Sterling College

Date: Jun 15 2005
Major: History/Histories (art history/etc.) (This Major's Salary over time)
Sterling College is a place whose relevance must be questioned. Its student body is probably half

evangelical conservative

, while its faculty is moderate, cautious liberal arts traditional. It's covenant to the Presbyterian Church is a bit out of date - there are probably more Baptists and Methodists here than Presbyterians - and should be reconsidered.

Alcohol and tobacco are banned on campus, though 50-60% of students drink at off-campus parties or at bars outside the community.

Require chapel is sometimes depressing, with firebrand, right wing dogma hacks, inappropriately linking biblical principles with Republican politics and worship services full of treacly, horrid christian pop and ballad music.

On the positive side, the faculty are generally a well educated lot, and academic expectations are high. Teaching is emphasized over research, which makes for often vigorous intellectual life in the classroom. Unfortunately, faculty research is not encouraged in most departments, thus many faculty members are rather a bit "behind" in their field. Again, this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that teaching quality is generally quite good, evidenced by the fact that I felt entirely well prepared for graduate school at a world class university.

To summarize: Sterling College is an institution with a generally naive, sheltered and strangely self-assured and evangelical student body. Social life at the College is dominated by Sport and Religious organizations. The community, while charming in its serene, midwestern setting, has little to offer the intellectually curious, nor does it offer any real diversion from everyday college life. The faculty is good to very good, the administration is generally helpful, the library adequate, etc.