Lilith666 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I found a few I like, but a lot of them are RC, or Presbyterian or whatever. When I go to college, I want to focus on being independent and getting a degree, not fighting off the fundy devils. I'm certain I won't re-convert, but I don't need the extra stress. So is attending an Xian college a bad idea? I know I'm really narrowing down choices because they claim to be religious. Can you think of any that are really into glorifying X? I'd like to know what to watch out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I personally think you should rule them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted October 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted October 3, 2012 They tend to have church attendance requirements. Other than that, some have decent programs. You can find excellent sociology and philosophy programs in orthodox schools. I doubt that the curriculum with re-convert you. And you find all types of students in larger schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 In short, yes. Rule them out. Unless you want to be forced to go to chapel every day, make a confession of faith to attend, etc.. etc... there are more liberal colleges that may not have these rules, but really... you aren't narrowing your choices down very much by ruling them all out. Why would you even want to consider a Christian college? Are your choices limited in your locale? If I were you, I'd choose a state school, one large enough to have a very diverse population of students and views among professors. You will learn so much more about yourself and the world if you expose yourself to diversity and a range of opportunities instead of the bubble that a Christian school, even a liberal one, would place you in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeasabird Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 If you're having trouble finding decent public schools you're looking in the wrong place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 They tend to have church attendance requirements. Other than that, some have decent programs. You can find excellent sociology and philosophy programs in orthodox schools. I doubt that the curriculum with re-convert you. And you find all types of students in larger schools. I've tried to find something on their web sites about mandatory church attendance. Nothing has come up--I guess because the money-hungry creeps don't want to make themselves look unappealing so they can reel people in, and then snap the Venus fly trap shut. I could try calling and asking. I don't want to endure another 4-6 years of this garbage. Now that I think of it, I would probably get myself kicked out by calling them on their crap in the middle of chapel. Or by singing "Bad Romance" during the hymns, or trying to de-convert people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 What state do you live in? Are you out in the midle of nowhere where the only colleges are those Christian schools with 3K students or what? I'm still confused why as an ex-Christian, an expensive Christian school is your first thought when you think of your options. You can live on campus and still spend less than you would paying tuition to a private school where you commute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 I've been on collegeboard.org a lot lately; it's required for a college-planning class. There are tabs where you specify your wants and must-haves in a college. No matter what I do, the type of college I want gives me a lot of Xian stuff. Others don't have the majors I want--I'm looking at psychology and marriage/family counseling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Hmm... I can't imagine any large state school without a psychology program. Expand the geographic area you are searching. You will sacrifice small class sizes with a bigger state school, but in the end, your education is what you make of it. Seek out opportunities and network some on your own. A small school may allow you to drop in on a professor at any time and get more personal attention, but the opportunities and diversity that a large school offers make up for it. Just my two cents. I went to both a private college (non-Christian) and a state college. I definitely felt like I got more personal attention, but it wasn't worth the extra money. I found I could get just as much help and attention by being involved and being proactive in contacting professors. It truly is on the learner to learn in college. In the end, small class sizes don't really matter. I would be VERY apprehensive about getting a Christian education on family counseling and psychology. Religion influences those subjects in how they are taught more than any other, unless you are going to a super conservative school as a biology major. Good luck in your search! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Watch out as private, fundie colleges can have strange rules. If you life winds up outside the box they have planed for it you might be disciplined. And any way you cut it public school would be more fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Also, keep in mind that most students change their majors once or twice. You may find that marriage counseling isn't really the way to go because you find some other topic more interesting. Choose something you love learning about and that makes you look forward to going to class. You'll also have to go to grad school to really practice as a counselor. Also make sure that you spend a lot of time researching the real life version of whatever major you choose. Most ideas I had about the professions I considered as an undergrad and high schooler were completely unrealistic. And I may be really rude in pointing this out, but I don't think people who haven't had a lot of relationships are really qualified on how to tell a couple to handle their problems. No offense to you. Only Christians think they know what is best for every couple, and even many psychologists have a warped view of that stuff, in my opinion. Of course, you could go the Christian route and then subversively counsel people away from religion. I think the only place you'd be able to practice family counseling without a graduate degree would be in the context of a church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 --I'm looking at psychology and marriage/family counseling. I thought you said you didn't need stress. And here you are planning to make stress into a career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I would recommend attending a 'real' university, not a Christian college. You probably want a real, credible degree, and want to get a real education. I have attended both types of institutions and would definitely vote for the secular. I'm in Canada, and Christian colleges here are super expensive compared to secular. Is it the same in the US, or do they cost the same as publicly funded colleges/universities? