<p>I am interested in applying to Harvard, because I have been very fortunate with my test scores and I know I can get a top-rate education there.</p>
<p>However, my parents want me to go to a college that is "a good christian environment," that, at the same time, isn't a <i>fundamentalist</i> christian college (no creation science classes or anything like that). </p>
<p>Now, I know that in a lot of higher education institutions in America, the professors tend to be fairly secular (my dad even used the phrase "anti-christian", is this true?). My question is, what is the general attitude towards religion at the upper level (particularly Ivy league) colleges? Is it possible to remain religiously active at say, Harvard or Princeton? I've heard that Harvard has a multidenominational church that happens to be very liberal (they allow homosexual clergy and whatnot); is this representative of all religion at Harvard and the other Ivy Leagues? How big of a range of religious belief is there at Harvard?</p>
<p>(I'm a pretty tolerant person, so the presence of people with different beliefs doesn't bother me, I just want to know whether there will be ample opportunities to pursue my own beliefs)</p>
<p>I really don't think there is much discrimination against Christianity at Harvard (or at any other elite university), although there will be a rather large liberal/atheistic population. You should be able to pursue your own beliefs, and there should be many people with similar religious views you can hang around with. Now start worrying about getting in.</p>
<p>This link describes how religion is studied at Harvard within courses and how faculty approaches the academic study of religion. That's different than practicing your own, but could be an interesting read:</p>
<p>you're worried about life as a christian? Ehhhhhh...I won't make any antagonizing statements here, but like any other issue you're fine until you start breathing down other people's backs about it.</p>
<p>Actually not to long ago there was a Harvard story about a Catholic girl who had founded True Love, which is a group of students that are dedicated to abstience and waiting for marriage. I get the sense that Harvard is all inclusive in the true sense, so they don't demean any belief.</p>
<p>As a good Christian parent, I can't imagine why some parents insist on a "good Christian" campus environment for their kids. It seems to suggest a lack of trust in the young person's faith or judgment if the parent feels that the only way to safeguard their kid's values is to wall off the larger world's influences and put blinders on him or her. To me, a distinctively Christian campus, just like an all-white campus or an all-anything campus is a distorted learning environment. But sure, you can not only be part of a practicing Christian community at Harvard - you can invite your Jewish and Hindu and Muslim friends to your Advent services and they'll invite you to their religious festivals, and you'll all enjoy learning one another's cultures, swapping perspectives, and trying each others' holiday foods.</p>
<p>My son is a very strong Christian (Baptist) and we have absolutely no issues about his education at Harvard. He has been checking into the many Christian organizations and is looking forward to connecting with those groups at Harvard. Best of luck and don't worry.</p>
<p>I'll share my experience at Princeton under the assumption that things are similar at Harvard. There are a large number of student religious groups which enjoy a healthy membership. Many of them are geared toward more religiously conservative students such as yourself. Most students are fairly secular while still respecting the beliefs of more devout students. That said, some groups (such as the pro-chastity Anscombe Society) are ostracized. I have no idea what the religious views of my professors are--it's pretty much a non-issue. I definitely would not let religion deter you from applying to elite schools. Although you will be confronted with students who do not hold the same beliefs as you (or any beliefs for that matter), you will also find many devout Christians who enjoy each others company and support. You might find this article interesting: Students</a> of Virginity</p>