Christian colleges and universities believe that college students need structure and guidance. These schools often have a large number of rules and regulations in place, and students must also sign documents that they won’t break the rules or behave in an inappropriate manner. The first two things you should look at when choosing a school is the placement rate and the number of students who attend graduate school. Whether you choose a secular or a nonsecular school, those figures will give you an idea about what your future holds.
What is a Christian College?
A Christian college is a school that has a religious affiliation. These schools believe in educating students’ minds, bodies and spirits. As a student attending a religious school, you’ll often take classes that deal with spirituality and religion, but you should keep in mind that those courses have a religious slant. You will find that same religious slant in your other classes as well. These schools also ask that students follow a strict morality clause. Brigham Young University, for example, will immediately expel any student who breaks the rules. These rules can include sticking to specific haircuts, wearing only certain types of clothing and abstaining from drugs and alcohol.
Job Placement Rates
The job placement rate of a school tells you the number of students who find work immediately after graduation. A good school will have those numbers and figures listed on its website or give prospective students access to those figures. Christian schools typically have a high placement rate because those schools have a network of alumni connections. Students can meet and greet with employers while still in school. It is nearly impossible to list an exact number because schools vary so much. One campus might have a placement rate of more than 60 percent, while another school has a rate of less than 50 percent. According to Dr. Scales, a college professor, some employers respond well to Christian college graduates because of the ethics and values those students learn in school.
Graduate School Placement Rates
Not everyone who graduates from college immediately enters the workforce, and some students find that graduate school is the best option after college. Looking at the graduate school placement rate for a Christian college is difficult because many of those programs are terminal programs. A seminary school, for example, prepares students for working as ministers or in related fields. Those students often complete their classes and work right away. Graduate school placement rates are usually lower for Christian schools than other types of schools.
Issues to Consider
Lynn O’Shaughnessy points out that looking at the school’s rates isn’t always the best option. The schools self report their own figures, which means that you don’t know if the rates are real or simply what the school decides to report. Schools can fudge the records to indicate that students working part-time actually work full-time or that students who entered graduate school work. Before you accept those rates at face value, make sure that you research how the school determines its rates.
Conclusion
Christian colleges are private universities that offer classes relating to Christianity. Before you decide that this type of school is right for you, you need to look at the campus’s placement rates in regards to the number of students who find work after graduation and the number of students who attend graduate school.
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