<p>It certainly is rigorous and well-respcted. It is not particularly religious, however. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA and has students of many Christian denominations as well as non-Christian students, including those of Jewish and Muslim backgrounds and I am confident some students of Hindu and Buddhist faiths as well.</p>
<p>I do not know the exact breakdown of where students are from but am reasonably sure that at least half are from regions other than the Southeast, with a substantial proportion from the Northeast, and Middle Atlantic states. One must also remember that the South is a large and by no means monolithic region; it includes includes such highly diverse locations as Northern Virginia, Texas, South Florida, and the ever-cosmopolitan New Orleans as well as rural and suburban areas of the entire region which in themselves are quite varied.</p>
<p>I think populations at most LACs, even those in the Northeast, tend to skew somewhat toward the region they are situated in. That said, their academic excellence is such that they provide an wonderful education in both the academic sense and the sociocultural sense. That doesn’t mean any one or every one of them is the right choice for everyone though, only that one should have no concern that attending a small and excellent school will negatively impact one’s future professional plans.</p>