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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Each week throughout the academic year, Director of Admissions Tom McFadden answers questions from students and their parents and posts the answers in the Chronicler Online. This is a compilation of those questions and answers. Submit your own question by emailing Tom McFadden (tmcfadden@christendom.edu)
Q. Is it too early to begin thinking about applying for next Fall? A. It's never too early to think about applying to the college of your choice. Generally, though, if you are really interested in attending a particular college and you believe you have a strong academic record, you should apply for early action. For Christendom, our early action date is December 1. Anyone who applies prior to that date will be notified of the Admissions Committee's decision by December 15. If you think you still need a little more time to get your application together and to possibly work on your SAT/ACT scores, you have until March 1 to apply for regular admission. So, begin thinking about what schools you want to apply to and determine how many letters of recommendation you are going to need, how much it costs to apply to each school, and what types of essays you are going to need to write. For anyone interested in having our normal $25.00 fee waived, just apply online. It's FREE. Q. What do people do with their degrees from Christendom College? A. People with liberal arts degrees are educated, not simply trained. As a result, they are able to enter a wider variety of career paths than others. Of course, there are certain technical or scientific fields that are generally unobtainable for the liberal arts grad unless he/she attends grad school in the particular field. But, in general, Christendom grads do all kinds of things when they graduate. Here are some concrete examples: Sean and Steve founded a data storage computer business. Malia is a Nashville Dominican Sister. Mary Claire is a Director of Religious Education. Mary’s a lawyer. David works on Wall Street. Neil became an anesthesiologist. Sam is a dentist. John works as an FBI agent. Theresa teaches elementary school. Molly works for a United States Congressman. Tony is a Father of Mercy. Dave is a marketing consultant. Sarah is a missionary. Tom founded his own construction company. Leo is a college professor. John founded a financial services business. Justin’s in a PhD program at Harvard. John is a Marine fighter pilot. And hundreds are stay-at-home Moms (with lots of kids), the hardest job of them all! So, if you are wondering if you will be able to get a job and support yourself (and your family), all I can say is, "Do not be afraid!" Q. Can you tell me about the types of Masses offered at Christendom? Do you have different types of Masses for people to go to, like traditional Masses or Masses with "praise and worship" or with guitars? A. We do offer different types of Masses at Christendom, but I'd have to say that they are all offered in a very traditional manner. There are normally 13 Masses a week offered on our campus. Two a day, except for Sunday when there is only one. All, except for four are the Novus Ordo (regular English) Mass, with a couple of hymns sung at the beginning of Mass and at the offertory. These songs are normally accompanied by our organist and are typically songs like, "Jesus My Lord, My God, My All," "Soul of My Savior," "Faith of Our Fathers," "Salve Regina," etc. Three of the Masses are the Novus Ordo said in Latin (not the Tridentine Mass). Generally, the two weekday Masses (Wed and Fri at 11:30am) are accompanied by Gregorian chant and some Latin hymns like Ave Maria, Tantum Ergo, etc. Friday morning Mass (7:15am) is offered according to the Extraordinary Form (Tridentine). On Sunday, we have a very beautiful 10am Mass which is accompanied by our accomplished choir and the Schola Gregoriana. There is a lot of incense and solemnity during this Mass and it is the highpoint of our week here. Also, during every Mass, we hear the bells rung during the Epiclesis, Consecration, and at Communion time; the altar boys wear surpluses and cassocks and use patens during Communion; and about 99% of the students receive Communion on the tongue, while about 40% or so kneel down to receive Communion. Q. How’s the food at Christendom? A. As a former restaurant manager and as a self-proclaimed “pretty good” cook and “eater of good food,” I’d have to say that the food at Christendom is better than average, and it keeps getting better each year. We have found that most people coming to Christendom are used to having a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and a nice sit-down well-prepared meal with their entire family at dinner. At Christendom, we believe that our offerings at each meal service, although not prepared and cooked by Mom, are diverse, delicious, and filling and based on the surveys that we give to our students each year, they find the food to be satisfactory or better. At Christendom, meals are served at one specific time each day and all those interested in eating are expected to show up to the dining area at that time and eat with everyone else. For breakfast you could expect to find the kitchen serving things like bacon and eggs, egg sandwiches, egg burritos, pancakes, home fries, bagels, waffles, omelettes, french toast, sausages, eggs benedict, and the like. For lunch, you normally get a choice of three different items. One or two are served hot, like yesterday we had a choice of baked cavatini or a chili/cheese dog, and there is always the “Sandwich Bar.” Every day you can go through the “Sandwich Bar” line and have a freshly made deli sandwich for lunch. Also, during lunch (and dinner), there is a fresh salad bar and a choice of delicious homemade soups and a variety of fruits. And a very popular item is the “Ice Cream Bar,” available after every lunch. And for dinner, the meals that are served are generally comfort foods, or foods that “Mom” would make. Sometimes we even have a “Pizza bar” or a “Pasta Bar” available, but there is normally a choice of two items at each dinner. And if for some reason you were to get hungry at times other than meal time, we have a snack bar available most nights and there is always something available to eat or drink in St. Kilian’s Café. Q. What is an RA and can I start my own club on campus? A. An RA, or Resident Assistant, is a Christendom student who is responsible for helping maintain the rules and regulations on campus. He or she is normally a junior or a senior. RA's are responsible for making sure students are in proper dress code for various events; that students are in their dorms in time for curfew; that students are not breaking other rules such as drinking alcohol on campus or smoking in their dorm rooms. RAs get free room and board as payment for their efforts. RAs are assisted by Proctors who are meant to aid the RAs in their duties, but they have less authority. RAs and Proctors report to the