<p>I'm Jewish and I know this school is Catholic. I've heard of some religious colleges that require religious classes. Is this one of them? I'm interested in Loyola because I've heard they have a very good film/tv program. Does it feel very religiousy? Is there people attending from all religions?</p>
<p>Yes, there are people attending from other religions. When we toured the school our student tour guide was Jewish and made a big point of telling our group that he felt welcome there.</p>
<p>I am going there this fall... I am Jewish :)</p>
<p>My daughter went to LMU for one semester. (She was a spring admit at another school.) We are Jewish. She was one of 5 people who joined Hillel and the only one who showed up. But with one notable exception at an orientation when a family got up from the table when they found out that we are Jewish she never had a problem.</p>
<p>I find it very hard to believe that a "family" would just get up and leave because you said that you were Jewish. Were they planning on leaving at that time anyway? </p>
<p>As for the size of the Hillel group? Catholic schools probably aren't terribly popular with very religious Jews.</p>
<p>It appears that your daughter used LMU while she was biding her time for her spring admit. Did you happen to mention that you were only there because your daughter was a spring admit to her first choice? </p>
<p>It IS a Catholic school and that is very important to many people. Did you express your dismay at the Catholicism? Sometimes people offend other people and it has nothing to do with being Jewish.</p>
<p>Our Jewish tour guide said he was happy at LMU and felt very welcome there. He never said it was a full Jewish experience with groups and activities.</p>
<p>Number one: We are not religious. My husband was raised Episcopalian.<br>
Two: We were in the middle of dinner. There were three families there. The one family who left was thrilled, at first, to meet us because my husband is an attorney who went to LMU for Law School. Their son's goal was to be a lawyer and attend Loyola for law school as well. They started asking questions which my husband answered, including the name of his firm. The mother asked if my husband if he was uncomfortable with working with so many Jews. MY husband said that we were Jewish. They got up with their filled plates and stood to eat dinner across the field. Bigotry comes in all shapes and forms. The other family apologized, unnecessarily, for the first family's behavior.
I do find it interesting that you would assume that we would say anything disparaging about Catholicism and thus bring this on ourselves. Think about it.</p>
<p>How Religious is the school in general??</p>
<p>ellebud,
I am sorry about the bigotry. People can be so rude. Whether it was intentional or an awkward gaffe, who knows? Still, it isn't cool. Some schools are much more welcoming with religious diversity than others. It is all about where a kid feels best. </p>
<p>We toured a campus with my son last summer which he loved; and once he visited a spring admit day, he felt that the religion was emphasized over many of the other features of the school. Since he didn't have that partiuclar viewpoint, he felt that it wasn't the best fit for him. Could he have been happy there, yes, but he realized he wanted to go to a school that was slightly more tolerant of other religions. He is going to be attending a private, Christian college in the fall.</p>
<p>Just for the record, other son attends a Catholic college. Our family is not Catholic, but it didn't feel like as big a deal at this particular college.</p>
<p>I truly think that LMU is welcoming of diversity but they do have standards. My daughter said that, had she stayed, she would have had to take two classes in religion. One of them could have been on the old Testament. She knew that the New Testament would be very challenging for her since she would start knowing only the basics. </p>
<p>I do think that the Film School will bring about a gradual, but significant change to LMU. Since so many kids apply who aren't Catholic eventually the face of the school will change. But in the meantime, your sons picked the school that they felt best suited them. And that is how it should be.</p>
<p>They accept people from all religions, but Catholicism definitely has it's presence.</p>
<p>The web site says liberal arts students at loyola marymount are required to take one 100 level theology course and one 300 level theology course.</p>
<p>If you don't want "Catholic" classes you could take Old Testament or Religions of the World for your 100 level class THST 381 Contemporary Judaism or THST 382 Religions of India or THST 383 Religions of the Near East for your 300 level class.</p>
<p>This sounds like a "light" religious core requirement. Doesn't sound too bad to me.</p>