College Decisions

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

I look at college from a slightly different perspective. Unless your major is religious studies, where the personal theology of the professors is highly relevant, I'd say go to the best school for your major, the school with the best teaching overall, and the school you can afford.

I went to Berkeley, and many folks on Phatmass went to state or other secular schools. And, I don't see their faith as being any less than those who attended religious schools. Berkeley may be one of the most secular schools in the country, but for "people of faith" (whatever faith) there are hundreds (or thousands) of fellow students who share that faith--and are STRONG in their faith. In a way, going to a secular school often results in a stronger faith than a religious school. Your faith is tested every day. Yes, some people "fell away." But, for those who persevered, they tended to have a STRONGER faith than many who went to religious schools, and didn't have to make conscious decisions about how to live their faith, because the school made many of those decisions for them.

I come from a very academic family, and tend to place importance on academic excellence. Many secular schools simply are better universities than many religious schools. They are much more selective on whom they admit as students and the quality of teaching is very high. I don't know if you are of an academic disposition or not, but at some secular schools you will find that your fellow students are more your intellectual equal.

Obviously, all this is debatable and I know many Phatmassers will disagree with me. I'm fine with that. Also, not every student is of a highly academic mindset--which is just fine. What a given student needs from their university is unique to them.

And, one issue for many students is cost. They may not be able to afford to go to a private school. Or, going to a state school may mean that they are not saddled with heavy debt at graduation.

I don't keep up with which secular schools have a stronger Catholic presence on campus, or which have strong Catholic student organizations or nearby parishes. But, for example, Berkeley may be ultra-liberal overall, but it has a strong Catholic presence, including (I believe) at least one Traditional Latin Mass parish near campus--maybe more than one.

If I had to choose for myself, I'd pick Notre Dame versus FUS, because it has a better academic reputation. And, a student doesn't need everyone on campus to think exactly the way they do. Heck, that's not even going to happen on a Catholic campus. A student simply needs a decent size, strong group of fellow Catholic students, with whom to have fellowship and to share their faith.

But, before choosing Notre Dame (among other things, N. Indiana has some of the worst weather in the U.S. LOL), if I were a student of academic mind with high enough grades and test scores to get into Notre Dame, I'd also look at other schools. The other schools might (or might not) be a better "fit" or might be less expensive.

The only one who can know which is the right university for you is you.

Edited April 23, 2011 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='Cam42' timestamp='1303597365' post='2231517']
Fr. Brian Nolan and I were at the Mount at the same time, I think. He was a couple of years ahead of me, but I am certain that we were seminarians at the same time. It is good to know that things are changing around, though....the disconnect between the seminary and the college was palpable from an orthodoxy pov. As far as contact interpersonally goes, the only real contact was between the pre-the's and occasionally seeing some at the library.
[/quote]

He was ordained in '01, so he was likely a deacon during your year there. He does really well with the collegians... There were so many nights that I'd head into the chapel 2-3AM and he'd be in there, praying his holy hour. Or on certain evenings, he'd come in to celebrate a private Mass. Well, I could go on all night... but he's just a great man. A great priest and a great man. Just alone he has done much to help turn the Mount around.

...looks like I've hi-jacked! Oops!

[Lilllabettt]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1303598912' post='2231537']
I went to Berkeley,
[/quote]


I don't know how anyone could ever turn down Berkley, any more than they could turn down Harvard or Yale.

Going to a school as prestigious as that, even for a semester, can seriously alter the direction of your entire life.

[mcts]

[quote name='Cam42' timestamp='1303595551' post='2231500']
No. I will not step foot on that campus. I will not be complicit in supporting an institution which is clearly heterodox while promoting itself as being Catholic.
[/quote]


Your loss.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1303598912' post='2231537']
I look at college from a slightly different perspective. Unless your major is religious studies, where the personal theology of the professors is highly relevant, I'd say go to the best school for your major, the school with the best teaching overall, and the school you can afford.


[/quote]
I like this, Iggy!

[Amppax]

Thanks everybody for all the info, opinion, advice, etc... I'm going to be making my decision in the next couple of days, and will let you all know as soon as I know where I'm going. thanks again

[4588686]

[quote name='Cam42' timestamp='1303596204' post='2231503']
Perhaps....

This wasn't just some people....I was at FUS for the whole of the weekend and I witnessed these actions more than a few times and not just by a few. The priest was supporting and participating the in "charismatic Mass" which was very disturbing for me....

As for the music, there really isn't a debate, the Mass has parameters by which music should follow, but doesn't.

As for the emphasis on serving the poor, I have no issue with serving the poor. I actually encourage it, but I disagree with the mentality for it. It certainly seems as though the serving of the poor is the end and not merely a means to bring Greater Glory to God.
[/quote]


Wow. A whole weekend. That's definitly long enough to guage an entire school.

I stayed at your alma mater for a weekend during High School. There was some vulgarity written on the bathroom stall doors. I guess that's pretty solid evidence to conclude that it's stuffed full with morally bankrupt curs, huh?

[dominicansoul]

[quote name='Amppax' timestamp='1303884029' post='2233846']
Thanks everybody for all the info, opinion, advice, etc... I'm going to be making my decision in the next couple of days, and will let you all know as soon as I know where I'm going. thanks again
[/quote]

go to FUS cos Audrey will be there...






edited cos,

that's all i wanted to say

Edited April 30, 2011 by dominicansoul

[Maggyie]

[quote]As for the emphasis on serving the poor, I have no issue with serving the poor. I actually encourage it[/quote]

Well, that's certainly a good thing, because if you did have an issue with it you'd be a heretic. Scripture says very clearly that a lack of action on behalf of the poor and the least of these will send a soul to Hell. That's why social justice is one of the cornerstones of Catholic faith. It's a deadly serious obligation, and I think it's pretty hard to over-emphasize it, given that it's an integral part of salvation. Getting students into Heaven is a big part of the mission for any good Catholic school. Bravo to FUS for making it a priority!

