<p>So... I applied to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and I don't doubt I'll get accepted, because, let's just say my application glows like gold. I chose to apply there for all the major reasons anyone should apply to any school. One of Pepperdine's characteristics that got me thinking is that it's conservative due to it's affiliation with the Church of Christ. You see, I'm gay and I don't want to attend a school where I'll feel like an outsider. I want to go to college for my education not socializing, but I want to at least feel comfortable. So, here are my questions:
1. Are there any gay students at Pepperdine, and if so, on a scale of 1-10 (1 being not so much and 10 being extremely) how visible (visible as in "are any of them open?") are the students?
2. Does the school (staff and students) care whether someone's gay even though they might be religious/conservative?</p>
<p>Please help me out here, because March/April are sneaking up on us and I want to be happy with my decision with attending Pepperdine or not. Thank you!</p>
<p>Look at their student handbook online. On a positive note, harassing gay students is one of the examples of their condemnation of sexual harassment. On the other hand, page 35 says this about violation of the student code: “engaging in or promoting conduct or lifestyle inconsistent with biblical teaching is not permitted”, and then refers to homosexual activity/llifestyle. Furthermore, student activity off campus is also ground for college ethical violation rulings. Page 41 also states that homosexual conduct is grounds for disciplinary action.</p>
<p>So if you attend, you can file complaints if harassed for your orientation. But you can be expelled for any expression of your orientation and cannot be open about any romantic relationship or be seen at a gay bar.</p>
<p>Wow! This is scary, literally. I expected responses to be somewhere along the line of: “it’ll be fine” or “there’s lots of gay students at Pepp” or “as long as you don’t run around in leather underwear”. </p>
<p>@KKmama and @ucbalumnus: I heard they give out scholarships though to LGBT students.</p>
<p>@MYOS1634: I applied to another 14 colleges that I’m sure will get accepted to (at least some). ie: Columbia, UPenn, Fordham, NYU, American Uni, Loyola Marymount, USC, UCLA, UCBerkley, Uni of Cicago, Chicago State, Chicago IIT, University of San Francisco, and I also applied to Carnegie but canceled the app because I forgot to take the SAT2 for math2.</p>
<p>but, nonetheless, thanks you guys! if anyone else has anything to say, PLEASE DO!!!</p>
You heard wrong or it was a joke played on you. </p>
<p>A university that’s near Chicago, very gay-friendly, and still accepting applications, is Elmhurst, but considering some of your choices, it may be below safety. But certainly better than Chicago State (by which I assume you meant UIC?) :). There’s also Muhlenberg (if you’re on commonapp to make things quicker… because deadline is today although they will probably not disregard it if it’s sent on Sunday). Other gay-friendly schools (Vassar, Sarah Lawrence…) had earlier deadlines, alas.</p>
<p>Am I correct to assume you’re in-state in CA?</p>
<p>From what I can tell, Pepperdine’s LGBT scholarship is new, and given to those “promoting the health (mental or physical) and wellness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community,” not necessarily a scholarship for LGBT students (even though they say the scholarship is open to all sexual orientations). It is entirely possible that this scholarship was started because of past LGBT controversies, not necessarily to attract LGBT students to Pepperdine. It does not indicate any changes in the policies that others have mentioned above.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Pepperdine and can’t speak to the general attitudes of the student body and faculty towards LGBT students. From what I’ve read though, it doesn’t sound like it would be a good environment for an LGBT student to be in (or any student who doesn’t believe that any sexual relationship should be confined to a husband and a wife), unless Pepperdine gives you something very important that no other school can give you, which I highly doubt.</p>
<p>^“health of LGBT students”, at Pepperdine = making them straight since homosexuality is a sin that they must fight, evangelizing in the surrounding community against gayness, and doing one’s christian duty toward gay-afflicted people who are prone to poor choices, such as promiscuity, etc. I’m hardly exagerating.
Look into what side Pepperdine students were when CA decided to ban “gay-to-straight reform youth camps”.
The progress is that if nobody knows you’re gay and you try to fight it, you won’t be expelled anymore. But Pepperdine is still among the Top 20 most gay-intolerant colleges in the country.</p>
<p>Wow (again!)! This discussion def blew the wind out of me. I never though a uni in SoCal (Malibu to be specifically) would be so homophobic. I am vastly disappointed!!! I really thought Pepp would be such a good fit for me… Now, I have nothing to say… I feel like I dropped a baby!!! Thanks so much everyone. You practically saved the next four years of my life, because imagine if I decided to go to Pepp??? … </p>
<p>@MYOS1634: I don’t want to attend a LGBT friendly school, to be exact. Just a school that just doesn’t care or doesn’t have a problem. Thanks for the recs, and yes I do live in California.</p>
<p>@baktrax: Thank you for your insight and advice! </p>
<p>If you are concerned about official administration attitudes toward LGBT students, check especially carefully on the religiously affiliated schools on your list, although many religiously affiliated schools are not as LGBT-unfriendly as Pepperdine apparently is. Also, some otherwise LGB-friendly administrations do not necessarily handle T very well, particularly with existing gendered dorm living arrangements.</p>
<p>Getting into Pepperdine is not about stats, at least when my D applied. Do they still have those essays? Might have changed when they went common app. And even after you get in, admitted students day is no joke. It’s not about being in Malibu. You should want to be at Pepperdine. </p>
<p>@ucbalumnus: I have done that. Most of the schools I applied to are LGBT friendly, but I could be wrong since I was about Pepp. But I’m sure the rest are okay with it, even Catholic schools like Fordham and Loyola. </p>
<p>@Shrinkrap: What do you mean " not about stats"? And what do you mean “student day is no joke”? Yes, Pepp has its required writing supplement, and the Common App requires a general supplement, also. I made sure I mentioned my sexual orientation in all of my essays for all schools. There’s even evidence in my extra curricular. And, I didn’t want to go to Pepp because it’s in Malibu. I want to major in business and Pepp has one of the best business programs.</p>
<p>I mean if you look at the admission stats, there is a range of things like gpa and SAT scores, that don’t match it’s admission rate. At least that was so in the past. They are looking for something else. Years ago, what they were looking for was obvious in their essay prompts. And if you didn’t “get it” in the admissions process, you did when you got to their admitted student day. </p>
<p>But I am talking about our family’s experience in 2008. </p>
<p>BTW, my son, class of 2011, is at Loyola Marymount ( Jesuit more than Cathoilic), and many of his high school peers were at Biola and similar.</p>
<p>@Shrinkrap: But if I don’t “get in” why would I go to their student day??? And Pepp does not have a low admissions rate. They accept 30-35% of applicants-- that’s very high, at least to me! But you’re right about the “stats”.</p>
<p>@Shrinkrap: Also, please explain more about student day. What was it like? Too religious/conservative? Preppy and full of white rich kids? Too heterosexual? lol</p>
<p>I mean even if your application is “gold”, and you get in, you might not be happy. </p>
<p>The experience was long ago, and I don’t remember details, but it stuck with me. My D felt it would work for her, but it did not work for me. She is very different now than she was at 18. I don’t think there is any way she would choose it today. </p>
