Oral Roberts University

Date: Sep 30 2002
Major: Accounting (This Major's Salary over time)
For a lot of people, college is the time they really decide what they believe and who they are going to become. I'd always heard that, and with college several years behind me now, I can really see how true that is. I decided the career direction I'd take while in college, I met my wife in college, and most of my closest friends - despite having moved far away and scattered all over the place - are still ones I met in college. You get the idea. Those choices go a long way in determining the type of person you're going to become and the kind of life you'll have as a result.

Despite its religious emphasis, ORU is like any other college in that you're probably going to find whatever it is that you're looking for. If you want to find a bunch of friends that like to party, you can find that crowd at ORU. But if you want to meet a bunch of close friends that are serious about following God, the odds of doing so are better at ORU than at a secular school. Here's why:

Let's face it, really good friendships are rare, and they usually can't be forced. What I mean is, if you take a group of 30 people and say,

make really strong friendships out of this group of people (that believe most of the same really important things you do),

maybe you'll get lucky and find a couple that you really click with and can develop deep friendships with. I think some secular schools are like that, offering some campus ministries that let you easily hook up with other Christians on campus. The difference at a place like ORU is that of maybe 4,500 students, you've probably got 3,000 that are really serious about their faith. Naturally when your prospect pool is that large, it's a lot easier to find a half dozen or more that really click with you, rather than trying to force friendships with people simply because they go to the same campus ministry you do. I'm probably understating the number of Christian students on other campuses. The point is simply that at ORU, most of the people around you have similar values and beliefs as you, which makes finding friends easier.

That to me is the biggest advantage a place like ORU offers. Sure there are lots of rules and yes, you'll probably chafe against some of them occasionally. But I found them to be a pretty minor issue really. As for the education I received, it was pretty good. Not great - after I got out I realized that in both Finance (my major) and Computer Science (minor) there were some pretty substantial areas that weren't covered in much depth. But the curriculum was broad and tough enough that I learned both how to think and how to work hard. I can't say enough about the faculty either - if there's a group of instructors anywhere that care more about their students or pour themselves out for them more, I'd be surprised. Really top notch, and they legitimately care about you. Many schools are not that way.

This is pretty long, but you're not buying a VCR here, you're making one of the defining choices of your life. If you're serious about continuing to grow in your faith while getting a solid education, ORU is a good choice. Like any other school, it is what you make of it, and you'll probably find what you're looking for. So save yourself some aggravation and figure out exactly what it is you want to find in college, BEFORE you pick one. If it's important to you to incorporate a strong Christian emphasis into your college experience, ORU is definitely worth a close look.