<p>ive been looking at schools like emory, boston college, and others that are religiously affiliated. does it matter that im not of the same religion? ive been getting mied answers, and im just want to see if anyone has anything definitive to say. im jewish, so these things are a big issue because of the large difference in faith and affiliation. thank you.</p>
<p>check ou what percentage of each school is that religion. I know Georgetown is only like 50% catholic, for example. If the school is over about 65-75% of that religion, it might be an issue, but otherwise, I wouldnt worry about it.</p>
<p>check out hillel.org im pretty sure thats the site but its good for jewish percentages</p>
<p>It means absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>UNLESS! You attend a "conservative arts" school.</p>
<p>My son is a student at Emory (he loves it there). The student body, from what I have heard, is about 1/3 Jewish. There's a very active Hillel. Although the university has ties with the Methodist chucrch (Candler School of Theology is on campus) there does not seem to be any religious emphasis in any direction. For what it's worth, my son is majoring in middle eastern studies and Jewish studies and feels his classes on both Judaism and Islam have been excellent. So, at least in the case of Emory, I wouldn't worry about any religious influence or connections.</p>
<p>thank you everyone. this is definitely making it easier for me.</p>
<p>brandeis has a very large jewish student body even though it's not affiliated with anything</p>
<p>Boysx3-
Ditto ditto ditto what you have posted here. I live in Atlanta and am active in the Jewish community here. Emory has had a very large, active Jewish population for a long, long time. And by the way, one of the stores with the largest selection of Passover and kosher foods happens to be located right near the Emory campus. Although Emory originally had a religious affiliation, I would not call it that as this point. A lot of their funding comes from many other sources-- a BIG donor is Coca Cola (Asa Candler, as in Candler School of Theology, was the founder of Coke, and the Goizueda School of business is named for the late CEO). The Candler family owned some very beautiful houses near the Emory Campus. If you recall, the house and streets used in "Driving Miss Daisy" (written by Alfred Uhry, a local Atlanta Jew) was a block or so from Emory. Very pretty area.</p>
<p>I agree with the above statements, and I'd add that you really should check this out school by school. Emory seems to have a healthy Jewish population, as this post shows, and I would think Boston College is not closely tied with any churches. Other schools (SMU, Baylor, Notre Dame all come to mind) still maintain their religious aspects. I know at least Baylor has mandatory church.</p>
<p>BUT if you're interested in schools like Emory and BC, I don't see you setting your eye on any school that would be likely to emphasize whatever church they're affiliated with.</p>
<p>Correction-- the Woodruffs bought Coke from Asa Candler, and it is the Woodruffs who had beautiful homes near campus. But no matter-- just come take a look... I am sure Candler had a home in the Druid Hills area too.</p>
<p>lionswim, Boston College IS a Catholic institution. Saying it's not "Closely tied with any churches" is like saying the Pope isn't Catholic. :) However, it is a great school and there is no effort to "convert" non-Catholics or required attendance at church services. And, reports I hear say that it is a very welcoming and accepting community.</p>
<p>I think in looking at religously-affiliated schools, it's important to read the school's mission statement - if you see that their purpose is to instill "christian beliefs" in students, it's probably not the right place for a jewish student (and even for many christians). If you see that their purpose is to instill "spirituality" or "spiritual values" in students, that's a different story. There are some schools that I, as a Catholic parent, would not feel comfortable sending my children to because they are obviously "evangelical" in nature. However, most of the religiously-affiliated schools are more eucumenical in nature.</p>
<p>And ay_caramba, Brandeis considers itself " a non secterian Jewish-sponsored College". That sounds a bit like a contradiction in terms...</p>
<p>Boston College is very Catholic and is in the process of trying to acquire the Weston Catholic School of Theology. Another BC tradition is the Archbishop of Boston presides over graduation services. Among Jesuit schools it is usually ranked behind Georgetown and Holy Cross.</p>
<p>Brandeis has about 55-60% Jewish student population. When S and I toured Georgetown we saw notices posted for High Holiday Services.</p>
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<p>However, it is a great school and there is no effort to "convert" non-Catholics or required attendance at church services. And, reports I hear say that it is a very welcoming and accepting community.</p>
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<p>hmm ... the religiously affliliated schools are private schools and are free to run their schools/campuses as they see fit to a large degree. Their religious affilication could have a big effect on campus life. If my kids are interested in any of these schools I will ask them to ask a bunch of questions.
* Are there any limitations at student health services on what advice can be given to students or on what procedures can be done (birth control, etc)?
* Are there any limitations on what speakers/movies/concerts can come to campus
* Etc</p>
<p>Before applying I'd like to know how much they schools try to (or not) mold the environment</p>
<p>We:
I told my son about your post--he said if you had any questions for him, he'd be glad to answer them once he wakes up from his post-finals coma (he took 21 hours this semester ). so if you have any questions, I'll be glad to pass them on.</p>
<p>jym:</p>
<p>We love visiting Atlanta. Any recommendations for some good restaurants to take him and half of Emory when we visit this winter? Any recommendations for good restaurants that son can take girlfriend to on his budget?</p>
<p>boysx3-
What kind of food do you like?? What budget ranges are you looking at?? (When I visited my s. at Rice for parents weekend, we fed 2 of his male friends the first night and 3 of his female friends the second night-- which was at a sushi restaurant, and the bill was memorable!). Anyway, I'll have to look in my restaurant guides/Atlanta Magazine for a refresher as to what is near campus. Some fun places that would be on your budget (not his)in the Buckhead/Lenox area would be Twist, Prime, and Bluepointe. Actually, I don't think Twist is too pricey. Feel free to backchannel me and I'll give you more info.</p>
<p>At Emory and Duke, its absolutely irrelevant. At Georgetown, slightly relevant. At BC, more so than that.</p>
<p>My son is applying to several Jesuit colleges - mostly because he attended a Jesuit HS and likes their education philosophy and social activist leanings. We are not a religous family at all. However, he is comfortable in that environment and doesn't worry about it. The one problem I can see though is that several of them have Theology requirements, and frankly, he really doesn't want to take any more religion classes. Cross that bridge later I guess.</p>
<p>Isn't it better to check if the college is liberal or conservative, rather than checking their percentage in each religion??? eitherways, you'll definitely be fine--it's not like they're gonna force you to do something.</p>