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 They are much more expensive than state universities, but comparable in price to secular private universities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I'd say average state school tuition is about $5-12K and private universities can range from $15K to $40K for tuition alone, room and board not included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Unless you want to pay 5 or 6 times the tuition as a state U and be required to go to chapel, take bible study courses and even have your outside activities reported on by your fellow students, I'd look elsewhere unless you are considering a really liberal school. I still don't see the advantage in paying the vaulted tuition rates though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Read, "The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I wouldn't chance it. And in state schools, you do tend to have more programs to choose from, AND they are legally bound to never pester you about religion. I vote state school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 No religious colleges. A former student of mine was accepted at Boston College but didn't choose it because she thought it was too Catholic when she visited it after her acceptance. I had lunch with a prof from Notre Dame who was upset at how much church doctrine affected teaching in subtle ways. Protestant fundy colleges are even more extreme. Maybe some really established Catholic (Georgetown) or Methodist places (e.g. Wesleyan) are basically religion-free but they are expensive! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninj Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I'm just echoing the general sentiment expressed by everybody else here, but honestly, it sounds like you've already answered your own question,Lilith. You don't want to deal with the Xtian nonsense, so eliminate them from consideration and focus on the secular colleges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted October 3, 2012 Author Share Posted October 3, 2012 --I'm looking at psychology and marriage/family counseling. I thought you said you didn't need stress. And here you are planning to make stress into a career. I don't need the extra stress. I can't totally avoid it; that's unrealistic. I don't like it, but everybody's got to come out of their comfort zone sometime. Refusing to consider something because it scares you will get you nowhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Any state university will have a psychology program, and most will have various counseling programs. My wife is a psychologist, so I know a little about that line of work. Psychology and counseling are are somewhat different fields academically- but graduates who go do therapy for a living (probably a majority) do much the same thing whether their background is in psychology or counseling (or even sociology). But they will each have a different theoretical background and will approach the therapy differently. Your degree doesn't have to have that specific focus of "marriage counselor". It can- there's nothing wrong with that. But having a general degree in psychology will do the job just as well- you can go into family/marriage therapy if that's what you want... and you'll also have other options open to you. There are also general degrees in counseling or social work that will pretty much qualify you for the same job. One thing that I'll warn you about in this line of work is that the pay isn't great. I don't know what state you're in, but here in Kansas a bachelor's degree in either psychology or counseling (or sociology) isn't worth a whole hell of a lot. A majority are making maybe $30K per year... not much considering they went to school to get into the field. Pay improves significantly with a master's degree- though it's still nothing special. If you want to top 60K per year as a therapist of any sort here in this part of the country, you pretty much have to have a phd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wndwalkr99 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Yes. I think you should rule them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 If it were me, I'd be looking for a university/college which met my goals for my education. That would include a lot of factors, including the curriculum, the quality of the professors, the expense of the education, the location, the housing, the campus life, and similar factors. If a Christian university/college met my requirements, then I would not exclude it simply because it was a Christian college, though I would also factor in what their religious requirements are. If it were some place like Bob Jones University http://www.bju.edu/ , I would rule it out but on the basis that their religious training stifles the academic setting too much. I hope you find the perfect university/college. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted October 3, 2012 Moderator Share Posted October 3, 2012 Read, "The Unlikely Disciple" by Kevin Roose. NPR interview here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104754773 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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