<p>Her decision-making process is interesting because there’s a religious element that is rarely discussed on this board that was the game changer for her. There was almost no consideration of prestige which any CC junkie knows is at the top of the list for any cross admit at the top schools.</p>
<p>**I love the fact that Baylor is a Christian university; as a Christian, that is extremely important to me. I love Baylors size, culture and warmth.</p>
<p>As an honors student with diverse academic interests, the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core is the answer to my prayers. At Baylor, I can study with professors who share my moral compass.**</p>
<p>I’m curious as parents, what do you think about her decision? Would you have supported her or forced her to reconsider her options?</p>
<p>What a great story. I’m a huge believer in fit. Time will tell but it sounds like she applied to a variety of schools and chose the one where she thought she would thrive and grow. I would never “force” my kids into a particular college…I might hint, I might tell them which is my favorite, but I would never “force” reconsideration.</p>
<p>In my mind, the purpose of college should be to expose a student to a diversity of peers and the wealth of conflicting viewpoints they carry with them. Choosing a school to deliberately avoid that process of self-discovery seems counter-intuitive to me. It doesn’t strike me as a “proud” moral choicerather, it seems merely the easy way out and a great missed opportunity.</p>
<p>And the diversity of ideas I mentioned above isn’t necessarily a barrage of purely liberal or secular thinking. There is plenty of Christian thought at H Y D or R. What might have been an even more profound religious experience is to have a college experience exposing the student to diverse views and to come out an even stronger Christian, having stuck to her values.</p>
<p>Wow,the stuff about the soil and the late grandmother was something. Baylor sounds like a great fit for her. Makes perfect sense when you read what she had to say. The only thing I didn’t get though was the full ride to Harvard statement. I thought Harvard didn’t give merit aid?</p>
<p>It doesn’t mention money but I’m sure Baylor gave her a good incentive to attend - perhaps even a full ride to match what she had at Harvard and Rice. My nephew (also from MI but with much lower stats) got a very good offer to attend Baylor.
There is a lot to be said for that feeling of belonging - I grew up in Texas with parents from Michigan and ended up attending U of Michigan instead of Stanford, Rice or Smith.</p>
<p>The article doesn’t explicitly say so, but I don’t think she was valedictorian of a Christian private school. If she had been, I think the article would have said so.</p>
<p>If she was valedictorian of a public school, she has been exposed to a diversity of viewpoints since it’s likely that many of her peers did not share her religious convictions. And she will be exposed to religious diversity again after she graduates from college.</p>
<p>There is value in diversity, but there is also value in sharing experiences with those with whom you have much in common. Few people here object, for example, when a highly academic 8th grader chooses to attend a magnet high school program at least in part because of a desire to be with other students who share that academic orientation. Similarly, this young woman values the opportunity to be with others who share her religious orientation. I see no problem with this.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing such a great story–what an impressive young woman! </p>
<p>I don’t think her decision is that remarkable or controversial. I do wonder if it would have been different absent the compelling family connection. But kids choose top niche schools over Ivies all the time, whether the thing most important to them is religious or ethnic identity, a sport, an instrument, a special academic program or something else. We get it when personal fit leads someone to choose Brandeis over Harvard, Howard over Princeton, Carnegie Mellon over MIT or Northwestern over Yale. This is the same thing. Baylor is among the top choices nationally for students who need both an intellectually challenging school AND a conservative Christian experience. In fact, I think it would be considered an “elite” in the “best of class” use of the word. (I am not familiar with that class of schools, but Furman is another that comes to mind as being an elite Christian college.) It’s not like she chose a regional parochial not known for its academic rigor…like Baylor when I was growing up! Then, it was just the school where the Texas Baptist kids went to college, like my Church of Christ friends went to Abilene Christian. Baylor’s come a long way the past 40 years. </p>
<p>Living here in Texas, I know quite a few Baylor grads and encounter their fans at sporting events. I didn’t know Baylor was a Christian college and would not have guessed that it was. Perhaps Christian colleges are more alcohol friendly than I realized!</p>
<p>I wonder if her experience there will live up to her expectations.</p>
<p>^^Oh wow I bet you are correct. If it is her, she seemed pretty level headed in that thread. Despite the OMG why would you choose anything over Haaarvard. I hope she is happy, thriving and having a great freshman year.</p>
<p>I wonder if she ever ended up visiting Harvard or Yale. In that ^ earlier thread, she said she had not. From afar, those u’s seem like bastions of non-Christian liberalism, but I do not think that perception is completely accurate. There are churches/chapels and Christian groups on both campuses.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to hear from any atheists or non Christians who have opted to attend a Christian college for the purpose of diversity and self discovery.</p>
It’s very frustrating that people speak about diversity as if it’s an unarguable value. Some people like it; some people want to be with their own kind. If you really believe in diversity then please marry someone from a different culture, preferably someone who doesn’t speak English. Move to a country where people don’t speak English. Skip college and go to work and hang out with poor uneducated types.</p>
<p>But a lot of people, especially leftists, have no interest in learning about other points of view. That’s their right.</p>
<p>Sure, but for some people that’s not enough, and they really do want to be surrounded with a stronger Christian sense. Which is fine - plenty of schools for them to choose from, and it’s great that not everyone has to value the same things.</p>
<p>It’s very hard for her to make such a gutsy choice. Many want to attend Harvard. Very few have the privilege to choose. I am sure Baylor is a great fit for her. I was thinking about the word prestige whore the other day (being that English is my 3rd language, I ponder about words sometimes). If I know how to apply that word correctly, this thread could be it but I am not too sure I want to offend anyone ;)</p>
<p>I just want to correct one thing. The article said full ride to Harvard. There is no such thing, unless you are very poor. But even that, there is still no full ride. Harvard offers no merit scholarship.</p>
<p>In general, I think it is a bit easier for Christians to find their niche at a secular school than for atheists to find their niche at a religious school. There are Christian and other religious centers/groups even at colleges like Hampshire and Bard. With the exceptions of Chicago and Emory, the student in question was admitted to the universities with the finest divinity schools in the country (Harvard, Yale, Duke, Vandy). </p>
<p>In contrast, atheists or students with unorthodox ideas about religion may have considerably more trouble finding other such students. Trying to find a Muslim or LGBT group at Wheaton or Grove City is an exercise in futility. (“It is thus expected that Baylor students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching.”) </p>
<p>
We live in a multicultural world, and the days of this country sequestering itself are long over. Anyone who can’t deal with other people who have different backgrounds and beliefs without holding his nose is not likely to do as well as someone who can. This goes for everyone, including liberals and conservatives, Christians and atheists, and Yankees and Texans.</p>