Before I begin this post, I want to emphasize that I think students can grow in their faith and relationship with Christ at a Christian or non-Christian college. I attended a Christian college and had a great experience and my twin brother attended a non-Christian college and had a great experience as well. Yes, there are different challenges and it will take students having to be much more pro-active at a non-Christian school, but there are challenges at a Christian college as well.
On the heels of the NACCAP Christian College Fair that DC hosted again on October 10th, I would like to share my perspective as to why students should consider attending a Christian college. When I counsel juniors and seniors, one thing I emphasize is that every student should consider applying to at least one Christian college. Now, there are seniors that would like to attend a Christian college and that’s great. There are others that apply to both Christian and non-Christian and also others that don’t want to go to a Christian college. A student who has professed faith in Christ, and made the decision to follow Him, should at least apply to a Christian college so that they have the option of attending a Christian college when they evaluate their options to decide where they would like to attend.
However, when a student decides not to apply to a Christian college, which again is their decision and I will support them, I ask why and at times I get answers that I don’t think are very good reasons. These can range from “I have to go to chapel”, “there are too many rules”, “it’s going to be like DC for another 4 years” and “it’s too small”. Below, I want to speak to each of these “myths” about Christian colleges and hopefully, this will give juniors and seniors a better perspective of Christian colleges so they can make a wise decision as to where they will ultimately attend.
Myth #1- “Chapel is going to be like chapel in high school”
I am answering this question based on my experience at Cedarville University. Not one of the chapels I attended in college is like a chapel here at DC. First, there are over 3,000 students in a chapel; second, the special music and worship is performed and led by more experienced musicians and the speakers, outside of the president of the university, are almost always from outside of the college and are very experienced (well known authors, pastors of large churches, etc.). Another aspect that is important to understand is that most college students are going to be more spiritually mature than high school students. So the particpation and eagerness to learn is definitely noticable. The best way to know the difference though is to attend a chapel at the college you are applying to and experience it for yourself.
Myth #2- “There are too many rules”
I understand that once a student gets to their senior year, they antipate the time that they don’t have to be under their parents roof anymore. They can be “free” to make more choices for themselves and do what they want to do with all of their time. They don’t have to check in with Mom or Dad anymore to let them know where they are going, when they will be back, who they are with, etc. They can go to bed when they want, wake up when they want, eat meals when they want, dress like I want, etc. So they think, why would I go to a college that tells me I have to go to chapel a certain amount of times, I have to dress a certain way, I can’t be in anyones room that I want to be in and I have to be in my dorm at a certain time at night? Well, I am going to give you one big reason why having rules at a college can actually be a good thing…ACCOUNTABILITY. For high school students though, accountability is something they try to avoid because it means someone is checking in on them, helping them avoid make sinful decisions and helping them grow spiritually. When you get to college though, if you are serious about growing in your relationship with Christ, you realize that you need accountability because you can’t do it alone. If you go to a non-Christian college you will realize that you will need this accountability as well, maybe even more so than if you go to a Christian college because of the environment you are in. At a Christian college, the accountability is somewhat built-in and easier to obtain. I found this very helpful and reassuring when I attended Cedarville.
Myth #3- “It’s not as strong academically”
I am not going to come out and say that across the board, Christian colleges are just as strong academically as any non-Christian college. What I am going to emphasize, however, is that there are very impressive programs/majors, professors and job placement numbers at Christian colleges just as there may be at non-Christian colleges. I have found that there are professors at Christian colleges that have taught or could teach at any Ivy league school but they want to teach in a Christian enviroment where they can be open about their faith. There are Christian colleges that have success placing students in jobs in certain majors that are as successful as any non-Christian college. So forming an opinion that Christian colleges are not as strong academically is just not true. You have access to professors who want you to succeed in your field, but they also want you to be equipped to use your degree and knowlege you have gained as a ministry to reach those you work for and with for Christ. This should be the mission for each and every one of us.
Myth #4- “Christian Colleges are too small”
Being a “small” college doesn’t just pertain to Christian colleges. There are many other non-Christian colleges that are also small. I wanted to address this myth, however, because when I talk to students about Christian colleges, one of the reasons they say they will not consider applying is because of the size of the student body. Students who attend a school like DC get the impression that a “small” school is going to be just like high school. I don’t think juniors and seniors understand how many 2,000 or over 3,000 students really is. They think that a college has to have 15,000 students in order for them to have a “real college experience”. This is definitely a myth and one that can only be debunked by a student visiting a college, taking a tour and seeing how the environment is, sitting in on a class, eating a meal at the school, attending a chapel, etc. This is why the College Bus Tour is really profitable. Students will experience first hand what various campus sizes are like. A student will not know everyone and everyone will not know them at a school that has 2,000 or more students.
In conclusion, I want to reiterate that when it comes to the college a student attends, it is about fit. Fit encompasses many areas such as cost, academics, geography, school environment, major, talent, etc. but the one factor that every follower of Christ needs to consider is whether to attend a Christian or non-Christian college. There is not a wrong decision in my mind when it comes to deciding to attend a Christian or non-Christian college, but students can get distracted with perceptions and not the reality of what a Christian college experience is like. Nevertheless, there is something really exciting about going to college where professors encourage you in your faith while preparing you for your chosen field of study and being at a college where most of the students have a similar worldview than you.