If you prefer, you can read the transcript.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant
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Right now I’m on the campus of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I’m on a college tour and visiting several different colleges that all have different religious backgrounds. I’ve visited a couple of Quaker schools now, a Methodist school, Presbyterian school, and now I’m in a Lutheran campus. And sometimes when I ask students about religion and how that plays a role in their college decision. Some people can be very clear about it, other people are like I really don’t want my college experience to be religious.

But the labels can be deceiving because Muhlenberg College, for example, is a Lutheran College, but it’s about 33% Jewish and about 33% Catholic. I think she said about less than 10%—around 10% of the students—are actually Lutheran. So while Muhlenberg has a historical relationship with the Lutheran Church and its Chapel is to die for—absolutely drop dead gorgeous on the inside; gothic architectures, stained glass windows, the whole nine yards in terms of the religious symbolism and imagery—the student body is not necessarily Lutheran. In fact, Muhlenberg has one of the strongest Hillel programs for Jewish students anywhere in the world—anywhere in the country.

So make sure, as you’re looking at colleges and you see that religious label—whether it’s Catholic or Methodist, or Presbyterian, or Church of Christ, or Lutheran—that may or may not have anything to do with the actual composition of the student body or the spiritual orientation of the school itself. So look beyond the labels and see what the truth really is about a college.

The post Religion and the Decision About Which College to Attend–The Example of Muhlenberg first appeared on College Admission Counseling.

One group of universities stands out in its dedication to the liberal arts and to the education of a person’s mind, body, and spirit.  The Jesuit universities share a mission to create well-founded individuals.

The 28 Jesuit institutions include some well-known universities, including Georgetown and anything with the name “Loyola” in it (Loyola Chicago, Loyola New Orleans, Loyola Marymount).  This group also includes names of great schools that have a familiar ring to them:  Creighton, Gonzaga, Marquette.

I had the good fortune to meet with the Assistant Dean of Admissions from Marquette University recently, and I asked her to explain what a Jesuit education is all about.

So here is Kate Metcalfe describing why you might consider a Jesuit education–at Marquette, or at any of the other 27 Jesuit colleges and universities.

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post What is a Jesuit Education? Why Attend A Jesuit University? first appeared on College Admission Counseling.