<p>I am considering Willamette University, but its religious affiliation is United Methodist and I don't know if I'll be shunned or something for being agnostic. Are you required to take religious classes at religious affiliated colleges?</p>
<p>You should be able to look at the required courses on the school website. Other than that, you’ll probably feel rather ideologically isolated at a heavily religious school. That said, not all “religious” schools are the same. Some of them will stress the religious aspect a lot more. The easiest way to get an idea for the general ideological atmosphere on campus would be to visit.</p>
<p>Many many schools affiliated with religion are not pushy about it at all. United methodist, Presbyterian , jesuit ,are usually just as liberal as any other college. The schools you would feel isolated at would be Baptist (liberty) and evangelical Christian. Maybe a few Catholics. My D is applying to John Carroll, catholic jesuit, and it seems very open minded and liberal. They like to talk about social justice which is akin to evil per hardcore conservatives. </p>
<p>If you do have to take a religion course, (many you won’t) I don’t think they will try to convert you or make you feel bad. Just look at it as a cultural/history class…nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>No worries, you should be just fine.</p>
<p>As an atheist, I personally will not attend a religiously-affiliated college. However, Willamette has people from many religions to my knowledge. I have agnostic/atheist friends applying there. I personally will not be though.</p>
<p>“Like these and other nationally-ranked colleges, Willamette values liberal learning and welcomes students of “all sorts and conditions.” Nevertheless, it maintains its church relationship. The most obvious markers are Cone Chapel, the Office of the Chaplains and the Religious Studies Department. In addition, three representatives of the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church (the bishop, a clergyperson and a layperson) serve on Willamette’s Board of Trustees.”</p>
<p>My child is a sophomore at Willamette. There are no required religion classes of any kind. Yes there is a chapel, but we found chapels at every private college we toured, so this is not unusual. </p>
<p>We have visited campus several times and attended opening days and parents weekends. This is not a “religious school”. </p>
<p>The methodist affiliation appears to be historical and not a part of the day to day operations of the university. If the church is influencing the administration, it is not apparent as I would have heard from my child. I am frequently on the website and I read the WU magazine, and again, I don’t see anything about this school that I could describe as religious.</p>
<p>You will not be shunned.</p>
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