Deans of the Student Life Office. As far as starting your own club goes, you are allowed to, if a couple of rules have been followed. First of all, all clubs must be in conformity with Catholic church teaching. Secondly, each club must have a member of the faculty or staff serve as its moderator. Third, the club must connect with the Student Activities Council to arrange for meeting times and spaces, as well as possible funding support. We currently have clubs in a number of different areas: pro-life, chess, contra dancing, swing dancing, drama, choir, writing, yearbook, fencing, and others. If someone were to come to Christendom who had a real love of knitting and wanted to start a knitting group, I'm sure it would be welcomed, as would an art group, a babysitting group, a running group, and the like. Q. What are the deadlines for admission? Do you offer alternatives to regular admission such as early decision, early action, rolling admission? How many applications did you receive last year? What % were admitted? A. Good question. Our admissions deadlines are December 1 for Early Action, and March 1 for Regular Admission. Early Action means that those students who complete their applications and send them to us by December 1 will be notified of our Admissions Committee’s decision by December 15. At that point, any students who are accepted do not have to notify us of their intent to enroll at Christendom until March 15, although plenty of students tell us earlier than that. Even after a student deposits their $500 to reserve their place in the freshman class, that deposit is fully refundable up until May 1, as long as we are notified in writing prior to that date. Regular admission means that students send in their complete application to us before March 1 and are then notified on April 1 of the Admissions Committee’s decision. Those students would then have until May 1 to make a non-refundable deposit. But, we also do a type of Rolling Admission in that we normally review the applications as they come in and notify students of our decision within a couple of weeks. So, in reality, although we have these official dates set up, we do try and move through applications and send out acceptance letters on a more regular basis. So, if someone completes their application on November 1, there is pretty good chance that they will be notified of our decision by November 15. Likewise, if someone applies on January 21, they may be notified by the end of that month. My advice to anyone truly interested in attending Christendom is to apply early! In that way, you can know whether you have been accepted to Christendom early and that would give you plenty of time to discern whether you want to join Christendom’s family in the fall. Q. What is your policy on dress codes for both male and female students? Do you allow the contemporary fashions of low cut tops and midriff tops for females? Do you inspire modest dress in your students on campus through what your teachers wear? A. Our policy on dress codes for both male and female students is the following and is taken from our student handbook 2006-07: "Properly modest and dignified attire at Christendom College is not only a trait of a Christian people; it is essential to College morale, to respect for oneself and others. Since your primary vocation here is to be a student, it follows, then, that your attire, whether in class or relaxing, should equal the dignity of that pursuit. College study is professional work; therefore, a professional Dress Code is in force for all classes, Community Masses (i.e., Masses at 11:30 a.m. M-F and all Masses on Sundays), Sunday brunch and noon meals on class days." The Dress Code for men requires dress slacks, dress shirt, tie, dress socks, and dress shoes. For women, it requires a business dress, or a dress skirt/dress pants and dress shirt (preferably button down with collar), and dress shoes. Regarding women's dress and contemporary fashions, Christendom has a modesty dress code at all times and below are some of the specifics regarding women's dress code for class and Mass: "The neckline of all dresses/blouses must not be lower than one and a half inches below the collar bone. All skirts/dresses are to be no shorter than the crease of the back of the knee. If a skirt/dress has a slit in the front or side, the slit shall not be more than one inch above the knee cap. If the slit is in the back, it shall be no higher than two inches, measured from the crease of the knee. No form-fitting dresses, skirts, tops, or pants are allowed at any time. A shirt should not be form fitting."Shirts and blouses should be long enough so as not to bare the midriff. At all times, dress must be modest (i.e. not tight nor too loose, not low cut in back or front, not too short, no spaghetti straps, strapless, or halter tops, etc.) and respectful. All shorts must be long enough so that the wearer's fingertips do not go past the bottom of the shorts. Women's swimwear must be modest one-piece." We do inspire modest dress in our students through what our teachers wear. Our teachers all dress in a professional and dignified manner. Q. Does access to the internet on campus have filters for inappropriate materials now easily accessible online? Is the internet available in the dorms? A. The answer to your internet access question is quite simply yes, we do have filters to keep out the inappropriate materials now easily accessible online, but more importantly in my opinion, we do not have internet access in our dormitories. Any student wishing to access the internet must do so in one of the College's computers found in the library or go to the student center where there is a wireless hot spot. Q: I read about the Rome Program each week in the Chronicler and it sounds wonderful, but I have a couple of questions. First, where do the students stay, and how expensive is it to take part in the program? A: It does seem like a wonderful experience our students are having. I wish that this program had been around when I was a student here at Christendom back in the day. Anyways, under the supervision of Christendom’s Rome Program Directors, students stay at the Resort Candia. The Resort is located within the sound of the bells of the Vatican but a world away from the tour buses. It is but a five minute stroll to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. It is in a quintessentially Roman neighborhood, complete with shops, restaurants, coffee bars, and an open-air market. The Resort consists of apartments that have been recently renovated, and provides services like a hotel, such as daily cleaning and weekly change of bed and bath linens. Each apartment has its own bathroom and is equipped with kitchen facilities. Classes are held at the Instituto Maria SS Bambina, a convent located near the hotel, and situated next to St. Peter’s. From the balcony of this convent, students can listen to the weekly Wednesday Papal audience and look out over St. Peter’s Square. In addition to the normal tuition and room/board costs of attending Christendom, Rome Program participants pay approximately $600, plus airfare, making this Program affordable for everyone. And lastly, Christendom students who take part in the Semester in Rome Program are not enrolled in another college’s program for the 3-month semester, rather, they are taught and supervised by Christendom College faculty and staff. Additionally, they take classes, go on retreats and tours, and eat their meals solely with the group of approximately 40 Christendom College students. So, it really is a Christendom in Rome Program. Q: What is a typical day at Christendom like? How many hours are spent in class, study, prayer, and free time? Great question! Well, first of all there is never really a typical day. Depending on which year you are in and what you are majoring in you will have classes at varying times. But, in general, here's what I can lay out for you: Monday through Friday: Mass is offered at 7:30 am (7:15am on Fridays). Breakfast is served from 7:45-8:30. Then classes begin at 8:30. