Pensacola Christian College

Lets see, where to begin.......PCC seems to be a love/hate situation. People either love it or they hate it. If you know going into the situation that they are extremely strict then you can manage. It is a good education. If you are going for education, this is a great place. If you are going for dating, friends, cruising the beach, etc., it leaves a lot to be desired. For example, no dating off campus. NO physical contact whatsoever. If you do touch someone of the opposite sex, you are "socialed" and cannot talk to anyone of the opposite sex for two weeks. No, I'm not kidding or exaggerating. The teachers are great. Most of them really care about you and go out of their way to help you.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Looking back, I consider my experience at PCC to be an overall negative one. I believe many of the prevalent attitudes are unedifying and, worse, unbiblical. I don't believe that Christ wanted everyone to go around pointing out others' sins or discrepancies and being eager to get them into trouble, yet that is exactly what people at PCC are encouraged to do (and even threatened with major trouble if they don't). Frankly, the school is obsessed with the god called Rules; Rules seem to come before all else. I do not believe that the extreme focus on so many non-issues (what I consider them) is supposed to be the purpose of a large Christian institution. I believe the Bible leaves room for many things to be worked out in a person's own heart, and that we are responsible for certain personal convictions. PCC leaves no room for this kind of freedom, however. PCC thinks it has the right to intrude into every aspect of a person, including his own personal relationship with God. PCC also thinks it has the right to have authority over a student's own parents, getting students in trouble for things they did at home over summer break, under their parents' authority. There are many other negative aspects of PCC I could discuss. For me, the fact that my last year was spent as a 23-year-old (in their eyes, finally a semi-adult) and had some more freedoms, helped me to actually see it through and graduate. However, I would strongly advise high schoolers considering this college, to read up on the college and consider why there are so many negative reviews out there. Yes, many of them are from ex-students who were kicked out and who really messed up and are bitter, but some of them are from graduates like me who made it without causing a lot of ripples, yet still frankly considered it a largely negative experience that seemed to hinder spiritual growth in many ways.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

I chose Pensacola Christian College precisely because I agreed with their basic perspective of education. We attend college to fill our minds with knowledge; we do not attend college to determine whether or not knowledge is worth accepting. Neither do we attend college for its ability to give us a "spiritual high." Our spiritual welfare is wrapped up in the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ--faithful proclamation of the word.

This leads to another reason why I chose PCC. Looking beyond any differences on points of theology that have been legitimately debated since the inception of the church, I chose PCC because of their stated belief that proclamation and acceptance of the Word of God is central to all areas of learning, both academic and spiritual.

Did I give up certain freedoms to attend PCC? Yes, I certainly did. I gave up several petty freedoms that have seemed to permanently damage the sensitive emotions of those who evidently had sufficient time to notice the loss. Again, some of us went to school to learn, not party. This is not to say that I failed to enjoy life at PCC. But my enjoyment comes from treasuring Christ and the gift of human relationships, not the selfish desire to have access to a particular style of music, clothes, or other form of entertainment; especially for the brief duration of a 4-year learning concentration. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Frankly, I am glad for the spirit of discipline. I certainly needed it at 18 years of age. By 20 years of age, I was even more glad that I did not have to deal with the distraction of free anti-moral expression that plagues most colleges today.

I greatly treasure the time I spent at PCC (No, I did not "check my brain at the door"; know that every institution attempts to influence the thinking of its students in a particular direction. So if you can, know the general direction before you go! Those who complain in this area are not being "forced" to accept a viewpoint; rather they desire a platform for proclamation of their own viewpoint. If this your desire; just about any other college will do for you.)I now have a great deal of knowledge and understanding in my field that is based on fact, not opinion. For this, I owe of debt of gratitude to PCC. Also, I have a large network of friends whose desire is to glorify God, rejoice in the cross of Jesus Christ, and strive for the retention of sound doctrine. For colleges in its category, PCC clearly stands as one of the better schools.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000