Parents worried about politics and sending their baby to college: Elon, HPU, UNCG, Liberty, CofC

College Search & Selection
23

Please do not diss Liberty like that and spread a false narrative of what the school is like. I know many people who attend Liberty University and the school does not foster a culture of bigotry. Many people spread false rumors about the school because the school sticks to its Christian values that some people do not agree with. The school is not for everyone, but if you want to be surrounded by other Christians, it might just be. The school’s faculty actually cares about each and every student and there are so many amazing options for students. Students get started working towards their degree from day one in specialized classes and not just gen eds. The students I know at Liberty are sooo welcoming to others, even if they have different beliefs/ideas and I would say that the student body is a mix of liberals, independents, and conservatives. Liberty also has an amazing business school!

Also, I would not consider liberal-leaning college campuses to be inclusive at all. Coming from a political moderate who attended a very liberal university, it was not somewhere I would recommend anyone to go. Students at my campus were doxxed for having different beliefs.

24

I participated in an arts camp at the school and have friends who went there for undergrad so I think I have basis for my opinion. Some people love going there, certainly, but my own perception of the school is negative, and that’s what I was putting out there. It’s up to the student to make up her own mind based on people’s respective opinions. I’m a Christian who has a close personal relationship with God but I don’t respect the philosophy of schools like Liberty that enforce a narrow view of what being a good Christian looks like. I had a gay friend at Liberty whose experience was made hell by both students and faculty to the extent that he transferred out. That kind of intolerance in any community – especially a Christian one – is a disqualifying factor for me. Again, that is just my opinion, and it’s no more valid than yours!

I’m sorry that your personal experience at a liberal school had those negative aspects. I think there is always a danger to attending schools at either extreme of the ideological spectrum since there will be always be some zealots among them. A moderate/more politically neutral environment is probably the best place for @strongmindedgirl if she wants to experience diversity and tolerance while building a network of fellow Christians or conservatives.

7 Likes
25

Another idea – Hollins! Great dance and business programs, small supportive community, plus the women-only aspect might appeal to your parents :grinning:

3 Likes
26

I also have friends that attend UNCG and love it! Thanks for the input!

1 Like
27

As the niece and granddaughter of Liberty graduates, I can say that it is a great school for some! I do feel that it can seem somewhat exclusive and focused, which is not inherently bad, just not something I am personally looking for. I do believe experience varies between students, as I’ve heard great and horribly negative things from close family and friends that have attended or visited.

1 Like
29

Thank you! I think I’m looking for a larger co-Ed school, but definitely a great option!

30

James Madison in VA also has a dance major and a range of business majors.

CofC sounds like a nice fit for you, though, with its Arts Managment major or minor in additional to the more typical business majors, and its dance major or minor as well. And Charleston as a city has so much to offer, culturally, historically, and recreationally. There are SO many faith-based organizations on campus: - CougarConnect Maybe if you were to involve your parents in a discussion about how to choose among the 10-or-so different Christian groups to get involved in, looking into the various options might help them to picture you at the school without imagining you adrift in a Godless wasteland :wink:

3 Likes
31

@constellationed The Mission statement requires that student believe certain things and demonstrate that belief in the application essay. By definition, Liberty University is not open to people who have “other beliefs”

I’m sorry that you feel that you were not made to feel accepted at a “liberal” college.

However to, because of that, claim that Liberty is inclusive, just because you personally would not feel excluded, demonstrates that you do not, in fact, understand the term “inclusive” at all.

An applicant may not be looking for inclusiveness when deciding on a college. I do not add that as a factor when recommending a college, if a poster does not indicate that this is important for them. I am only responding the claim that Liberty University is something which it is not, nor does it claim to be.

PS. @strongmindedgirl I meant “Southern Methodist” above, NOT “Southern Baptist”. Sorry…

3 Likes
32

What about Wake Forest? It is a Baptist school but not so overtly conservative as Liberty.

33

Thanks for the advice!

34

:+1:Thank you!

35

I’ve looked into it, but they don’t quite offer what I’m looking for. Thanks!

36

You should be fine at the College of Charleston, UNC-Greensboro, & Elon.

University of Richmond might be a match for you.

College is about personal growth. Hard to grow in an environment which encourages a uniform outlook on matters. Better to be challenged. Time to take a break from constant parental control. If college is comfortable & reassuring, then you may not be adequately challenged.

1 Like
37

Out of curiosity, do you tell atheists to attend a Christian college to challenge their beliefs or is it only one direction?

There are many good reasons to attend a secular college. H, two of my boys, and I all did with no regrets. IMO this isn’t one of them. And my lad who chose a rather conservative Christian college is doing just fine in his life 6 years out working in a secular job that many drool over.

3 Likes
38

As an aside - When we talk about “challenging the beliefs” of a kid raised in this large segment of society, we’re just talking about exposing them to beliefs that differ than those that surrounded them while they grew up.

