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Angie Mc
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What's College About Anyway?
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Macmom
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Interesting. We aren't even considering non-Catholic colleges.
Here is our reasoning:
1) I want my kidlets to be fully formed by great Catholic minds, and taken beyond a high school level understanding of their Faith. I want them to experience Catholic culture on campus and have Catholic discussions with peers who challenge them to walk the walk and talk the talk of a Catholic. Why pay tuition to have them brainwashed into secular liberalism.... or worse, cafeteria Catholicism?!?
2) They will make great Catholic friends for life at a Catholic college.
3) There is a good chance they will meet their spouse at college, and I want to give them lots of Catholic options in this vocation.
4) If called to religious life, they will be better formed and advised at a Catholic college.
5) I want a true "alma mater" for them, who will continue nurturing their intellect and souls like a good mother, with the goal of guiding them to eternal life.
I'm a Steubenville grad. My reasoning may reflect my experiences of the life-transforming and life-enhancing advantages of a Catholic university education. I want that for my kids, and I am SO grateful that dh and I are on the same page for this. And we are willing to go into debt to get all 9 kidlets thru. It's worth it.
Peace,
Macmom
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Catholic family life works on the same principle as a washing machine- clothes get clean by agitation.
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mariB
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Good points, Macmom. Is there a comprehensive list of Catholic Colleges?
All of the Catholic colleges I've looked at are so FAR away from us. 
Went to UCLA...good college, very liberal at the time, and gradually got away from the faith then. I'd prefer my children to be influenced by the things of God.
Blessings,
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marib-Mother to 22ds,21ds,18ds,15dd,11dd and wife to an amazing man for 23 years
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stefoodie
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That's an awesome article, Angie! Thanks! I'm printing it out now so Aisa and dh can read it with me tonight.
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stef
mom to five
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ALmom
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Ok, we wanted to steer our daughter to a good, solid Catholic institution. We felt she would benefit tremendously from the Catholic Culture. We helped her search, but it was not our place to dictate where she went - for one she is paying for it all essentially on her own(though we are willing to help, so far she has not needed any financial contributions towards school from us). We had a great relationship and she asked and received advice from us and her music teachers. We could not find one, single, solidly Catholic institution that had any reasonable music program (Steubenville came closest with a minor in music). We even wrote Msgr Schuller for advice.
We could have chosen some Catholic Institutions that were debating whether or not they should have crucifixes in the classroom, etc. and paid tons more for this and not gotten any better music program. Instead we went closer to home (where mom and dad were close enough to still be able to come if she needed us or wanted us) but public University with a respected music school. Was it our ideal - no way. Are there major issues! Absolutely! It was extremely scarey. We did tons of research - and way beyond the flashy brochures. We know a lot of the ugliness, pc, etc. that is there. We also know the solid program in her particular field of study and some really remarkable professors who stay below the radar a bit. God has provided and so far she has had solid instructors even in English etc. who did not mark down for having the "wrong opinion." She has found that she can stand out and be different and earn respect by her quiet perseverence. Many have had to stop and ponder because she is a living witness. Now would we have sent her there solely to be a living witness - No way!!!! If there had been a good, solid Catholic institution that we could afford between us, then we would have chosen that for the reasons many express. There are certainly nights I wake and cannot sleep and pray over and over to her guardian angel and mine. But in the end, we do have peace that at the moment, she is where God wants her to be. I know even just a couple of years before she applied, I would have said something different - no way was one of our daughters going to a public university, etc. We even had people telling us we should send her to someplace like Steubenville (would have been astronomically high) just to have one year of solid Catholicism. Well, our daughter, had 17 - 18 years of solid Catholicism from us at home and it seemed pointless to spend that kind of money at a school that could not even help her for her sole reason for being in college - to improve in her musical skills.
There was a lot in that article of tremendous value. I don't think a parent can dictate the final choice though we have significant influence and much advice to offer and should be very active in asking questions our young folks may be too naive to ask. We had to really check things out closely and it was only inadvertantly (lots of prying, pointed and embarrassing questions from mom to RAs and students) that we found out that the honors dorm was coed by room, not floor. There were a few all female dorms left - but you have to ask around about these too - just because it is an all female dorm doesn't mean it is a safe haven. We found our dorm chit chatting with students about dorms and dorm life - and reading bulletin boards, etc. Every single random student seemed to moan about the dorm we chose - oh, you don't want that one, it is too quiet and nothing ever happens there. Whereas the few people we knew from solid families warned us about certain all female dorms. Supposedly we did not have a dorm choice - only region of campus, but our daughter simply requested move from a more popular dorm to a less popular dorm (has to be the students doing the requesting)based on location and was prepared to refuse to attend (though she had full scholarship) unless the dorm was changed.
I really think that whether to attend college and the particular choice of college is something that has to be prudentially determined at the time, based on lots of factors but cannot ignore the passion that drives the child. To make the judgements, you do need all the information and cannot be blind to the dangers. A lot of the suggestions for finding good information in this article are right on. However, there are lots of factors that must be weighed and until you are dealing with it for your particular child, you really don't know the answer. God gives significant insight and peace if you ask for His help, but be prepared for Him to lead down unexpected paths.
I have a really hard time with doctrinal insistance that every good Catholic must attend a good Catholic college or they will lose their faith. Or with, the colleges are nothing more than a den of iniquity (and they are bad) so you are not doing your job as a parent if you help or support your children in any way to attend one of these. My daugther has seen first hand confirmation of a lot that we have taught her and has grown immensely in her ability to just live her faith regardless of the consequences. It is hard not to have better Spiritual support from the parishes around her but there are some like minded people - mostly Protestant, but a few Catholics. She frequents the Sacraments and leans on our Lord very heavily. She has a great music faculty and is totally focused on why she is where she is - and it is not for the social scene or the partying though she does have a few good outlets. Other music students actually clean up their act for functions so she will attend - and guard their language around her, etc.
Janet
Janet
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aiereis
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Marianne,
Magdalen College and St. Thomas More are both in New Hampshire, so they wouldn't be too far from you. Also, there is Assumption College in MA. I don't know too much about that one; I have heard mixed reviews about it.
--Christina
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marihalojen
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Here is a state by state listing of colleges affiliated with the Catholic Church in the USA. Just click on your state to view.
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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teachingmyown
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Faith and Family magazine put out a guide to Catholic colleges in their Fall issue. They submitted questions to various Catholic schools and printed their answers. Everything from the Mandatum to co-ed dorms. Very helpful.
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
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Jen L.
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Thanks for the words, Janet.
I am intrigued by a faithful Catholic university for my children. However, I have been counseled by a faithful priest that participation in an active, faithful, Catholic Campus Ministry can fit the bill for many students.
College scares me, but then so does "life". We need to pray for them -- there are no guarantees.
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Macmom
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But, Jen, participation in campus ministry DOESN'T give them the Catholic worldview in their classes- history from a Catholic perspective, economics from a Catholic perspective, Catholic ethical principles in their science and sociology classes... and exposure to good, solid literature (not the modernist junk they will be forced to read and praise in a secular college Lit class that will glorify homosexuality, etc.)
Now, my dh BECAME a Christian at a secular state college. (He was raised atheist). So it is not IMPOSSIBLE to find Christ there. He became a Catholic latter, as an adult, and now he drools at the opportunities our kidlets have to be formed at orthodox Catholic colleges.
I guess it just takes a lot of prayer and discernment to place the child in the place (college) where God wants them.
Peace,
Macmom
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Catholic family life works on the same principle as a washing machine- clothes get clean by agitation.
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Article: What's College About Anyway?
