<p>my dad went to scu and so did a lot of his catholic school classmates, and though i was raised catholic i lean more towards agnosticism. Does this impact how i will fit in on campus, or feel about the theology of some of the professors?</p>
<p>No one can tell you about how you will feel about the theology of some of the professors, but my feeling about Catholicism at Santa Clara is that the Jesuit tradition of service is more of a guiding force than Catholicism per se. There are many non-Catholics on campus so as long as it is a fit in other ways, I wouldn't let the fact that it is a religiously founded and guided university steer you away</p>
<p>What about being Jewish? I know there is a small population of Jews at SCU. Would this be something to "hide" in the application, or make sure to mention for "diversity"? I'm not religious whatsoever, just Jewish because of my family, so it's not like I'd feel like there is a lack of Jewish-related activities...
Any thoughts?</p>
<p>There is no reason to hide your religion on the application. SCU is a Jesuit school, and it does have a theology requirement. BUT from what DD tells me, it is a very ecumenical school and welcomes students of ALL faiths. You WILL see a huge Christmas Tree on campus as well as a cross. But SCU is not "in your face" regarding your own religious beliefs. There are hundreds of religion courses about all different types of issues that can be taken to fulfill the three term requirement. DD is taking "Women in Religion" this coming term. I think it sounds VERY interesting....and we are NOT Catholic.</p>
<p>ihatecats...under no circumstances should you feel compelled to hide or disguise your fatih on ANY ap. This would be especially true at SCU. These days, the Catholic tradition embraces the Jewish tradition as the root of our belief system. Jesuits colleges are sometimes criticisized as being "less Catholic" than other more dogmatic schools because of their open mindedness. The Jesuits filter everything through a literal "What would Jesus do?" lens. Jesus hung with the prostitutes, the tax collectors and the social outcasts of the day. He accepted people. That's the attitude you will find at SCU and any Jesuit school. Acceptance, friendliness, intellectualism and a commitment to service are hallmarks of a Jesuit education.</p>