According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 66 percent of college graduates are Christian. Many of these students may attend a secular college without realizing the benefits that come through Catholic colleges and similar higher learning institutions. Here are five reasons why you should attend a Catholic college.
Catholic Values
A faith-based university will foster spirituality and relationships with God. While most secular colleges maintain high ethical values and codes of conduct, they cannot control all students who want to engage in illegal, unsafe, unsavory and lascivious behaviors. These colleges often encourage the party scene and aggressive athletics in order to attract the best students. However, these places may accelerate the loss of values and disorientation of beliefs. A Christian or Catholic college will surround students with students, staff and faculty who share positive values. This is critical for young adults who are becoming independent and self-reliant.
High Educational Values
Catholic colleges, like Christian universities, are often stigmatized as offering degrees that are heavy in indoctrination and light in academic quality. This is not true because they must maintain the same academic caliber and educational merit of similarly accredited schools. It is true that there are some high priced Catholic universities and Christian colleges, but the higher tuition costs are usually justified. Georgetown University, Boston College and the University of Notre Dame are some of the best institutions of learning in the world, so they consequently come with steeper price tags.
Expanded World View
Religious critics claim that Catholic universities and Christian colleges will narrow perspectives and stifle diversity. On the contrary, the Catholic Church is extremely diverse. That is, mainstream Catholics may doggedly follow the Vatican Pope, but a Filipino, Hispanic and Spanish Catholic will embrace local saints. The Vatican has issued warnings against the U.S. Catholic Nuns’ Group for promoting empowerment and feminism. Clearly, the Catholic Church includes very diverse beliefs and world views. A Catholic higher education will expand one’s world view, introduce different lifestyles and maintain a fundamental spiritual view.
Support and Guidance
Secular colleges offer student and academic guidance, but Catholic and Christian universities are identically tasked with fostering student development, personal growth and academic success. The Bible teaches values like honesty, integrity, hard work and communal responsibility. The staff and administration of Catholic universities will most likely embrace a mission that demands accountability to both God and contractual commitments. This means that faculty are motivated to help students stay on academic track, keep a God-based attitude and successfully overcome the challenges of learning and college. Students will receive both spiritual and educational guidance.
Exemplary Lives
According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security program, over 84,000 criminal offenses were reported in 2005. In the year 2014, there were 3,400 robberies, 4,600 assaults, 9,000 rapes and 4,000 cases of sexual harassment. Colleges that are physically large with massive student populations and limited security resources are havens for malicious and harmful behaviors of only a few students. Catholic universities minimize these statistics through hosting and sponsoring safe activities and fun social events. These enjoyable activities are open and welcome to students of all faiths.
Catholic colleges help students properly prepare for their careers in a world of secularism by teaching them spiritual tools, values and knowledge. Scholarly statistics and scientific facts prove that the college experience has a profound affect on students, so the school choice of attendance shouldn’t be lightly made.
See also: 60 Most Affordable Accredited Online Christian Colleges and Universities 2016