Transferring to a Christian College

I’m a community college student who will be filling out applications to transfer in the fall. I’ve already decided on the christian colleges that I’ve decided to apply to. But there is one I am not sure about. I have read mixed reviews of Liberty University. Some people saying that it isn’t a legit university and it isn’t very respected. I can’t imagine it to be true when they have so many notable people that come to speak there. I feel like this is a school in very interested in. Can anyone tell me their experience attending this school. Or any of the others on my list.

Biola University
Westmont College
Pepperdine University
Wheaton College
Point Loma Nazarene University
Azusa Pacific University

I do plan on applying to a few secular colleges as well as women’s colleges too.

Wheaton and Pepperdine are in the highest tier and most respected academically out of these. Liberty U. is controversial because it’s President keeps mixing religion and politics.

I agree with above, although I think Azusa and Point Loma have a strong alumni network in those regions. I think your major may also be important in considering the school.

I know I want to double major. French and education…I’m not sure if I’ll go the education route. I’m actually interested in the dance program at BYU. Maybe A major in dance and education with a minor in french.
But would it be difficult to attend BYU as a non-lds? As you can tell I am a christian but my faith has mostly been private throughout my life. I didn’t grow up attending church every sunday and weekly youth groups. I’ve never had my own church, like I would go to my friends’ churches when I can. I think because of my lack of time in a church environment has made me want a christian college more. I am actually visiting churches in my town trying to find the right place for me.
I’ve read the honor code at BYU and honestly I don’t have a problem with it because the similarity to other christian schools. And if feel that I already live my life to those standards.
Azusa and Point Loma are definitely on my list. What do you think of Westmont?

BYU does accept non-LDS, but it is entirely an LDS church school. Academic standards are high. LDS is very different from Christianity; in fact, many Christians do not consider Mormonism to be a Christian faith. So you might want to read up about Mormon theology before deciding to go the most intensively Mormon place on this planet!

Thank you for your response parentologist!
I feel that I do need to do more research before I make a decision. I may visit a church so to learn more about their religion.
Despite that I do feel that BYU is a possibility. I may not know much about the church but I’m definitely in love with the school.

You know that there are key differences in theology from evangelical Protestantism (the schools you listed) and Mormonism. For example, Mormons don’t accept the Trinity (which is a basic Christian principle that virtually all Christian traditions accept). Mormonism also teaches that humans can become “god.” Im not attacking these religious beliefs, but am pointing them out to say they are key differences between traditional Christianity and Mormonism.

Not only that but Mormonism has a distinct culture and network that you would be excluded from as non-LDS.

I would avoid BYU unless you were raised LDS.

I understand what you mean.
The honor code is something that draws me in to the school but you are right it probably isn’t the right place for me.
I like Liberty too but the school does have it’s faults.
My top choices are Wheaton, Biola, and Westmont.
Pepperdine is nice but I’ve heard different things about the school. How religious is this school? Do students attend chapel every week? Are the students really isolated there? I’ve heard that there isn’t much around the school and it’s better if you have a car.
Most of my other schools have chapel a few times a week. That is something important to me.

I’m a junior at Biola, so please feel free to ask any questions regarding there and i’ll try my best to answer them!

My experience has honestly been great - of course it hasn’t been perfect, and there are definitely things I disliked / would prefer to change, but overall, I feel like Biola was the best college suited for me. The community is what drew me in - the environment is warm and friendly, people are genuinely nice, and professors are amazing. I’m an engineering major and also in the Torrey honors program, and the professors sincerely care about your well being. The students are also eager to learn and the work environment is very collaborative and not competitive.

Biola does require all students to take 30 units of Bible courses to receive a Bible minor. From what I’ve heard the Bible classes are great, but it is a significant amount of work that takes away from students taking classes in their specific field. Because of this, I don’t personally know of anyone double majoring, and it might be pretty hard to do so. I also don’t believe that Biola offers a major in French, if you’re super set on that.

For chapels, Biola requires each student to attend 20 chapels a semester, but given that there are 9 opportunities offered every week, it’s really not that much. Each semester they also end classes from Wed-Fri and host a conference based on a specific theme with speakers and events. You’re required to attend 5 lectures, which is equivalent to about a full day’s worth. Kings K has done worship in our spring conference for the past couple years.

Also, there are a couple of churches nearby in walking distance, and a shuttle that picks students up for another church farther away. Personally I found churches through friends with cars, and people are usually super willing to give rides and invite you to their churches.