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays classes are 50 minutes each. So, classes are from 8:30-9:30, 9:30-10:20, and then 10:30-11:20. Then everything stops and our community Mass is offered at 11:30am. (with confessions heard for a half hour prior to it and up until Communion time). Between the end of the 7:30 Mass and the beginning of the 11:30 Mass we have Eucharistic Adoration where students sign up to adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in half hour increments. Following Mass is lunch which is served from 11:45-12:45. Then classes resume from 1-1:50, 2-2:50 and 3-3:50. . Dinner is then served from 5:15-6:00 and then the Rosary is said in community in the Chapel at 6:15. Then, there are a couple of classes offered at night, but normally they are upper division classes for Juniors and Seniors. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, classes are 1 hour and 15 mins long. Classes go from 8:30-9:45, 10-11:15, 1-2:15, 2:30-3:45, and 4-5:15. Other than that everything is as listed above. A freshman at Christendom normally takes 6 classes, worth 18 credits, and generally spends 18 hours of his/her week in class. The rest of the time can be used to pray, play, study, build friendships, eat, or whatever. A typical freshman class schedule may be this: Monday-Wednesday-Friday Tuesdays-Thursdays Q. I've heard that Christendom is close to the Shenandoah River. How close is it and do students ever take advantage of its proximity? A. When we say that we are close to the Shenandoah River, we mean close. Our property overlooks the beautiful river and students take advantage of it quite often. We have a number of overlooks where students can sit and look out over God's creation and we have plans to clear out a couple more areas overlooking the river where students can sit and study or simply relax. When the weather is a little warmer, students can walk down a series of trails to the river and take turns on a rope swing that goes way out over the river. Not everyone can handle the thrill of flying out over the river and dropping off the rope, but those that can, well, they love it! There is a dam at one section of the river and it makes a wonderful fishing area. Many people bring their fishing gear with them to Christendom and find that area of the river to be most peaceful. Others like to make little canoe trips up the river or just swim in it during warmer weather. Q. What are some outstanding features your Admissions Committee looks for on a student's college application? A. The bottom line answer to your question is: they like students who want what Christendom has to offer. This may seem a little hard to figure out, but they can generally tell how much a person really wants to come to Christendom from the essays that are written as part of our application process. As far as academics are concerned, the Committee looks for high school GPAs that are above 3.0, normally, and for SAT scores of 1650 and above (total of all three sections) or ACT scores of 24 or above. Do we make exceptions? Absolutely, but these are the general standards by which the Admissions Committee makes decisions. Also, they are interested in hearing what others have to say about the applicant so the letters of recommendation are important as well. So although we have necessary academic standards to get in, we care so much more about the individual’s reasons for wanting to join our family here at Christendom. We don’t want just anyone becoming part of our clan, we want eager, enthusiastic, willing-to-learn people who will give all they have to Christendom and in return, get all they can from us. The Admissions Committee is looking for students who want to have a relationship, not only with Christendom’s students, faculty, and staff, but more importantly, with the Way, the Truth, and the Life: Jesus Christ Himself. If you are the type of person who wants to continue growing in your vocation to holiness while in college and are interested in gaining one of the best classical liberal arts educations in the nation which will help in the restoration of the culture back to Christ, the Admissions Committee will be able to see this and will consider you an exemplary candidate for admission. Q: Is Christendom a Great Books program? A: Some people think we are but in fact we are not a Great Books Program. A Great Books Program, from what I can tell, is one which studies a certain limited number of primary texts in a Socratic or discussion type forum. No textbooks or secondary sources are used in a Great Books program and all students study the exact same subjects and receive one degree, a BA in Liberal Arts, without having choices of majors. Christendom would be categorized as offering a classical liberal arts education. We rely heavily on primary texts but we also use many secondary sources to gain deeper understanding of the subject matter. Also, the vast majority of our classes are lecture format with students having the ability to ask questions and make comments during class. Although we do have a very strong core curriculum which lasts two and a half years, following the completion of the core, students are given the opportunity to delve deeper into one of six areas of study and major in Theology, Philosophy, English Language and Literature, Classics, Political Science, or History. Additionally, most Great Books programs do not offer history as part of their curriculum because generally, in order to do an in-depth survey of history, textbooks are used. Here at Christendom, we rely heavily on College founder Dr. Warren Carroll’s History of Christendom series of books. Of course there are other differences and some people really like the Socratic or discussion type forum over the lecture format so it is important to find out which method suits your learning needs. I hope that this clarifies a couple of the differences between a Great Books Program and what Christendom offers. Q. Why should I attend