Students at religious colleges have an undeniably low percentage of unsavory incidents when compared to students attending secular colleges.  Though there are many reasons why this might be the case, several stand out above the rest. First, in a general consensus, these young men and women have a genuine desire to attend these colleges for the very reason of avoiding the temptations of sex, alcohol, and drug use.  These students have chosen to live their lives according to a standard that they believe is higher than that of man.  In Riley’s article, “How Student Life is Different at Religious Colleges” the students that she interviewed admitted that while some felt unhappy with the “strange” environment at the start, by the end of their time they felt happier than they had been before.

Secondly, the discipline at these colleges is much different from those at the secular schools.  The religious colleges choose to strictly monitor and enforce abstinence from sex as well as alcohol and drugs.  While secular colleges do attempt to limit these last two items, they have such a loose policy that it runs rampant on the campuses.  Christian colleges readily admit that the students on their campuses are not perfect and will occasionally make mistakes from time to time. In Riley’s article she relays how one girl was caught having an affair with a married man at a particularly strict school.  Nevertheless from all appearances the administrations seem to keep all such extracurricular activity to a minimum.

Lastly, as with any school, the key to students’s happiness is in finding the right fit.  In this case perhaps it might be in finding a school with stricter rules.  At some Christian schools, dating is allowing but is more of a courtship.  Chaperons are required to attend with every date and some schools forbid any touching between the opposite sex.  Other schools allow touching such as kissing and hugging while still other schools forbid dating all together.  Seemingly archaic, these rules clearly prevent much of the drama and chaos that is so prevalent on secular campuses today.  These rules help create a more solid structure that enables the young minds of the students to focus more on knowledge and less on the many distractions of the world.  In the end, these students probably end up with the better deal since they emerge from their college experience knowing how to form relationships without sex, knowing how to have fun without getting drunk every weekend, and can think clearly since they haven’t destroyed their brain cells by doing drugs.

Religious colleges

            Students at religious colleges seem to avoid the problems that students at secular colleges face because those students who attend religious colleges attend them because they want to lead a rewarding and religious lifestyle. Students at religious stay out of the headlines because they spend free time studying. They avoid issues because they are not in college to drink, do drugs, and have sexual relations.

            Rules and discipline at religious colleges differ from those at secular institutions because they have strict policies on dating, drugs and alcohol. They also use the parents help on enforcing these policies governing the students. At secular colleges students seem to have more freedom than those at religious colleges.

            The main common point between the rules on dating at Magdalen, Bob Jones University and Patrick Henry College is that they all have strict policies on sexual activity. It is not allowed at any of these schools. These schools differ in allowance of dating between students. Magdalen has a no dating policy. “The rule is actually against steady company keeping”. Patrick Henry College requires the student to get their parents’ permission before pursuing a romantic relationship. Bob Jones University requires chaperones for all dates.

            These rules achieve that once students graduate from college they will have a better understanding of relationships and marriage. They also relieve the students of sexual pressures that students  at secular colleges face.

Jason

Religious Colleges

Students who attend religious colleges encounter the same challenges and opportunities as those who attend secular schools, however the fundamental difference is the sense of community on campus. Most large colleges have a variety of different values, beliefs, and predjudices  present on campus at all times. However, religious schools such as  Christian Colleges generally tend to experience a common connection between all of the students on campus, that being their faith in Jesus Christ. Secular schools usually don’t offer educational courses on religious studies, and if they do it is outside of the classroom and optional for those students who may be interested. Religious schools however, incorporate these discussions of faith into the curriculum so that it is an obvious part of campus.

Students will make poor decisions whether attending a secular or a religious school, however I believe religious colleges tend to have fewer troubles on campus because of the constant reminder of  ethics and morals that comes along with most religious studies. Another factor to consider is the weight of the consequences of the offender’s actions. In a secular school, students can be reprimanded by teachers for minor infringements and major infringements which usually refer to violent or criminal acts and things such as plaigerism, can be punishable by suspension or expulsion. The fundamental difference in discipline between secular and religious schools is what constitutes a minor or major infraction. What would be considered commonplace behavior in a secular school, such as chewing gum or inappropriate language, could be labeled a major infringement at a religious school. This sets the bar for the way religious students act, and lowers the chance of religious schools facing the same troubles that keep secular schools in the headlines.

Another fundamental difference between the rules of a religious school and those of a secular school are the policies on dating. A secular school would probably never be able to actually enforce such policies, however religious colleges such as Bob Jones University enforce such rules as banning interracial dating between students. At Patrick Henry College, campus officials encourage “courting” instead of dating in which a young man is supposed to reach out to a young woman’s father in order to recieve his permission for them to date. At Magdalen College, students are prohibited from dating all together. These rules serve as a way to better control students, and in doing so they achieve in lowering the problems that many secular schools face.

I believe that even though these rules that religious schools enforce are successfully lowering troubles on campus, however they are probably successfully lowering other things on campus such as interest in current events and diverse opinions and beliefs that encourage secular schools to thrive while giving their students room to grow and progess.