Messiah College

Date: Feb 05 2009
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a recent graduate of Messiah, and I feel that I received a very high-quality education there.

As with any educational experience, what you ultimately get out of it will correspond with what you put in. There is no question that Messiah College is solidly Christian. This does not mean, however, that the classes you will take there will not challenge your faith, or that you won't encounter many ideas and belief systems that are unfamiliar to you. I believe this is a strength of the school - it won't allow you to quietly coast through your four years there without truly examining your faith. Even if you don't change your mind about anything throughout your education there, at least you will be better able to defend your beliefs and know how to engage with people whose ideas are different than your own. Though the faculty are all Christian, they represent a broad spectrum of religious traditions and political convictions. It is the same with the student body.

Be aware - the rules are definitely stricter than what you would find at a secular college (no drinking, no smoking, chapel requirements, etc). But Messiah does provide a large range of excellent social events - concerts, movies, lectures, clubs and activities - so people keep themselves pretty entertained even though there aren't crazy parties, and there isn't much to do in the surrounding area. Among the students there is definitely some underground drinking that happens among the upperclassmen, but this is easy to avoid unless you go looking for it, and it is rare to find any drinking in the dorms.

As far as academics are concerned, I felt the quality of the classes and professors overall was excellent. I did enounter a couple professors who weren't very effective in their teaching methods, but on the whole I was very satisfied with the challenging and stimulating coursework, especially in the Humanities School. I graduated very prepared to enter the professional world.

In addition, they also have an EXCELLENT study-abroad program. They make it very easy for students to spend a month, semester or year abroad both finance-wise and academically, and they have programs in a large number of countries. In my time there I was able to go on a month-long trip to Mexico and I also spent a semester in Spain. I had friends who went to Italy, Nepal, New Zealand, Lithuania, the UK, France, Uganda, Equador, Mozambique, China, and more.

My main complaints with Messiah are:

1) the cost - very expensive unless you receive a large scholarship, and

2) the campus is kind of insular - you will become very familiar with the term "the Messiah Bubble" if you go here. There is a particular atmosphere and culture at the college, and after a couple years it can become tiresome - hence my appreciation of the study-abroad experience!

Messiah is not your average Christian college, but if you want a challenging academic program and great social experience, you can find it there.