A person can grow up in extensive regions of the USA without every having met, spoken to, or even heard of any other set of beliefs other than Fundamentalist Protestant Christian ones. For a large proportion of kids who were raised in a fundamentalist Christian household, college is the very first time that they will ever meet somebody who doesn’t accept their Church’s beliefs as uncontroversial facts.

On the other hand, one cannot step out of one’s house without being bombarded with Christian imagery. From the Christian basis of all national holidays (except, perhaps, 4th of July), to “in God we trust” on all currency, to “under God” in the pledge of allegiance, it is impossible for a non Christian, be they atheist, Hindu, Muslim, or Jew to avoid having their beliefs challenged every single day, whether they live in the Bible Belt, in an Francisco, or even an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish enclave in Brooklyn.

Also, despite the wails and lamentations of so many, only about 4% of adults in the USA consider themselves to be atheists, while 31% consider themselves to be fundamentalists.

So atheists are not only a very small group, but only a small fraction of those are being raised isolated from people with other belief systems. On the other hand, kids who were raised in a fundamentalist households and were raised isolated from people with non-fundamentalist beliefs are a substantial proportion of the students who are graduating high school every year.

So people tend to ignore the miniscule segment of graduating high school students who grew up in an atheist bubble, compared to the large segment who grew up in a fundamentalist Christian bubble.

PS. If a kid happened to post here that they had never met an non-atheist in their lives, and had no idea what religion even meant, you bet that I would recommend that they visit every house of worship available, and that they sit in on services in each of them.

9 Likes
39

As MWolf point out so elegantly, it would be tough to find an atheist who has not had their beliefs challenged- or at least questioned with sincerity-on a constant basis.

So it’s not a question of “direction”, it’s a question of intensity, being part of a minority (atheist) in a predominantly Christian culture.

I grew up as a member of a religious minority (and a first Gen American to boot) in a town that was mostly Catholic. Irish, Italian and Polish. I did not meet an evangelical until I started working (post college) but it didn’t take long to realize that even a “mostly Catholic” town was significantly more diverse than a lot of the communities that my co-workers had grown up in. And if they had attended a religious college, there was some serious culture shock going on. College graduates who referred to Jewish people as “Hebrews” or “Israelites”-- and didn’t understand that proselytizing at work might be considered inappropriate. And several visits from HR (and a union rep) to reinforce the notion that saying “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior” was not the right way to kick off a team meeting!!!

So sure- it goes both ways. BUT- Liberty university isn’t in any hurry to accept kids from different faiths, but plenty of secular colleges not only admit kids from different backgrounds, but have chaplains on the payroll to provide support and services for those kids, provide space for prayer in university buildings, etc.

How many Jewish kids are at BYU or Liberty? Do I need both hands or can I count them on one?

1 Like
40

There’s no way in the world that a student graduating from a public high school in this day and age hasn’t been exposed to people of other (or no) beliefs. I live in a Deep Red area and there are several serious Christians/Mormons and some Jehovah’s Witness kids at our school learning right alongside others. Teachers run the gamut too. My science lunch table (of teachers) has atheist to devout Christian sitting at it - all friends.

There are plenty of kids who learn about God as more than some vague word or Christmas picture for the first time in History class (Non-Western Civ). It’s not even remotely a religion class, but teaches about the big ones out there and their affect on the planet through history. Nonetheless, some parents complain that “there’s religion in schools!!!”

2 Likes
41

You are comparing “the old days” to now. Life is quite a bit different now. We recently watched a PBS documentary on the Green Book (not the movie). It wasn’t long ago that it was essentially required for travel, but today? Yes, there’s still racism, but nothing at all like what things used to be.

Ditto for religion in schools.

Not all Christian colleges are Liberty or BYU. Most aren’t. But that’s a different deal.

1 Like
42

Creek- I respect your experiences. But I’m sure you understand that to Hindu kid (or a Buddhist kid, or a Muslim kid) the distinctions you make between Christians and Mormons don’t exactly scream “diversity”. That’s what increases the sense of “otherness” on the part of religious minorities- they are supposed to understand the theological differences between various Christian denominations (all of whom share substantial beliefs around Jesus) but the “majority” culture can’t be bothered to distinguish between “all the others”. As if non-Christian religions are all interchangeable, easily swapped out?

3 Likes
43

I was lumping them together - not using them as examples of diversity. We have several atheist or “spiritual without identifying with any named religion” kids at our school - more than most other religions TBH - and we’re deep red territory. There are churches everywhere (always surprises our exchange students with just how many there are).

I did a quick google search and on the opening page the couple of lines mentioned a survey done in '95 (15 years ago) that said only 38% of 7th-12th graders go to church every week. I’m guessing it’s a lot fewer now.

There’s no way devoted Christians of any persuasion aren’t challenged in their faith in a public high school.