University of Alabama or Liberty University?

College Search & Lists
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<p>Here’s a more accurate version of what classes Roose chose to take while at LU.</p>

<p>"Of course, Roose’s academic experience at Liberty is distorted. In seeking a kind of extreme version of Christian education, he enrolls only in required freshman-level Religion and General Education classes, not in classes in other academic disciplines, or even his own major. If it’s a slice of Liberty life Roose hopes to offer, it ends up more like a spoonful of batter.</p>

<p>Consequently, despite finding plenty of “smart people” at Liberty, Roose describes it as “a place where academic rigor is sacrificed on the altar of uninterrupted piety.” He says he’s learned from others that “education and piety are not mutually exclusive, and the sooner the school’s higher ups take this to heart, the sooner Liberty students can go about the business of loving God with their minds.” Despite his breezy style, clearly Roose has done his research, and one suspects he’s been reading folks like George Marsden and Gene Edward Veith, along with Mark Noll. Even so, at five weeks into the semester, Roose finds he’s had to “work twice as hard at Liberty as [he] did at Brown.”</p>

<p>[Surprised</a> by Love | Books and Culture](<a href=“Surprised by Love | Books and Culture”>Surprised by Love | Books and Culture)</p>

<p>Now the question Zonlicht is, have you ever been to LU? Known any students, faculty or grads?</p>

<p>I have and in my opinion LU would fall in with many of the regional state Us in quality. Some areas are well above average esp those related to theater and tv production.</p>

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<p>If you did the New College route at Bama, what disciplines would you be mixing to create your major? </p>

<p>And, I don’t think a self-designed major would scare the heck out of employers. It’s all how you describe it on the resume and can speak to it during an interview. For instance, if your degree were to be in an approved combination of Economics, MIS, and Statistics, then state so in an intelligent and appealing fashion. A self-designed major that combines disciplines that are used in your line of work could be a plus.</p>

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<p>My two areas would be Communications and Advanced Writing. They are the two majors that are required for the Web-Content Writer position I’ve been eyeing. I also write fiction on the side, and I could perhaps use that major(s) to eventually get into a Professional Writing program like the graduate program at UCLA.</p>

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<p>Zonlicht,
I read the Duke board discussion. You were antogonizing in it as well. I appreciate your input, but what I was trying to get at was why you felt that way. As for being entrenched in my opinion of Liberty, maybe you should re-read my OP, where I acknowledged that a degree from Liberty might be looked down on. If you have no firsthand knowledge to base your opinions off of, your opinion doesn’t mean as much as, say, Musicamusica’s of Applemath’s who provided some valuable insights. I agree that reading comprehension is important, but what’s even more important is having a reason to base your very strong opinion on when you make such a strong statement as “it’s not even a real school.” Show some tact. It’s important in this century and every other one.</p>

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<p>So, you’d be combining Communications and Advanced Writing. I don’t think that would be hard sell within New College and on a resume, or on a grad school app (as mentioned below).</p>

<p>* I also write fiction on the side, and I could perhaps use that major(s) to eventually get into a Professional Writing program like the graduate program at UCLA*</p>

<p>Well, if you hoped to get into a good grad school, then graduating from a national university would be a plus.</p>

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<p>I read Roose’s book and loved it, and it certainly educated me a lot about Liberty. Also, I also have ties to Lynchburg and have spent time there. I STILL believe Liberty is not as academically rigorous as I would prefer in a college and I STILL believe it does not have a good reputation in general. There are some strong courses there and some good professors, but the OP is asking about making a choice which could help his future.</p>

<p>There will be potential employers who would respect someone’s choice to attend Liberty, but there are going to be plenty who will look down on it. Your choice.</p>

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<p>Good points everyone. I think I’m going to go with Alabama. I just needed to hear it put in the right context. My wife is in the program too, and she really likes it. Thanks again.</p>

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<p>Liberty U is a joke. But that’s just my opinion I guess.</p>

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<p>Roll Tide!</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>I also would look at this long term. Bama’s rankings keep rising. It’s risen over 20 spots in the last 2 years. The carefully implemented plan will likely mean additional jumps in the rankings ladder. I don’t see LU’s ranking going anywhere. </p>

<p>BTW…if you get a chance to take a Writing class by Carolyn Mason, take it.</p>

