Bob Jones University

Date: Jun 18 2005
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
Whenever I meet BJU grads who have attended other schools, I ask them how the education compares to BJU. I have talked to graduates of Grace Theological Seminary, U. of Colorado, USC, USC Med School, Westminster Theological Seminary, Harvard, Cedarville University, North Greenville College, and Central Baptist Seminary. Believe it or not, all of them say that BJU is the most academically rigorous. You will get a solid education at BJU.

That doesn't mean that other people know you got a solid education. You should consider BJU's reputation. This is the school that didn't let black people in until the 1970s, and had the audacity to claim that that was what God wanted. This is the school that banned interracial dating until the 21st century (yep, that's what God wanted too). The school is NOT racist anymore. But you'll have a difficult time convincing people. This is the school that proudly claims the term "fundamentalist" (which to most people is synonymou with ignorance, terrorism, and provincialism) and refused accreditation until this year. Your good education thus gets shot in the foot by your lack of credibility.

Consider the rules as well. It's not unfair to say that you do lack a certain degree of privacy. If you get in trouble, your emails can be read and your things can be searched. You get 100 demerits for attending a movie theater and 50 for listening to rock music of any sort. (Listen to the school's rationale for those restrictions before you judge them.) You may find it quite hard to live under such rules, and even harder to explain those rules to friends and family.

I am not a fundamentalist and I love rock 'n roll. But I went to BJU for 4 years, kept the rules, got a good education, and met some wonderful faculty and students who have made more of an impact that I could have imagined. If you have the strength to endure a few rules that you think are stupid (and honestly, when are you ever going to get away from stupid regulations?), give it a try.