Hope that helps! Good luck on your decision!

My kids graduated from a Christian high school that sends kids to many of the Christian colleges every year. Wheaton is by far the highest ranked on your list, as well as the most selective. One of my son’s good friends is a junior at Westmont and she loves it there, although they had some major weather issues this year, with evacuations due to both fires and mudslides.

Liberty is more about Christian culture–they require all students to attend talks by right wing political speakers, regardless of their own views–so I cannot recommend it to anyone. That is not what Christianity, or college, is about.

Pinkisking, I’ve recently been considering going into medicine. I’m just looking into it right now but I wanted to know if you know alot of students wanting to go to medical school. Some people say christian colleges arent the best places to go if a person wants to go into medicine.

Massmom, I agree with you on Liberty University. The school is too political for me, I try to stay away from politics. I may still apply but it’s not really high on my list.
I really want to go to either Wheaton or Biola. I know Wheaton is very selective but I feel that it’s the right environment for me. Biola is great because it’s still in california but I don’t mind going out of state .

I know quite a few people that want to go to med school, but you’re right - Christian colleges probably aren’t the best, when you take into consideration that you’ll be competing with students from top universities/Ivy Leagues. There are many students that start out freshman year wanting to be pre med, but change their major along the way. I know that there are a few students that are still committed to going to med school, and I personally think that they’ll make it. So it always is possible!

Thank you everyone. If anyone has anymore advice for the admission process that would be greatly appreciated

I believe you can go to any school and actually major in anything to be pre-med…as long as you take the prerequisites and do well on the entrance exams. I would visit the pre-med forums to get more details on the best route if you are serious about that direction.

If you want a Bible believing, Christ-centered focus, then Biola, Wheaton and Westmont all are pretty similar in that regard. I’ve heard Azusa and Pepperdine students on the whole are a little more relaxed in their faith requirements and practices. Pepperdine is definitely a much tougher academic admit than Azusa. I know some strong faith-based students who go to Point Loma but are serious academic students.

Check out the college data dot com website for admission stats and majors offers for all these schools to get a better idea. Also, read the niche website to get a better profile on campus life for each.

BYU is in its own league and I don’t know any Protestant/evangelical believers/churches that would align their faith doctrine with the Mormon faith.I do know the dance program there is highly competitive and good, but there are plenty of other wonderful dance programs run under Methodist-based and other church-relates colleges. Almost all faith based schools offer an education degree.

I wouldn’t worry too much about not getting into med school from a Christian college. Med schools want to produce doctors for the community so select students from many colleges representing the community. I used to recommend students not go to Pensacola if interested in pre-med, but then encountered a student who made it into a US med school from there (in spite of their lack of accreditation), so it can happen. I will note that it was a state med school from a state that prefers its own applications though and one should be cautious about Pensacola for other reasons.

Wheaton certainly isn’t a problem. It’s a very highly respected school. Liberty definitely has a negative connotation (due to it’s extreme conservative positions) with many people both Christian and not, but I know students who go there from our school and do fine. Many, many places just don’t care where a degree comes from. I don’t know any (personally) who have gone on to med school, but that also wasn’t their desire. Most who want to go to med school have higher stats, etc, than typical for Liberty and select other Christian schools. Students freely tell me that most students are FAR less conservative than the University as a whole so take that hearsay as something to consider. Many choose it because their parents want them to go there - not because it’s their own top choice.

I don’t know students who have attended the others schools on your list, so don’t have specific comments other than my first that med schools take students from all sorts of colleges. To add to your own data, ask each school where recent med school applicants were accepted. If they were able to do it, you should be able to as well (given necessary grades and MCAT score, of course).

ps BYU is an excellent school, but definitely best for those of the LDS faith. One who goes there without sharing the faith can feel left out. The couple I know adopted the faith to feel more accepted. I never got to ask them personally if they truly share the beliefs or just pretend in order to fit in. I’m just repeating what their friends related.

That’s interesting. Do you know if they joined the faith before attending the school? I admit that spending two years there would make me open to the idea.
I will ask the schools about pre med acceptances. As well as check out the premed forum

I do want a faith based school, I was already questioning whether Pepperdine would be enough. I hadn’t known that about Azusa, aren’t there required chapel and bible study there?

I’ve looked at Pensacola, but the accreditation problems has me looking the other way. It looks like a good school other than that. If they somehow get the accreditation by next year maybe I’d consider going