid so I wonder if you think she will qualify for merit aid.</p>

<p>Thanks again!!!</p>

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<p>I would be interested in schools that you folks think might be financial safeties for her. We will not qualify for any financial aid so I wonder if you think she will qualify for merit aid.</p>

<p>What is the breakdown of your D’s SAT? Some schools only use the M+CR to determine scholarships. And, will she be testing again?</p>

<p>Can you tell us more. Are you fine with paying “full-freight” if she doesn’t get any merit? </p>

<p>Or, is $50k+ per year too much for your budget? If so, then you may need to adjust your list to include more schools where she is more likely or will definitely get merit scholarships. </p>

<p>If you need merit scholarships to comfortably afford a $50k per year school, how much do you need? For instance…a $10k per year merit scholarship (which probably could happen at a few schools), will still require you to pay about $40k per year. </p>

<p>A better question is this:: Since schools vary in COA, how much are you comfortable in spending per year? (Obviously a $10k scholarship at a $35k per year school is better than a $15k per year scholarship at a $50k per year school.)</p>

<p>In regards to the “no airplane school issue” …is that to control costs? If so, if she got a large merit scholarship somewhere that would make your out of pocket costs low, would that requirement be relaxed? I would think that for every additional $10k per year you save, airplane travel could be justified.</p>

<p>The problem I see is this. It can be hard to find large merit scholarships in the NE that don’t require NMF status, or very high stats. Modest merit scholarship might be able to be gotten (like the $10k per year example)…but larger merit scholarships would require higher stats or some plane travel to other areas in the country.</p>

<p>For instance, at UDayton…</p>

<p>with a A GPA (don’t know what that is in GPA point system) and a 1410 Math +CR SAT, she would get about $14k per year in merit money. The COA is about $46k per year (tuition, room, board, books, fees, personal expenses, misc). A $14k per year merit brings the cost down to $32k per year. Allowing another $3k for frequent plane travel, the cost would be $35k. That might be cheaper than a more local college.</p>

<p>however, if $35k per year might be more than what’s comfortable for your family, then you need to consider schools that will give even LARGER merit scholarships…like free tuition. With a free tuition scholarship you costs could be as low as $15k per year (including frequent plane travel)</p>

<p>Anyway…I would suggest applying to at least 1 or 2 schools that would give your D very large merit scholarships…just in case your family’s financial situation changes over the next year and you find affording college next year difficult. </p>

<p>Is your D a likely NMSF? What was her PSAT?</p>

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<p>Also an “airplane school” from the NE, but you may consider Marquette University. They have the requisite majors/minors and a lower tuition than many catholic universities in the NE. In a addition, they offer merit scholarships; my son was offered $12k per year a couple of years ago. As stated above, many NE privates offer very limited merit monies and only for the very highest stats or to encourage diversity.</p>

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<p>And as for “airplane schools”, depending on your proximity to an airport, it may very well take less time to fly than to train to some NE colleges. My son takes Amtrak and then SEPTA from CT to Villanova and the trip usually takes something like 4-1/2+ hours. Travel by plane to Dayton, Chicago or Milwaukee could conceivably be shorter (except for the possibility of winter weather).</p>

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<p>Her breakdown was CR 730, M 680, and W 720. I can’t remember her PSATs but I don’t think she will qualify for NMSF. (it’s my understanding that the threshold is much higher for independent school students and she attends an independent school.). she is on the fence about taking the SAT again. </p>

<p>My desire for no airplane schools stems from the fact that my daughter is very young for her grade. She skipped a year in grade school. I guess I would just like her closer should we need to get to her quickly. </p>

<p>We can afford 50k a year but we have told all of our kids that we will only pay for 3 years of college for each of them. My husband and I both paid for our degrees ourselves through scholarships, work and loans. I think paying for 3 years is generous based on my experience.</p>

<p>I would like to know which Catholic schools have generous merit aid. After the comments here, I probably would consider an airplane school if the merit aid was generous.</p>

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<p>*My desire for no airplane schools stems from the fact that my daughter is very young for her grade. She skipped a year in grade school. I guess I would just like her closer should we need to get to her quickly.</p>

<p>I would like to know which Catholic schools have generous merit aid. After the comments here, I probably would consider an airplane school if the merit aid was generous. </p>