Christendom? A. Ahhhh. The age old question. My simple answer to you is: I don't know... Maybe you shouldn't attend Christendom... but then again maybe you should. It is not my position to tell any potential student whether he should or should not attend Christendom or any other college. I don't know you well enough to know whether you'd fit in to our close-knit Catholic family here in Front Royal. Maybe you would be happier somewhere else. Who knows? Definitely not me. That's the short answer. Now, here's my longer answer to "Why should I attend Christendom?" If you like the idea of attending a college which is like a big Catholic family in that it cares most about your soul and helping you to grow in your vocation to holiness, AND you like the idea of the Catholic Faith being integrated into every aspect of student life, both academic and social, AND you want to study liberal arts in a Catholic college where 100% of the professors are loyal Catholics, AND you tend toward traditional (not traditionalist) liturgies, AND you want to have rules and regulations governing student life like dress code for class and Mass, a modesty dress code at all times, curfew for students under 21, no intervisitation
between men's and women's dorms, and no internet or TVs in the dorms, AND you want to
live in a place where Catholicism will be "the air that you breathe," an entire way of life, AND
you want to go out into society after graduation and work to restore all things in Christ then
Christendom is probably a good choice for you. If this is not appealing to you, well then, you
probably shouldn't choose to attend Christendom. Q. Nothing would make me happier than to have my daughter attend Christendom. But here is one of her main concerns: “I have spent my whole life in small Catholic schools, I am ready for something bigger.” A. This answer may be a little longer than normal, but I think it warrants a thorough explanation, because we at Christendom hear it all the time. When someone says that they are tired of being in Catholic schools or that they have had enough of Catholic education, my answer is “why?” Being in an environment where everyone cares about your immortal soul first and foremost can’t possibly be a bad thing. And being around others who share your faith and can be relied upon for sound advice and help when needed is a wonderful thing. And having teachers who are truly Catholic and who teach their subjects with adherence to the Catholic Faith is something to desire, not run away from. And it’s not like the student knows all he/she needs to know about the Catholic Faith, even if he/she was top of his/her class in religion. There is so much more to learn about the Faith, just as there is so much more to know about history, philosophy, and the like. If someone says they have had 12 years of Catholic education and they are now ready to take on the big bad world, I say good luck. They will soon find that they are ill-equipped to properly defend the Faith and ill-equipped to grow in their own knowledge and love of the Faith. When I attended Christendom in 1986, I thought I was a “theological genius.” Having been the king of Catholic trivia in my high school and the one who knew what the Church teaches, I thought I knew it all. Then I went to Christendom and majored in Theology. Wow, the Faith is really deep, I thought. After graduation I really thought that I was all finished learning the Faith and would be able to clearly articulate the teachings of the Magisterium. And I could. But when I finally went to graduate school and earned my Master’s in Theological Studies, upon graduation I finally realized that I was an idiot and knew nothing when it comes to the Faith, compared with what there is to know about it. There’s an age old saying of Aristotle that says, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” That’s the truth and if you don’t believe me, try getting your graduate degree in Theology. And as far as the whole bigger school business goes, all I can ask is “why?” Even if you attended a university with 30,000 students, the chances are pretty good that you will only have 10 friends, with three of them being what you would consider your best friends. Although bigger colleges may seem to offer more in the way of extracurricular activities and academic opportunities, smaller colleges are able to offer more in the way of personal interaction with faculty/staff and students as well as more quality extracurricular events. And there’s even more opportunity to participate in these events. Say, for example, that you think yourself to be quite the thespian, but you don’t think you could ever really make it on Broadway or in Hollywood. But you want to act in the school’s production of some type of play or musical. You try out for one of the supporting roles in the production....BUT SO DO 300 OTHER STUDENTS. At a smaller school, there is a better chance you will be able to actually take part in the play due to the smaller amount of competition. In short, a big name school or just a big school in general may not be the place for you to continue on your vocation to holiness or to help you grow in wisdom and responsibility. I think it may depend on the individual, but the last time I looked, when it comes to education, the general belief is that the more individualized attention someone gets, the better they do in an educational environment. Christendom has a student to faculty ratio of about 12:1 and they are able to know their students on an individual basis, thus helping to ensure that they are “getting” the material and growing in their knowledge of the subject taught. Q. What kinds of scholarships are available outside of need-based aid? I'm afraid my parents make too much for me to qualify for any of that. A. Because we are one of only three colleges or universities in the US that does not take any form of federal funds or aid, we are somewhat limited in what we can offer in the way of scholarships. But, that being said, I believe that our academic scholarships are pretty good and, in fact, this year, we have made them even better. Basically, if you get SAT scores above 1920 or ACT scores of 29 or above and you have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, you will automatically receive merit-based scholarships. Q. If I apply after Christendom's application deadline of March 1, what are the chances of me being accepted? A. The answer is pretty simple. I don't know! But here's what I can tell you. We are a small college and we do not plan on growing which means that we have a limited amount of housing available. Therefore, we only plan on enrolling about 125 new students each fall. So, unless things go differently than they did for the past many years, those who apply after March 1 will most likely be placed on a waiting list until we can determine if there is any room. Over the past two years, people on the waiting list are usually notified if there is room sometime in late May or early June. So, will you be accepted if you