The University of Dayton

Date: Mar 20 2015
Major: Sociology (This Major's Salary over time)
The word "community" gets thrown around here quite a bit. For the most part, students seem to embrace this term as fitting of the UD atmosphere. The average UD student will tell you that he or she is very happy here and could not picture themselves anywhere else. However, I believe that this security is due to the fact that most students here are very similar on a few levels. Firstly, most students here are from Ohio or other midwestern states. Being from the East Coast, I found what may be typical midwestern close-mindedness on LGBTQ issues, racial issues, and women's issues alarming right away. Additionally, the student body is overwhelmingly Catholic (not surprising as this is a Catholic university). I made the mistake of thinking that it would be easy to fit in as an atheist. I was told by an interviewer, student tour guides, etc. that fitting in would be no problem whatsoever, but I've found that many people here do judge a person based on their lack of religion. Many times, fellow students have brought up homophobic arguments in class. One student even used a slur while speaking to the class. These students often assert that if one does not agree with everything the Catholic Church preaches, one should not attend this university.

Although the close-mindedness of the general population has been difficult tot deal with, I have met some great people here. However, if I were to go back in time, I would not have gone to this school. I would like to advise atheists and liberal students to really think hard before coming here. Spending a night with a student—NOT the university's official overnight event—would be a helpful way to get a sense of the real "community" here and whether or not you think you can handle it.