I swore to myself in high school that I would not end up at a religiously affiliated college. My reason behind this was that I wanted to continue to be able to explore a variety of viewpoints and surround myself with a diverse group of people. I wanted to expose myself to all that the world has to offer and try to understand people with lives very different from my own. However, regardless of this vow I made to myself, I ended up at George Fox University, definitely not the most intense of Christian universities, but a Christian university nonetheless.

As far as exposing myself to new kinds of people, this immediately felt to be the case. Public school kids seemed to be the minority, not to mention the lack of actual minorities. My liberal views were uncommon. I found it hard to relate to my classmates, and this new environment felt wholly foreign.

Though I came in pinpointing these aspects as negative, I quickly found that this choice in college more closely suited my desire to explore different outlooks than my initial decision to avoid Christian colleges altogether. I had never before encountered young adults so passionate about their faith. In all honestly, I hadn't even known these sorts of people existed at all.

Previously, all those whom I had seen as intelligent and respectable were liberal, but on this campus, I have encountered intelligent conservatives and been able to discuss people's opinions with them, helping me to better understand opposing views. Validation was what I intended to escape in college by surrounding myself with unlike minds, and the student body at George Fox challenges me in this way.

Additionally, the campus life that accompanies a Christian university has many benefits to a non-Christian. With rules that make partying, drinking and smoking scarce, the focus becomes the education. I would claim that students here are far more focused. Social situations are less of distractions and, more often, add to my education by continuing classroom discussions. Though I understand that this lack of the normal college campus life is often seen as a drawback, I would also add that although these activities are scarce, they are not obsolete. If desired, it is easy to still participate in parties and the activities that go with that. However, it is less of a temptation or distraction when it is not the norm to participate or prioritize those activities.

I undoubtedly came into this experience with a poor attitude about the implications of my college being religiously affiliated. However, I've found that this college campus has more closely served my goals for my education than I could imagine from any other.