apply after March 1? It depends, I guess, but if I were you, I wouldn't wait around to find out -- apply today! Q: What percentage of your students are home-schooled? A: Although it varies from year to year, about 50% of our incoming freshman class is home-schooled. From what we can tell, the number of home-schooled students in America is rising and as a result, the number of home-schooled applicants to Christendom is rising too. We have found that home-schoolers fit in very well at Christendom and readily adapt to the classroom situation. In fact, over the past 5 years, the majority of the valedictorians and salutatorians in the graduating class have been home-schooled. The biggest challenge for the home-schooled Christendom student is note taking! Most home-schoolers are not used to listening to a teacher and taking down notes as he or she speaks. My recommendation is to either enroll at a local community college and take a couple of classes to get the hang of being in a classroom or go to your local library and check out a couple of books on tape. Then play the tape and try and take notes as the narrator speaks. Some people have said that this method works very well for them. Q: I really like the idea of going to Christendom and it seems like the perfect place for me. But there is one problem. It doesn’t offer my major. I’m really into math/science and was thinking of majoring in computer science or engineering. Do you have any suggestions? A: That’s a very common question for us in the Admissions Office. Luckily, I think I have a pretty good answer for you. We are well aware of the fact that we have only 6 majors from which to choose (Philosophy, Theology, History, Classics, Political Science, and English Language and Literature). And we are well aware that there are many out there that have interests in subjects other than what we offer. So, here’s how you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. I would recommend attending Christendom for two years. During those two years you will take classes in Catholic Doctrine, Logic, Philosophy, Literature of Western Civilization, History of the Ancient and Biblical World, History of the Early Church and Formation of Christendom, and others. Also, you will be surrounded by good, fun-loving, moral, orthodox, and happy Catholic students your own age whom you will have as friends for life. Basically, you will get a good grounding in the liberal arts and of subject matter that will help form your worldview and help you tremendously in your vocation to holiness and quest for Heaven. Then, if it still seems like you are interested in continuing along the math/science/engineering route, you can easily transfer to a college/university that offers that major. Sure, it may take you a total of 5 years to graduate with that technical degree, but I can assure you that you will be a better, more educated and well-rounded mathematician, computer scientist, or engineer than if you simply went straight into that course of study at another college. How do I know this? I have three brothers who attended Christendom for two years each. One transferred to Michigan Tech and earned a BS in Computer Science; one went to George Mason for his Computer Science degree; and the other went to George Mason and then finally to the University of Delaware where he earned a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering. They have all told me that they feel that they are more well-rounded individuals in their fields due to the fact that they went to Christendom for those first two years. And the friendships they made during those two years have lasted well beyond those they made at their other colleges. Q: How is your institution unique? What distinguishes it from most other colleges and universities? First of all, Christendom is a Catholic college. That of course distinguishes us from the many public and private religious (other than Catholic) college and universities. Second, we are quite different than many of the larger, well-known Catholic colleges and universities in that many of them seem to have fallen into being mostly Catholic in name only. In fact, that was one of the main reasons Christendom was founded back in 1977: to be a truly Catholic College. Unfortunately, during the 1960s many Catholic colleges felt an acute sense of inferiority to their secular counterparts and began to follow secular models of education. The root of this problem was a crisis of faith which led many of the Catholic intellectual elite to become increasingly antagonistic to the tradition of Catholic higher education. And we can see this continue on to today, with Catholic colleges and universities allowing anti-Catholic groups and immoral plays and performances on campus. Many of them honor pro-abortion politicians and seem to have many differences with the Magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church. And according to recent studies, many students attending bigger Catholic colleges and universities in the US are coming out less Catholic than when they went in. The results of the study may be found here. Then there are the so-called “good” Catholic colleges, such as Christendom, Thomas Aquinas College, Ave Maria University, Magdalen College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and the like. We are a distinct group of Catholic colleges and universities which have been founded (or in the case of FUS, revitalized college and steered in a more orthodox path) over the past 35 years in an effort to bring forth a renewal of Catholic higher education. And even among our little group of Catholic colleges, there are vast differences which we invite everyone to explore. Not to put it in too trivial a way, but as we all know, there are many types of fast food restaurants or chains. To some, they may seem all the same. But although they are all one type of restaurant, there are significant differences among them. For example, if you are really hungry for a flame-grilled Whopper, there’s only one place you can go, and the same is true if your stomach is aching for a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. And if square burgers are your thing, you won’t find them at Taco Bell. What I am trying to say, without making you crave meat on this Friday of Lent, is that each of these small colleges offers a distinctively different education. And you need to review websites, talk with admissions offices, look over all the “propaganda” that is sent to you in the mail, and visit the colleges to see if what you are hungry for what is on their menu. Christendom’s distinctive flavor is the promotion of Catholic culture, in all aspects of life. Or at least that’s what we believe our distinctive charism is. Our name, Christendom, reflects a time in history when most everything was Catholic, or at least most of Europe, and when there was a Catholic way of life, a Catholic way of doing everything, when the Catholic faith influenced every aspect of culture. That’s what we are trying to recreate in our own