<p>*</p>

<p>I wouldn’t worry that much about her age and plane thing. If she’s mature, the fact that she’s one year younger won’t make a difference…especially after the first year in college. I know a PA girl (similar situation) who started at my son’s school and was just 17…she’s done fine. She has flown back and forth a few times per year…and she’s close to the Honors faculty (which at my kids’ school are like extra parents on campus). but, obviously, if she goes to an airplane school, you would want to make sure that certain things were in place to act on your behalf until you could get to her if necessary. :)</p>

<p>We can afford 50k a year but we have told all of our kids that we will only pay for 3 years of college for each of them. My husband and I both paid for our degrees ourselves through scholarships, work and loans. I think paying for 3 years is generous based on my experience.</p>

<p>Can you clarify…** Do you REALLY mean that you will spend up to $150k over FOUR years, so they need to either stay within that budget or get merit.**</p>

<p>I hope you don’t mean that you would pay $50k for each of the frosh, soph, and jr years…and then somehow think your child is going to find a student loan for $50k. That won’t happen…and it wouldn’t be a good way to go. </p>

<p>I (and likely others) would strongly recommend that you determine a total budget (say $150k) and then divide by 4 years. </p>

<p>Student loans are as follows (without parent co-signers)</p>

<p>frosh 5500
soph 6500
jr 7500
sr 7500</p>

<p>If your budget is $150k per child, then you should tell your child that her budget is $36k per year…and anything more than that MUST come from scholarships or small fed student loans. </p>

<p>Ok…so if you agree to the $36k per year as the budget, that means that the scholarships would have to be large enough for room, board, books, personal expenses, etc. …because your $36k would just be paying for tuition. </p>

<p>So, UDayton is possible, SLU could work, and I know some publics would work. </p>

<p>anyone know what Loyola Maryland’s scholarships are like for her stats???</p>

<p>My husband and I both paid for our degrees ourselves through scholarships, work and loans.</p>

<p>:) </p>

<p>I think that your $150k budget is VERY generous (so don’t misunderstand… :slight_smile: ). However, don’t look back at what you and spouse did…the situations are nothing alike anymore. If you went to school in the 70s/80s, kids could work their way thru college.</p>

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<p>*CR 730, M 680, and W 720. I can’t remember her PSATs but I don’t think she will qualify for NMSF. (it’s my understanding that the threshold is much higher for independent school students and she attends an independent school.). she is on the fence about taking the SAT again. *</p>

<p>Well, her M+CR is a 1410, so she’s in the higher merit for UDayton as long as her GPA is an A average (not sure what that is for Dayton).</p>

<p>What about study abroad issues/costs? Would you include those in the $150k limits or not? I would imagine that with her major, she would do a study abroad for a semester or summer. If you would include those costs in the budget, you might want to adjust the “yearly” amount a bit to accommodate those costs.</p>

<p>As for PSAT…</p>

<p>Does your D go to a “NE boarding school”? If so, then the cut-off is:
New England Boarding Schools 223</p>

<p>However, if it just a private school, I don’t think that cut-off applies. </p>

<p>These were last year’s cutoff scores…they can go up or down a bit each year. However, 223 is the highest score in the past several years.</p>

<p>Qualifying Scores for the Class of 2011 National Merit Semifinalists:
Alabama 210
Alaska 214
Arizona 209
Arkansas 203
California 219
Colorado 212
Connecticut 219
Delaware 215
District of Columbia 223
Florida 210
Georgia 215
Hawaii 215
Idaho 208
Illinois 214
Indiana 212
Iowa 209
Kansas 211
Kentucky 208
Louisiana 210
Maine 213
Maryland 220
Massachusetts 223
Michigan 209
Minnesota 213
Mississippi 205
Missouri 210
Montana 208
Nebraska 210
Nevada 208
New Hampshire 214
New Jersey 221
New Mexico 206
New York 217
North Carolina 214
North Dakota 202
Ohio 212
Oklahoma 206
Oregon 215
Pennsylvania 216
Rhode Island 211
South Carolina 208
South Dakota 205
Tennessee 212
Texas 215
Utah 203
Vermont 212
Virginia 218
Washington 218
West Virginia 202
Wisconsin 209
Wyoming 202
Commended 201
International 223
New England Boarding Schools 223</p>