Religious Job

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I have a job as a Sunday School teacher.</p>

<p>I'm not sure if I should mention this on my college apps or not. I'm applying to secular schools. I don't want anyone to think I'm a close-minded religious nut (which is obviously not true if one looks at my other extracurricular activities). I don't want to be discriminated against because of this, yet another part of me feels that if I cannot be accepted for who I am, I don't want to go there. </p>

<p>I'm not really sure how to approach this. What do you think?</p>

2

<p>Hey Sarah,</p>

<p>Well, firstly, I am a Sunday School Teacher as well and have been doing my job for about 4 years. I love every minute of it and will be putting it on my college app. I too am applying to a few more liberal schools such as Stanford, WashU, Yale, Mit, and Rice (even though they are more moderate). Working at your church is definately not going to hurt you at all…i mean its volunteer time and its important. Colleges will see your work at the church as a demonstration of your leadership and devotion to a cause not as something that openly attacks some values that are dominant themes at the school. Btw, ya I am not a liberal at all…more of a conservative moderate. However, colleges WANT diversity at their schools. They want christians and conservatives and atheists and liberals in the same learning environment so both parties can grow and mature off the other people.</p>

3

<p><a href=“which%20is%20obviously%20not%20true%20if%20one%20looks%20at%20my%20other%20extracurricular%20activities”>quote</a>

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Exactly. It is a good bet to assume an admissions officer is a mature adult who isn’t going to let his decisionmaking be biased by his personal beliefs or whatnot. There is absolutely no problem with being up front about your religious beliefs.</p>

<p>Even the most “liberal campuses” have Christians in them that must have been accepted as such.</p>

4

<p>“Liberal” and “secular” are NOT synonyms for “religion-hating”. They are not mutually exclusive, despite what some would like us to believe.</p>

<p>Conservatives do not have a monopoly on believing in God.</p>

<p>(sorry if this sounds like a rant, but it’s a pet peeve of mine)</p>

5

<p>I can’t speak for all of the universities mentioned above, but Stanford is rich with religious life and undergraduates of many faiths practice their religions there without anyone thinking they’re a nut. There is also a good deal of interfaith activity. This is the website for Stanford’s Office for Religious Life: [The</a> Office for Religious Life at Stanford University](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/aboutORL.html]The”>http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/aboutORL.html). This is the website that lists all of the different Christian groups and clubs at Stanford: [Christian</a> Clubs and Organizations < Stanford University < Palo Alto < California in the Yahoo! Directory](<a href=“http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/California/Cities/Palo_Alto/Education/College_and_University/Private/Stanford_University/Clubs_and_Organizations/Religion/Christian/]Christian”>http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/California/Cities/Palo_Alto/Education/College_and_University/Private/Stanford_University/Clubs_and_Organizations/Religion/Christian/) There are also an Islamic student society, a Hindu fellowship, Hillel, and a Baha’i student organization. (I’m sure I’m leaving our some of the other religions represented and practiced in the student body.) There is no need to hide who you are in applying to college.</p>

6

<p>I was a Hebrew School teacher for 2 years and I put it down on my app. I got into MIT, Columbia, and Brown, so I really don’t think it hurt me at all. =] If it’s been a big commitment for you, put it down.</p>

7

<p>Thank you for all of your help. I think I am going to put it down on my application. MADad, of course being a liberal does not mean that you are a religion-hater. I am liberal myself!</p>

<p>I just wanted advice on how to approach this, but all of you have made me confident that I should put it down.</p>