Edited April 30, 2011 by Maggie

[MrsSlappo]

Serving the materially poor, which is a corporal work of mercy, is not all scripture is referring to when it talks about serving the poor.

It is much more important to serve the spiritually poor, which would be the spiritual works of mercy:
[indent] [color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Admonish sinners

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Instruct the ignorant

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Counsel the doubtful

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Comfort the sorrowful

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Bear wrongs patiently

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Forgive injuries

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Pray for the living and the dead

-Mr Slappo hijacking his wifes account.
[/indent]

Edited April 30, 2011 by MrsSlappo

[Maggyie]

[quote name='MrsSlappo' timestamp='1304182821' post='2235053']
Serving the materially poor, which is a corporal work of mercy, is not all scripture is referring to when it talks about serving the poor.

It is much more important to serve the spiritually poor, which would be the spiritual works of mercy:
[indent] [color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Admonish sinners

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Instruct the ignorant

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Counsel the doubtful

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Comfort the sorrowful

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Bear wrongs patiently

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Forgive injuries

[color="#ff0000"]»[/color] Pray for the living and the dead

-Mr Slappo hijacking his wifes account.
[/indent]

[/quote]

I don't think it would be seemly to argue about which is more important. My point is if you don't do spiritual AND corporal works of mercy you're going to spend all eternity getting a great tan. We can't get out of serving the poor physically. It really bothers me when people set up the two aspects against each other like they are opposed. Ignoring social justice and doing all the nice abstract spiritual things or ignoring the abstract spiritual things and doing nothing but social justice - both these approaches smell of elderberries the marrow out of Christianity. It's like taking a scissors to the Bible not to mention the Catechism. It's just so depressing because everybody does it. The problem at most Catholic colleges is that they are all about social justice but they fail to teach it along with spiritual truth, so they fail at their mission.

But it is a temptation from the Devil to go the other way. Living the Christian life and serving the poor is not a spiritual abstraction, it involves getting your hands dirty and putting your back into it. It requires muscle, it requires [i]doing[/i]. At the judgment it's not going to be enough to say "I prayed for the poor, I bore wrongs patiently" if you also had the ability to help feed the poor and and tend to them when they were sick or visit them when they were imprisoned, and you didn't do those things. It's not enough. We have to do both. Again this is serious stuff where people's salvation is at stake. The Body of Christ has been so damaged by secular ideologies that half the people are allergic to social justice because it's "liberal" and the other half are allergic to the Truth because it's "fundamentalist" to evangelize and take the Church's teaching seriously. We are so messed up in the Church today.

I think both ND and FUS are seeking the radical message of the gospel, which in its wholeness explodes all ideologies, but maybe FUS does a better job... ND does have high profile failures but I think there is a core of leadership that wants to embrace the whole of the Church and they're working to make that more and more of a reality.

[God the Father]

As a Notre Dame student, I would not recommend it to ANYONE academically qualified to get in. The administration is misguided and overbearing, the culture is remarkably passive--not to mention the weather is truly horrendous.

I can't say for sure, but I have no doubts that the experience must be appreciably better at many schools of comparable quality.

The kind of student interested in a place like FUS, though, is probably the polar opposite of myself, and so might find things agreeable here.

[AudreyGrace]

[quote name='God the Father' timestamp='1304191276' post='2235091']
As a Notre Dame student, I would not recommend it to ANYONE academically qualified to get in. The administration is misguided and overbearing, the culture is remarkably passive--not to mention the weather is truly horrendous.

I can't say for sure, but I have no doubts that the experience must be appreciably better at many schools of comparable quality.

The kind of student interested in a place like FUS, though, is probably the polar opposite of myself, and so might find things agreeable here.
[/quote]

Doesn't ND have a Gay Straight Alliance? someone told me that the other day and i was like [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/crazy.gif[/img]

[TeresaBenedicta]

There's the old adage... "College is what you make of it." And I think that's going to be true in most cases. It sounds like there are good opportunities to grow in your faith at both schools, should you choose to seek them out. There are also opportunities to lose sight of your faith at both schools. Much will depend on your choices while at college- who you hang out with, how hard you try to nourish your faith, etc.

For what it's worth, my opinion regarding FUS is that it has a [i]very[/i] specific charism. If that resonates with you, then it's probably a good fit. If you're looking for a place where you can really focus on your academics while still maintaining growth in your faith... maybe Notre Dame is a better fit.

Most Catholic colleges nowadays have particular charisms. I don't think FUS is a better Catholic college than Christendom or that Christendom is a better Catholic college than Ave Maria or that Ave Maria is better than the Mount or Belmont Abbey or Benedictine, etc. I think many of the top Catholic colleges have different charisms and different ways of living out their Catholic identity. Some are very particular and specific. Some are more broad.

I guess what I'm saying is... how attached are you to FUS specific charism? How much emphasis are you looking to put on your education?

Just questions to ask yourself.

[4588686]

[quote name='God the Father' timestamp='1304191276' post='2235091']
As a Notre Dame student, I would not recommend it to ANYONE academically qualified to get in. The administration is misguided and overbearing, the culture is remarkably passive--not to mention the weather is truly horrendous.

I can't say for sure, but I have no doubts that the experience must be appreciably better at many schools of comparable quality.

The kind of student interested in a place like FUS, though, is probably the polar opposite of myself, and so might find things agreeable here.
[/quote]


Why don't you transfer?