limited way. We do this through our classical liberal arts education, taught within a Catholic context, with a 100% Catholic faculty, all of whom take an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium. We do this through our rules and regulations on campus (no alcohol, no TVs or internet in dorms, curfew for freshmen and sophomores under 21, dress code for Mass and classes, modesty dress code at all times, no intervisitation between men’s and women’s dorms) as well as through our social and religious activities on campus (celebrating feasts of the Church, processions, cultural festivities, speakers program, clubs, traditional liturgies). And finally, we try to imitate Christendom of old by focusing on the souls of our students, and doing all we can to help them in their quest for holiness and Heaven. We know we are different than other colleges and the question you have to answer is: Do I want what they are serving? Q: I’m interested in visiting Christendom but I don’t see any references to Open House Weekends or Visitor Weekends? When are people supposed to visit and what do they do once they are there? A: Well, it is true that we don’t have Open House Weekends or specific Visitor Weekends, but we do accept visitors to campus pretty much anytime throughout the year. We want to offer our visitors a certain amount of flexibility and don’t want to discourage them from visiting on one particular day or weekend, if that’s the best time for them. Basically, you take a look at our student activities calendar and our visit page on our website, and then you contact our admissions office and book your visit through her. Many people come on a Thursday night or Friday morning and then stay until after Mass on Sunday. Others choose to come on a Tuesday and leave on a Thursday. Some just come out for the day. Whatever works for you, we say. If you are planning on flying to our area, you fly into Dulles Airport (IAD) and we pick you up for free, and return you for free. While here, we feed you, put you up in our dorm rooms, send you to whatever events are going on, and there is no cost to you. In fact, if you are flying, we even provide you with bedding, a pillow, and towels. We have blow up queen size mattresses that you sleep on, or sometimes your student ambassador takes the mattress and gives you his or her bed. You sit in on whatever classes you wish, although we normally suggest freshman classes, and you have a personal meeting with me, to ask me whatever questions you have about Christendom. It seems to me to be a little more customer-oriented to do visits this way, but I do see some advantages to official Open House or Visitor Weekends, too. We believe that the students who visit Christendom truly get a feel for what life is like here at one of the most Catholic colleges in America, and they are able to see if Catholicism is truly the air that we breathe, as we advertise. They are able to see if the students that attend Christendom are really as dedicated, knowledgeable, moral, happy, and educated as we say that they are. And most importantly, they are able to see if Christ is truly the King of our campus, as we proclaim. And sometimes, after their visit, people find out that they want nothing to do with Christendom. They find that Christendom is not their cup of tea, or better, not the type of family that they wish to join. And that’s fine with us. We only want people coming to Christendom who fully understand what we are and why we do what we do. We only want people coming to Christendom who want to be formed by our educational experience and who want to embrace the culture of Christendom and become more in tune with our Catholic cultural heritage. And not everyone’s into this. So, a visit can go a long way to figure out whether Christendom is for you and whether the students, faculty, and staff at Christendom are, as they say, your “peeps.” Q: A number of colleges that I’ve looked into have some type of core curriculum. What’s different about your academic offerings? A: Through our academic offerings, our students are challenged to delve deep into subjects that today, unfortunately, are dismissed as irrelevant or non-practical. Among other things, they study theology, philosophy, history, and literature. They are taught by a dedicated faculty, all of whom take an oath of fidelity to the Magisterium, not simply the theology department professors. And of particular importance, our classes are taught with the notion that not only does the truth exist but that the Truth has a name and His name is Jesus. We have the Truth and therefore we teach everything here with the idea that the Catholic Church is the true Church and all of our professors try to instill in the students a Catholic worldview. We don’t simply study ideas for the sake of studying ideas. We study ideas so that we can analyze them and determine how it relates to what the Church teaches or how these ideas affect the Church or how the Church has affected them. Students can be assured that when they go from class to class, they will hear many of the same truths repeated by the professors, thus tying together the whole curriculum and making it easier to understand and grasp what they are being taught. Q: I was speaking to a friend who has graduated from another Catholic college with a double major and was wondering if Christendom offered that possibility to students as well. A: It is possible for students to double major here at Christendom, although it is generally considered quite difficult to do. In fact, only about 10% of our students choose to do so. The reason it is more difficult to double major at Christendom is because of the heavy workload put on each student. Everyone has to write many papers and take many tests, and during their senior year, each student must write a 30-40 page thesis on a topic dealing with their major. If someone double majors, he would have to write two of these theses and that can sometimes be a little daunting. But, again, it is possible to double major and we encourage all of our students to attempt to do so if they feel up to the challenge. Q: If I take the SAT more than once, and the score goes down the second time, does Christendom only consider the best scores.? And also, if I have already taken a couple of years of a certain language in highschool, could I jump into a higher level class of that subject or would I have to start in the basic class? A. You can take the SAT or ACT as many times as you wish and we will only consider your best scores. For the SAT, we look at all three sections and we take the best reading, the best math, and the best writing scores and add them together to come up with your total SAT score. With the ACT, we simply take the best composite score that is tallied for you by the people administering the ACT. We do not take the best of the various sections and add them together. Regarding the second part of the question, if you feel that you have had, for example, a couple of years of Latin already and you believe