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<p>Having grown up in central Virginia, I can tell you that Liberty is not a legitimate school. Most of my friends who graduated from there said the classes were a joke. </p>

<p>Best ironic names: Liberty Flames (ground zero for homophobia) Who says God doesnt have a sense of humor?</p>

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<p>I doubt many classes at Bama are much tougher. It’s not Vanderbilt quite yet.
LU opened a law school and won full approval from the ABA in record time. They will soon open a med school and are spending $250 Million on campus improvements. Don’t know how that will impact the “rankings” but they are doing many things for a relatively new school started with next to nothing. Anyone who has not been around it recently has no clue what is going on there.</p>

<p>"Five years have passed since the death of Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., and the eternal flame erected in his honor burns a steady orange on a hilltop at Liberty University.</p>

<p>There, the university he founded unfolds in all directions, a campus clattering with construction. But the hilltop is serene, and on warm days, students come here to study or pray.</p>

<p>A quarter-mile away, Liberty has broken ground on a $50 million library, and across the border in Campbell County, construction has begun on a medical school.</p>

<p>The curriculum has swelled to more than 260 academic programs, including a film school that opened in January. In 2013, Liberty plans to admit its first class of medical students, perhaps the biggest academic milestone since the law school opened in 2004.</p>

<p>Liberty is pouring more than $220 million into construction projects that promise to transform campus over the next decade. Old buildings are being torn down and replaced with Jeffersonian architecture; makeshift dorms will be replaced with high-rise residence halls.</p>

<p>The driving force behind the growth has been the significant improvement of the university’s financial standing. Wall Street investors have taken notice, and Liberty has received strong credit ratings from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service.</p>

<p>“Just over the last five years our net assets have grown from about $100 million to over $850 million,” said Falwell Jr., adding that net assets are expected to exceed $1 billion this year.</p>

<p>“We’ve got the ability now to do what was being dreamed off, to carry out that vision.”</p>

<p>Campus leaders say Liberty will be virtually unrecognizable by the end of the decade.</p>

<p>“We’ve done a lot in the last five years, but we’ll do as much or more in the next five years as we’ve done in the last 40,” said Neal Askew, executive vice president and a longtime board of trustees member.</p>

<p>“I think Neal’s right,” Falwell Jr. said. “I think the changes over the next five years are going to be mind-boggling.”</p>

<p>[Five</a> years after death of Jerry Falwell Sr., growth booming at Liberty | The News & Advance](<a href=“http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2012/may/16/five-years-after-death-jerry-falwell-sr-growth-boo-ar-1917125/]Five”>http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2012/may/16/five-years-after-death-jerry-falwell-sr-growth-boo-ar-1917125/)</p>

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<p>"A quarter-mile away, Liberty has broken ground on a $50 million library, and across the border in Campbell County, construction has begun on a medical school.</p>

<p>The curriculum has swelled to more than 260 academic programs, including a film school that opened in January. In 2013, Liberty plans to admit its first class of medical students, perhaps the biggest academic milestone since the law school opened in 2004."</p>

<p>Who CARES? They teach creationism. That makes them a joke. I would be extremely loathe to hire anybody from Liberty U.</p>

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<p>I’m with Pizzagirl on this one (and very surprised by barrons’ comments). This is from Liberty’s list of “distinctives,” written by its founder, Jerry Falwell:</p>

<p>“An uncompromising doctrinal statement, based upon an inerrant Bible, a Christian worldview beginning with belief in biblical Creationism, an eschatological belief in the pre-millennial, pre-tribulational coming of Christ for all of His Church, dedication to world evangelization, an absolute repudiation of “political correctness,” a strong commitment to political conservatism, total rejection of socialism, and firm support for America’s economic system of free enterprise.”</p>

<p>In my opinion, college should be a time to open one’s mind, not close it.</p>

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<p>Sally305 has captured exactly what a lot of people feel about Liberty. If a college is based on a rigid, extreme ideology, I don’t see how it will provide the opportunity for critical thinking that is such an essential part of college. To me, you need to explore topics that you may not agree with or that make you uncomfortable. I feel like Liberty just makes facts agree with their pre-set beliefs. That’s not education - that’s indocrination.</p>

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<p>The fact that we even have to debate the legitimacy of Liberty should serve as a red flag. </p>

