2015 Guide to Catholic colleges and universities

The world keeps on turning, even though an Extraordinary Synod is going on, and some of you readers out there are dealing with things that actually matter to you here and now.

Some of you are trying to figure out which college to choose, where to send your children for their university education.

Will you, can you in good conscience, pick a Catholic school?  Will it really be Catholic?  Will it wind up being a catholic school, more in keeping with Fishwrap than The Wanderer?

The Cardinal Newman Society (see their spiffy feed on my side bar) has released their 2015 Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. HERE

An innovative new “Recruit Me” program gives high school students the opportunity to get recruited by the 27 faithful Catholic colleges, universities and higher education programs recommended in the 2015 edition of The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College, which was released today by The Cardinal Newman Society.
Families can view The Newman Guide and its companion magazine, My Future, My Faith, online for free or purchase print copies at TheNewmanGuide.com.

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Read the rest there.

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9 Comments

  1. tgarcia2 says:

    *inserting .02 cents*

    Even if you’re unable to attend a Catholic university, try to at least support your campus Newman Centers. Yes, they might not be as traditional as you want, but speaking from experience, you have to implement the change. I know at UTEP, we started that slowly with the Deacon that was in charge and now the center flourishes with a moderate/traditional (for the OFM Conv in charge) Masses, a KoC college council, CDA college court and Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series on topic for discussion among other things.

    Be the change, and just, as a professor put, kill them with kindness :)

  2. ReginaMarie says:

    Good point, .02 cents! Our large, state university (WVU) is by no means an oasis Catholicism…but now that Benedictine monks have taken over the university parish & a Franciscan U. grad runs the Newman program…Catholic campus ministry is more alive, solid & active than I have ever seen it in my 25 years in this town. I sure could have used a solid Newman Center like this when I was a college student here. I am grateful it exists for our son & other students.

  3. Nicholas says:

    Thomas Aquinas College

    Hopefully I get in to the school, for all that remains is a single essay and a few forms.

  4. Rachel says:

    I hope you get in, Nicholas! I go to TAC sometimes just for Mass… a very beautiful chapel and the grounds are lovely too… it’s just a good place to be. :)

    Good point about trying to improve things wherever you are too…

  5. iamlucky13 says:

    I’ll echo tgarcia – support your Newman center and get involved if things need to change.

    I have several friends who took an active role in turning around a Newman center that was on a bad trajectory. Of course, when they all graduated, some things reverted, so it takes a continuous influx of people Catholic students and volunteers to keep these centers on the straight and narrow.

    Keep in mind that at major universities, student life revolves around the campus. If there’s no Newman center or nearby parish that attaches itself to the campus life, it becomes far easier for students to fall or be drawn away from the sacraments.

    Then again, I went to a Catholic university (a Holy Cross school), and things were not on a great trajectory there, either. There was an occasional encouraging moment where the university stood up to cultural pressure, but always offset by a near revolt from non-Catholic students and staff (and sometimes some of the Catholics, too). A decade later, I still shudder when I recall how vehement people got because the university refused to allow a student group to hand out condoms on campus.

  6. HeatherPA says:

    My son started his freshman year this fall at Mount Saint Mary’s and is loving it. My daughter is going to be applying next year to CUA, hoping to get into their music program, one of the best in the country. Neither one wanted to go to a “regular” school. My son has a chapel with daily Mass in his dorm.
    Then we have a few years reprieve until our youngest son is ready to choose a college.

  7. thymos says:

    RE: applying to CUA. I’m sorry to say, but in my experience (there as grad student, then as lecturer), CUA has a bad enough atmosphere (drinking, promiscuity, etc.) that I counsel against it.

  8. thymos says:

    RE: applying to CUA. I’m sorry to say, but in my experience (there as grad student, then as lecturer), CUA had a bad enough atmosphere (drinking, promiscuity, etc.) that I counsel against it.

  9. iamlucky13 says:

    I have no experience with CUA, but it is hard to escape that kind of atmosphere at any college. While certainly far, far less prevalent than at secular schools, some friends who have gone to other colleges on the list have mentioned issues at their alma maters, but affirmed the general atmosphere to be upstanding.

    Realistically, we will not totally escape such things, and must be prepared to personally resist the temptations. I certainly would not advocate going there specifically to test oneself against such temptations, but if we back down from all pursuits that might expose us to bad influences, even a college that may provide a useful education, we will find ourselves trapped in solitary rooms, protected from some bad influences, but still capable of being tempted, and incapable of being a positive witness to happily leading a moral life. You definitely don’t get any Saint Paul’s out of that kind of life!

    Not to mention, there are far worse schools that a person may have to go to for certain educations. Do any of the schools in the list have an ABET-accredited engineering program, for example? I know several of them have engineering programs, but not sufficiently developed to gain that accreditation, which spoil most engineering career opportunities.

    My own school had no shortage of excessive drinking and promiscuity, and plenty of liberal influences among the staff, and even some tentative heresy from a couple priests, but still enough good about it that I could contrast to the wrong and keep myself generally headed in the right direction. Certainly not without challenges, but I like to hope also while being a good influence on those around me.

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