that you are beyond basic Latin 101 and want to start in Latin 201 (second year) or even third year Latin, you are more than welcome to try. In fact when I came to Christendom back in the day I was fluent in French and immediate took an upper division French class and passed it. Therefore, the requirements to take two years of a language were negated. I did, though, still have to take 3 other classes to make up the necessary credits. If you are in doubt about whether you are up to the challenges of the upper division or intermediate course, you can talk with a faculty advisor or simply register to take the harder class and if it seems way over your head or too advanced, drop that class, and sign up for the lower level one. Q: I've heard that students need to write a thesis before they graduate? What does this entail? A: The senior thesis is the culmination of the student's four years of study in the liberal disciplines. The thesis is a scholarly paper (of 30-40 pages in length) of substance, demonstrating the student's ability to do significant research in his discipline, employing the senior's developed skills in the arts of discourse, especially mastery of the techniques of research, exposition, and argumentation. The student may be required to defend the thesis in an oral examination. These and all theses written by Christendom College seniors over the past thirty years can be found in Christendom's library. What this means is that the student is to select a topic in his major and try and put a new angle on it, or give an explanation of it in a way that's never been done before. A student can choose to write the thesis in the fall semester, or if they are daring, wait until the spring semester. Here are some recent examples of theses titles: A: That's a good question, and one that is important to know about because if you come to Christendom, you will be spending a lot of time in them. First of all, we have separate dorms for men and women, and intervisitation is not allowed. We have three main dorms for the women: Blessed Margaret of Castello Hall, St. Edmund Campion Hall, and St. Catherine of Siena Hall. And three main dorms for the men: St. Francis', St. Benedict's, and St. Joseph's. Additionally, we have three houses which are located directly across the street from our main entrance to campus: St. Augustine's (men), St. Pius' (men), and St. Theresa's (women). Students who need to be off the meal plan, or who have special needs, normally live in these houses. And finally, we have Cardinal Newman Apartments, which are located about a mile up the road from the campus, housing even more of our men. Blessed Margaret's, St. Fran's, and St. Joe's are similar in design. Blessed Margaret's has 8 rooms in it, with two girls in each room. Each room also has its own bathroom, and has a desk, a dresser, a closet, and a bed for each student. St. Fran's has 11 rooms and St. Joe's has 9 rooms. Since men apparently need less space, there are three men in each of these rooms, with the same furnishings as Blessed Margaret's. St. Ben's, St. Catherine's, and Campion are similar in that the rooms do not have their own bathrooms, rather, they share bathrooms on each floor, or wing. And there are normally three men in each of the rooms in St. Ben's, while, again, there are normally only two women per room in Catherine's and Campion. Campion has three floors, with a total of 38 rooms; Catherine's has three floors with a total of 36 rooms; and Ben's has three floors with 24 rooms. The houses across the street for the men hold 9 students each and St. Theresa's houses 5 women, and of course, they have full kitchens in them, as well as all the normal furnishings. The Cardinal Newman Apartments are a little larger, with two rooms in each of them, a living room, and small kitchen, with a total of 12 men living in them. Laundry machines are in most of the dorms, as well as in the basement of the College's main administrative building which is located right next to St. Joe's men's dorm. Students may have small refrigerators, popcorn poppers, and plug-in hot pots for heating water. All coffee pots and irons must have automatic shut-off features. Microwaves are available in various common areas of the dorms for use by the students. Here is a link to our campus map, which can show you the layout of where the dorms are. The houses and the apartments are not shown on the map, due mostly to the fact that the guy taking the aerial photo didn't capture them, not because we are ashamed of them or anything:) And that's all I have to say about that. I hope this helps and if you want to see the dorms for yourself, I suggest that you schedule a visit in the near future. Q: I am interested in going into the field of education when I’m done with my studies. Is Christendom College a good choice for a person who has this goal, and specifically, what does Christendom have to offer a person who has this goal? A. This is a very good question and, in fact, one that is asked of me quite often. As a general answer, a Christendom education is beneficial to anyone interested in any field of work because of the overall well roundedness of our program. We educate our students, rather than train them. We believe that by giving our students a classical liberal arts education, they will be ready to meet all of the challenges that come their way upon graduation. In fact, we have seen this to be the case with our graduates. Our graduates are involved in many varied and different careers, from medicine to law, journalism to law enforcement, from owning their own businesses to working on Wall Street. (View Christendom’s brochure: Skills for Life in Adobe PDF format) Now to address the specifics of the question. What does Christendom have to offer a person interested in entering the field of education upon graduation? To begin with, a large percentage of our alumni have gone on to teach, mostly at the elementary and secondary levels, but some have chosen to pursue graduate school and teach at the college level. We have alumni teaching at Providence College, DeSales University, Jacksonville State University, Thomas Aquinas College, New York State University at Albany, Christendom College, and elsewhere. In fact, I used to be a teacher for a number of years and also spent a year serving as a Headmaster of a small private elementary school in New Hampshire. Through our core curriculum, through the study of history, philosophy, literature, and particularly theology, our students are truly educated in the things that matter. They are not educated to do one thing or another, but are simply educated. Because of this, those who have an interest in teaching are always welcomed, and even sought after, by many Catholic school systems. School officials realize that although teaching methods are very important, the most important thing in teaching anyone is the love and knowledge of the Faith and the desire to pass on, not only head-knowledge, but more importantly, a love of God, His Church, and the good Catholic