<p>I had never heard anything about LU until Romney made his commencement speech there. If I had to make the decision, I’d much rather choose a university accepting and even embracing all religions/political ideologies/beliefs (Alabama) over an extremely right-wing and close-minded school (LU).
LU caters to a certain audience, and if OP doesn’t fit the bill, then he/she should take Alabama. </p>

<p>Side note: Here is LU’s honor code <a href=“http://www.liberty.edu/media/1210/Student_Honor_Code_10_04_11.pdf[/url]”>http://www.liberty.edu/media/1210/Student_Honor_Code_10_04_11.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Seems almost like Bob Jones or Oral Roberts.</p>

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<p>I actually do know someone whom I think highly of professionally who went to Liberty U undergrad and went to a very good school for his MBA. I was kind of personally appalled when I found out he went to Liberty, since he’s so smart and he’s never been a bible-thumper - he must either keep it private, or was forced to go there by his family. Nonetheless, that knowledge “taints” him in my mind. Thankfully his degree / interest area isn’t in science.</p>

<p>I’m not surprised at all by barrons’ comments. He’s defended Liberty in the past and is very loyal to anything Lynchburg. Me, I’ll pass on bible-thumping. Liberty is not in the league of the religiously-based universities that I respect, such as Georgetown, Boston College or Notre Dame. Catholics can do intellectual query well; other groups, not so much.</p>

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<p>I would choose Alabama because that University’s credibility does not depend on one’s political party, as Liberty University’s very well could if you have a liberal employer.</p>

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<p>Somewhat off subject, but this quote really gets to me… but I suppose that’s because I’m a huge believer and supporter of tolerance. I really don’t care for bigotry of any sort. (And I’m not really a supporter of Liberty - never considered it even for my oldest who wanted a Christian college due to Liberty’s low average stats.)</p>

<p>Why in the world would anyone care what someone else believes about origins to the point of discrimination??? Do you care what someone believes about Atlantis? Nazca lines? Pyramids? If the job has nothing at all to do about origins… all I can say is, “wow!” My respect for you has suddenly plummeted. You like a guy, consider him intelligent, then lose respect because he MIGHT disagree with you over something that has no real relevance at all to your job and see nothing at all wrong with it due to your prejudices?</p>

<p>He’s allowed to believe whatever he wants to believe in this country and shouldn’t be discriminated against it - period. (With an exception if a job truly depends upon his beliefs as with any other religious deal.)</p>

<p>I’m glad in my area I don’t come across that sort of intolerance. Where I work there are a variety of beliefs, undergrad and grad schools - both religious and not, and we all get along. We can even talk in the lunch room about a variety of topics and not get annoyed with each other. Respect is gained due to performance on the job and people skills. I know there are bigots out there, but I’m glad I personally don’t have to deal with them daily (except on here evidently, but at least that’s not IRL).</p>

<p>To the OP, where I work and with those in my circle (public education and engineering), where you get your degrees after having been on a job won’t matter. Just stay away from where Pizzagirl (and a few others on here) work if she has a say in the matter. I’d stay away anyway as it really doesn’t seem like a great environment to me. I’d hate to think I couldn’t really believe something or talk about it with those who are supposed to be friends and/or co-workers. I much prefer a live and let live environment.</p>

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<p>It’s not a function of “beliefs.” I don’t care if someone believes in God, Allah or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I don’t care if someone believes that Jaws was the greatest movie of all times. I don’t care if they believe they shouldn’t eat meat, or pork, or Twinkies. I do care when someone rejects up-to-date scientific thinking. That tells me that they don’t have the logical reasoning chops I demand in my job. I think less of them the same way I think less of people who don’t “believe” that 2+2 = 4 or that gravity is why when I drop something it falls to the floor.</p>

<p>As for tolerance - give me a break - based on your past postings, it’s unlikely you would ever really “tolerate,” for example, your child marrying a Jew, or a Muslim, or an atheist, or even a Catholic.</p>

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<p>I’d be “bigoted” against an electrical engineer who went to a school where they taught that little green men resided in outlets and that’s how you got electricity. I’d be “bigoted” against a civil engineer who went to a school where they taught that how you construct a dam is just to pray that God doesn’t send a flood. Same difference, I suppose.</p>