Liberty University

I have mixed feelings about LUO. I can say that once I was accepted for admission, they dropped off like a hot potato and stopped addressing any questions I had or concerns about very important matters that anyone investing thousands of dollars would want to know. The positive is that it was very easy to figure out how to maneuver online. I took no training, didn't look at the tutorials and was able to log in and figure it out within minutes. To go back to the downside is that it takes a while to get your disbursement unless you enroll beyond a capacity that is reasonable for your schedule for the sake of getting your refund. The courses online are accelerated, so if you work, more than one at a time is hard to handle. I also think it's unfair that the summer sessions overlap. As you are finishing one course, the second one kicks in the last week of that course, which is the most critical, so you are trying to do the best you can on your remaining assignments for the first term, while having to start a new course, which is also important to get on the right track. The larger issue I have is that when I applied here, I specifically asked them if one had to be well-versed in the bible to succeed at this institution?it was brushed off ?o no, anyone can enroll here and we do not expect this as a prerequisite.? THIS IS NOT TRUE. If you do not know the bible, you are at a MAJOR disadvantage at this school. Some may say ?well, if it's a Christian University, you should have known better.? Not really?that culture exists at the physical location, but one would not expect that online necessarily, and also, if you ASK THE ADMISSIONS PEOPLE AND THEY SAY NO, you would not expect this. It isn't like I didn't ask and also asked for an honest reply at that. They just want the money, so of course, they say what you want to hear. Which to me is stupid, because you will just drop out anyway after a while of this. I have had to put way more hours into my work in my first course, having to reference biblical scriptures when the fact is, I do not know anything about this. It?s a real disadvantage, particularly if you work and do not have 5 additional hours for this purpose each week. In a normal college, I could take 2 classes at a time at the hours I have been putting in. You have way more assignments here, at least so far, this has been true. Add, if you don't ?play their game? and either buy into the Christian view, or, act like you do, you will notice a real difference I how you are treated by the professors. It?s fairly easy to spot who is an active Christian on these forums as opposed to who isn't just by the messages. Mine aren't as biblically intellectual as the others, and also because I am learning this religion, I have questioned some of what I have learned which is a NO-NO here. They like to encourage questions, but frown on your for asking, especially if they have no logical reply. It isn't that I am not a believer, but I am not into all of this memorization of scriptures and I don't actively practice Christianity. I don't think an outright non-believer would attend this school. So, morale of the story is, if you aren't a Christian, or, you don't know the bible well enough, you won't thrive here. My grade would be a lot better if that weren't a factor. I will see how my second course goes and if my suspicions are accurate and Christianity is thrown into non-religion coursework. If so, I am transferring. I refuse to spend my time ins chool having to pretend, pay the game and put in this extra work because I was misled by their admissions staff.

1st Year Female -- Class 2015

Scholastic Success: C+, Individual Value: D

I enrolled here due to the relatively low tuition copared to other online schools in addition to the fact this is a brick and mortar school and will not necessarily be recognized on my resume as an "online institution." i specifically asked admissions BEFORE enrolling here if (1) non-christains would be able to function here without being absorbed into the culture (I figured online, I would be removed from the entire chritian culture and any related events). (2) I specifially asked them if I had to have a biblical foundation of knowledge in order to do well here, or better yet, DO THE COURSEWORK. i was told that there are certain courses that require and teach a christian view, and I was o.k. with that. I could stand to learn a few things about the bible. However, so far, in my first semester, I am discovering that my lack of knowledge of the bible may be a problem, and I may again have to change schools. I tried to avoid this and am not angry that I was deceived. I am taking a class that semi-relates t religion now, ut I already have a red flag raised to the fact that my assignments require scripture references to unrelated work. This has nothing to do with my reading to date for this course, so I am getting the vibe that any more education here will mean continued research which is VERY TIME CONSUMING to even come up with these scriptures for a paper that is supposed to be about SOMETHING ELSE. I don't have time for this..added hours of research outside of the paper iteself, to "back-up" my position religiously. That said, beware of what admissions tells you - you need to know the bible to attend this school OR, you better have a lot of time for research to PRETEND THAT YOU DO. i also find you cant let on that your views are different here, or you will be viewed differently, hence, your grade will suffer. I'm not sure how I feel about SHUTTING UP AND GOING ALONG WITH THIS RIDE.

1st Year Female -- Class 2015

Faculty Accessibility: B, Surrounding City: D

Liberty is a great school if you want to learn more about spirituality, but you're not going to be academically challenged. My parents made me go here because of our strong Christian background, but after a year of classes that have not made me think outside the box, and meeting fellow students who themselves are very narrow minded, I convinced my parents to allow me to transfer (going to ODU next year which is near home). The coursework was extremely easy and I'm surprised anyone fails any class here. Everything is based on God's teachings, including the scientific parts. While LU students are encouraged to research non-Christian based ideas, you'll rarely find that they will believe any of it, and most of the time students and teachers here will try to explain these ideas in a Christian manner even if it doesn't make sense.Now don't take me wrong, everyone here is super nice and the campus is decent, but don't expect the normal college experience. Everyone thinks very similarly, and absolutely don't expect much of a normal social experience. The Liberty Way (LU's Conduct Policy) is very strict and the only social experiences you'll have will be Christian-oriented. If you're into that type of stuff, then this school is for you. Otherwise, my suggestion is to expand your horizons and go to a non-religious university.

1st Year Male -- Class 2015

Perceived Campus Safety: A+, Education Quality: F