Attending a Christian university is something I wouldn’t trade for the world. The community on campus is incomparable and the care that faculty and staff have for their students is unmatched. Christian values are intertwined into the curriculum of all of my classes and on-campus activities. Friends I have made at school are life-long and challenge me to become a better person every day. With all the good that comes with attending a private, Christian university, I am still glad that I was able to experience a public college before transferring. I transferred to my Christian school at the beginning of my junior year, which meant I took all of my general courses at my public school. This has added a bonus experience to my college years that I wouldn’t have received if I only attended a private, Christian university or if I only attended a public college.
The classes that I took brought in points-of-view from cultures all around the world.
My teachers, many non-Christians, included experiences that they had gone through. Classmates, some foreign, brought in ideas from their native country or background that I had never even considered. While this is possible to experience at a Christian university, it is less likely. Many of my classmates are coming from the same background and have similar experiences. While this is not necessarily negative, our similar experiences affect the outcome of the class discussion and curriculum.
I met people from all different walks of life.
I served and worked with people who were Muslim, Hindu, atheist and so on. Coming from a small town with a graduating class of 96, I began to encounter these people who were so different from me. Without my public school experience, I may have never encountered them. Being able to meet these people let me see that in many cases we were alike in a lot of ways. It opened me up to see that just because our views aren’t the same doesn’t mean we can’t work together.
I was challenged on my views.
Being at a Christian university means that most, if not all, of my professors believe what I believe and wouldn’t challenge my beliefs. This was not the case at my public college. I was challenged on why I believe what I believe and asked to give an answer on why I believe these things. These challenges helped me grow stronger in my beliefs and made me able to stand up for what I believe.
I grew in my views socially and politically.
I was raised in an exclusively Christian household, which I am thankful for, but with that comes having a one-sided viewpoint on different social movements and political aspects. When I came to my first school I encountered, for pretty much the first time, completely opposite views than what I was used to hearing. I found people in my classes that were passionate for causes that I never gave a second thought. These people helped me think more about causes, like being environmentally friendly, and political movements, like socialism, instead of just brushing them off like I had in the past. While I may not have agreed with the ideas or views I have grown in my views and have become more accepting of what others believe.
I’m thankful for my entire college experience. I have had a unique experience being able to attend both a public and private college and I believe without this experience I would not be the same person that I am today. I’m thankful that I am able to finish my degree at my current school but wouldn’t trade my first two years for anything.
