This is a ? for Liberty University current students or Parents of Current LU students ONLY

College Search & Selection
1

Hello, I am a parent of a high school boy who is interested in computer science. I am trying to find a summary of the strict rules at Liberty. I don’t want to start a war between conservatives and liberals, just trying to understand the level of strictness at Liberty University so our family can decide if we even want to add this college to our list of possibilities.

For example, I am fine with no sex, no drugs, no alcohol, no overnight guests of the opposite sex. I am a conservative Christian who understands that christians can agree on the major issues while having differing views on everyday issues. I don’t seek to condemn or try to change LU’s policies, just wanting to gather factual information to make a more informed decision.

I would appreciate learning details about dress code. Tshirts (without offensive graphics) and khaki shorts are the staples of my son’s wardrobe, how would that fit in at LU ? Having to wear long pants every day might drive him crazy. Would he have to wear a collared shirt?

Tell me about required chapel attendance, how many chapel programs each week? Is Sunday church attendance a requirement also?

Is there a statement of faith put out by LU that students are required to sign and say that is what they believe? Or are students allowed to voice differing opinions in classes? I learned so much from being challenged to back up my beliefs with biblical evidence during my college years. We are looking to find a school that teaches you HOW to think vs. being told WHAT to think.

What are other day to day rules, like musical choices being monitored, curfew hours, entertainment choices forbidden (like watching secular movies) ? Do the boys get told to get their hair cut because it was measured and found to be too long?

Do most of their rules make sense? What is the most strict rule you/your child struggled with obeying?

Again, I appreciate that there are posters who don’t like LU and don’t think any of their rules are appropriate. I don’t need you to post and tell me that. I would really like to hear from folks who attended LU, lived daily with the rules, and can be honest about your own personal experiences.

Thank you.

2

I don’t attend LU but live nearby. Dress code has been relaxed and T shirts etc no problem at many events. Not supposed to watch R-rated films but there are two large theaters just off campus that show typical films. I went to an LU hockey game last week and they used std hard rock songs between periods from Bon Jovi to Rush.

http://www.liberty.edu/undergrad/?PID=20537

http://www.liberty.edu/undergrad/index.cfm?PID=11961

3

Thanks for sharing your personal experience. LU wasn’t even on the radar, since they don’t have a men’s swim team. But I have seen some chatter several places online that mention the possibility of LU building an Olympic pool and adding a men’s swim team. Have you heard these rumors and if so, how many years away is LU from having a men’s swim team?

4

Full disclosure! I am not the parent of a current student, but my daughter will be a freshman in the fall. We had similar concerns, but we did a lot of research, and we visited campus. We were also very concerned about dropping our daughter in a legalistic or controlling environment.We all LOVED LU. I thought this article I found might be helpful to you.

https://civilizedfrontier.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2014/01/28/regarding-liberty-university/

Also , this link discusses plans for men’s swimming:

http://swimswam.com/liberty-begins-construction-on-massive-new-pool-olympic-sports-complex/

5

@luvmygirls thank you for responding. You definitely qualify to speak on this topic! Will your daughter have to sign a statement of faith to attend LU ? In other words, will she have to promise to “believe” exactly what LU believes?

6

No, they do not require signing a statement of faith. In fact, there are students who attend who are not Christian. When we were first investigating LU, we came across 2 reviews on line- one from an atheist and one from an honors program international student who was Muslim. Both specifically addressed the fact that they had initially been nervous to attend, but we’re treated with an incredible amount of kindness and respect by both students and professors. I will try to locate those for you.
The application essay addresses how “your faith” will contribute to LU, but it is my understanding that honesty on that essay (even if one were of another faith) would not be held against an applicant. One of the reasons my daughter chose LU was the diversity of culture and respect for the individual found there, while still maintaining a serious stance on major doctrinal issues. I hope this helps! Feel free to PM me.

7

@luvmygirls thank you for the detailed response. Just what I was looking for. The swimswam article is one that I found online, dated July 2013. This week I checked out LU’s campus masterplan on its website, and there is no mention of new pool. There is a slight mention of it in their Fall 2014 school magazine in a sentence about future “wishlist” projects. So not sure if the new pool was planned but got cut from the list, or if the initial rumors were not true.

If LU actually becomes a prospective school for my son, I will PM you with more questions. He has a couple years to think on this. (He is second child so I am starting earlier with him.)