I’m currently a junior in HS and I’m interested in medium-ish sized schools in SoCal, so I’ve been interested in Pepperdine.
I took a tour last week and the tour guide said the campus is about 70% Christians and 30% other. I feel like they fudge those numbers a bit (I feel like it’s probably more 80/20). I’m kind of religious but not really, so I want to know how often religion is brought up per day? Like could I go through a day and not think about religion or will it always be shoved down my throat?
Depends on your major and your friend group, but in general you will not go through a day without thinking of it. I wouldn’t say it’s “shoved down your throat”, but there definitely is a big push for it and an expectation that most students are religious. The required convocation (religious service) credits are probably going to be the most annoying/inconvenient thing for you if you’re not much into religion.
All in all, I would tell you that if you’re staunch atheist or devout member of another religion, you’ll have a hard time at Pepperdine. If you’re kind of “meh” or on the fence about religion, you can brush it off your shoulders.
Very.
@cthsjr
The expectation would be that you chose the university because religion is important. It’s not “shoved down your throad” as much as it is expected to matter to you every day, pretty much in everything you do, and you’re helped in staying on track - required bible study, required chapel, required religion classes. Almost all students will be believers, even if they aren’t necessarily Protestant Christian. They don’t want you to choose them just because they have a beautiful campus in Malibu.
Pepperdine is quite religious & very Republican.
If you did not go to a Christian HS or go to church on a regular basis you will be in a vast minority at Pepperdine. I’m not making a political statement, but my observation of my daughter and her friends is a strong dislike of Donald Trump, so I find the previous poster’s comment of “very Republican” interesting. Perhaps those 2 can go hand in hand?
The former Dean of Pepperdine’s Law School, Ken Starr, was (widely rumored) rewarded with the position for his work efforts with respect to impeachment proceedings against a sitting Democratic President. Was Pepperdine law school dean from 2004 until 2010 when he moved to Baylor University. Was first offered Pepperdine law school position in 1997.
Might be better to label Pepperdine University as conservative.
I wouldn’t call Pepperdine “very Republican” at all, but I suppose that could vary depending on your experiences/the circles you run in.