<p>I live fairly close to Gordon College (in Massachusetts) and, as a result, a very large percentage of the Christian adults I know have been educated there. I've heard good things about its academic reputation overall, but my grades are quite strong (and although I know colleges don't see your PSAT result, I had a 240 on that), and so I'm more considering Gordon as a safety school than anything else right now. That said, most of what I hear about its community and evangelical aspects sound excellent - but then, I have very few Christian schools to compare Gordon to. I'm also not sure I'll be going to a Christian college anyway - I might try to get into Amherst or Cornell if possible - so it's quite important to me how strong the academics at Gordon are. </p>
<p>Can anyone here give me an idea of how strong academically Gordon is, particularly in English and mathematics (and even more particularly, if possible, in statistics?)? Rankings would be great, too, secular or not. </p>
<p>I'd really enjoy going there, but if there are other, stronger Christian schools within several hundred miles of Massachusetts - as I don't want to go more than, say, a thousand miles away from home - it'd be great to be aware of them, too.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with Gordon, but I can tell you, in my research, the two top Christian colleges as per SAT scores of students remain Wheaton (IL) and Grove City ¶. Check those two out as you compare. They’re both a bit above Gordon.</p>
<p>Do both of them have strong English/mathematics programs? And how evangelical, and how conservative are they? </p>
<p>I don’t have particularly strong opinions on conservatism/liberalism, but it would be nice to attend a school like Gordon that, while relatively conservative, is not extremely so. Something with a fairly flexible approach to choosing courses would also be excellent, as I’d like to be able to have time to pursue independent writing while taking courses (i.e. if the academic workload has to be rigorous enough to take up all of my time, it probably wouldn’t be ideal). </p>
<p>Do Wheaton and/or Grove City have all of these things? So many things to consider!</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with either major at either school - just letting you know where the top Christian students (as per SAT/ACT) go when looking at Christian schools.</p>
<p>Grove City is politically Libertarian - very much so. Then they are somewhat conservative (and listed in almost all top ranked lists of conservative schools). When I think of Christian conservative/fundamentalist I tend to think of Pensacola Christian or BJU. I would not put Grove City in with those ranks of conservative from what I know about them. I don’t know how they are on class choice. If they at all appeal to you, contact them.</p>
<p>Wheaton is a bit more liberal from all perspectives, but not wholeheartedly on the ‘Christian liberal’ scene like Hope or St Olaf would be. I’m not familiar with Gordon at all to compare the two. I do know kids who are Christian conservative (but not as much as PCC or BJU) go to Wheaton and have come back telling me how liberal some of the teaching is.</p>
<p>I have two daughters, one a soph at Gordon and the other a freshman at Amherst College. Both were strong students at the top of their HS classes, with good SATs. My daughter at Gordon had lots of choices, including BC and others. Both my daughters love their schools, and I have to say that the academics at Gordon seem quite rigorous. She loves the Christian community, the size of the school, and the quality of the student body. She plays a sport at Gordon that she probably couldn’t have played at a larger school. Gordon is not as strict as some schools, and it has considerable diversity within the student body. While Wheaton is probably at the top of the list of best Christian colleges (I don’t know much about Grove City), Gordon and Westmont are great alternatives on each coast. And while the Gordon reputation won’t be as valuable as an Amherst or other NESCAC school (Williams, Bowdoin, Tufts, Midd, etc.), it does get its students who do well there into good graduate programs. (It’s also about $15K less than most NESCACs, so its a good deal).</p>
<p>A couple more things to note, my daughter tried the Math major (decided it wasn’t for her) and is now a double major in Psych and Communications (with an emphasis on writing, too). She has loved her English courses and is considering a study abroad program they offer in italy. If you’d want to talk to her, maybe we can find a way to connect you to her.</p>
<p>Gordon’s pretty good. I wouldn’t worry too much about average SAT scores. There are plenty of schools that offer a great education, and have students with very impressive SAT scores, even if the average SAT score isn’t super high. Take me, for example. I took the SAT for the first time in middle school, through the talent search program at Johns Hopkins. I wanted a Christian college near Boston, so I chose Eastern Nazarene College over Gordon. Students’ average SAT scores at Eastern Nazarene aren’t up there with Boston College, but a friend of mine from back home in Maryland chose it over Harvard College and several of the professors have degrees from Ivy League universities.</p>
<p>Gordon would’ve been a good choice for me, too, but it was too far from Boston for my liking and it was also too intellectually conservative for me. Ironically, it was too liberal in terms of campus life, as well (a lot more partying than I preferred). I was intrigued by the idea that professors at Eastern Nazarene seemed more open to questioning, but that ENC was less of a party school, so that balance helped me decide. Every school fits somewhere on a spectrum, and you just need to find what you will enjoy – and what will challenge you most!</p>
<p>Now if I could just help my sister transfer to a good college with her major…</p>
<p>etienne, thanks for posting about Eastern Nazarene. It’s a school I have heard of, but didn’t really know anything about. It seems to potentially offer a fit for my D’s interests.</p>
<p>Etienne, what do you mean by intellectually conservative? I haven’t run into that phrase before and I’d be curious to know what you mean, particularly in reference to Gordon.</p>
<p>Sorry; I think I meant theologically conservative. Not sure why I said intellectually conservative. I guess I was mostly remarking on my observation that my alma mater seemed more theologically liberal, and Catholic-friendly, by comparison, in spite of its denominational ties and more conservative social dynamic.</p>