life in general. Christendom College prepares its students for that. Other colleges, in their education programs, may teach its students how to teach math to 4th graders, or how to organize your classroom to make it more learning friendly. We believe that these things will work themselves out once you are in the classroom so there is no real need to spend a bunch of money and time on being trained in specifics when you will end up learning these things on-the-job later. Now for those who may want to get their feet wet in teaching before graduation, we do offer a Teacher Formation Program as part of our curriculum. Seniors are given the opportunity to work as teacher aids with local Catholic and public schools, helping to plan classes and teach certain subjects. More information on this program can be found by going here. Q: What are the main differences between Christendom College, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Ave Maria University? A: That’s a good question and one which I will answer in as delicate a way as I can. It is not my position to try and tell you about other schools, but to tell you about Christendom. It is the Directors of Admissions at these schools whose jobs are to tell you all about their offerings. It is also important for you to remember that I am under the impression that Christendom College is the greatest college out there:) And, very importantly, I also do not want to make any types of remarks that will make it sound as if I am “bashing” one of my sister schools. So, with all of that said, I will focus on two main points. Christendom College differs from Steubenville (FUS) and Ave Maria University (AMU) in many ways, but the following two ways are I think the most obvious and ones which should be known by all. Again, I think the Christendom way is best, but I fully realize that it might not be best for you so if the FUS and AMU way works for you, then great. If you prefer the Christendom way, that’s fine with me. Christendom College has around 400 students this year. Next year, we will have around 400 students. In five years from now, we will still have 400 students. And someday, well into the future, we may end up with 450 students. This is our plan. We want to remain the size that we are so that we can have the Big Catholic Family feeling here on campus. We do not want to grow and we believe that being the small size that we are affords our students many luxuries that are unavailable at other larger colleges. FUS has about 2000 students. AMU has about 450 students right now and wants to grow to be at least as big as FUS, if not bigger. Each to their own. The second biggest difference is that Christendom College has a code of conduct expected of its students, including a number of very important policies/rules and regulations which govern student life. These include: Professional dress code for classes, Mass, and lunch; A modesty dress code at all times (which normally affects how women dress, but deeply affects us men so much more because we do not have to wear blinders on our eyes as we go about our business); No alcohol allowed to be consumed on campus except at a limited number of officially sponsored events at which time those 21 years or older are offered a limited number of alcoholic beverages (and this lack of alcohol on campus really affects the entire campus culture); No TVs or internet in the dormitories (so that students can spend time with real people, getting to know their fellow classmates, and also to prevent some dangerous temptations for our students); Men and women are not allowed in each others’ dorms at anytime. To the best of my knowledge, AMU and FUS do not have these rules or policies governing student life. These are simply two of the main differences and it is up to you to determine which of these schools, or any other school, fits your needs. Q: Does Christendom have any opportunities for students who are into dance, acting, or playing instruments? A. Yes we do! Throughout the year, students have ample opportunity to use their God-given talents for the entertainment of the entire College family. Here is a partial listing of some of these types of events: Piano Night, St. Cecilia’s Eve, the Fall Play, Coffee House, Spring Play, St. Genesius Night, St. Patrick’s Day, Mystery Dinner Theatre, and Cup O’Coeli Night. The amount of talent on our campus is absolutely amazing. We have national award-winning bagpipers and Irish dancers; incredible pianists and violinists; accomplished painters and artists; talented actors and singers; and energetic jugglers and acrobats. Although we don’t offer any degrees in the performing arts, the opportunities to perform are numerous. In fact, maybe it is because we don’t have a music department or drama department that anyone who has a talent may be able to put it to good use. At many colleges, only those who are in the drama department are involved in plays and theater. And those that are majoring in music are asked to perform in various recitals. At Christendom, the philosophy major who has a talent in acting may try out for whatever play or musical is going on. And the classics major may tickle the ivories during piano night just as well as the theology major. So, if you are interested in continuing your extra-curricular talents, but you wish to receive a solid classical Catholic liberal arts education, then Christendom may be the place for you Q: What is the male to female ratio of your students? I've heard that most liberal arts colleges have a female majority. A: You are correct in saying that most liberal arts colleges tend to have more females than males. In fact, it is not only in liberal arts colleges where this is becoming a trend. There are many stories recently in the secular press that talk of the fact that men do not seem to be going to college anymore. The reasons are varied, but here are a couple of links to stories about this new trend. "Disappearing Act: Where Have the Men Gone?" by Michael Gurian in The Washington Post "Colleges aim to equalize male, female ratio" by Arlene Horton in Cardinal Points "College gender gap widens: 57% are women" by Mary Beth Marklein in USA Today But, with all of that said, here’s how things have been working at Christendom over the past 4 years: Fall 2004: Male to Female Ratio: 40:60; Fall 2005: Male to Female Ratio: 44:56; Fall 2006: Male to Female Ratio: 45:55; and Fall 2007: Male to Female Ratio: 48:52. So, for one reason or another, Christendom’s male to female ratio has actually been getting closer over the past number of years. And this upcoming fall, I think we will remain at around the 48:52 mark. Q. Does Christendom have a choir? Is anyone allowed to join it? A. Yes, indeed, Christendom has a choir. It is one of the best in the land, in my humble opinion. The choir is made up of our students, as well as a couple of alumni and friends who live locally. Each year, Dr. Kurt Poterack, the Choir Director, holds auditions for the choir and those that can sing well enough are admitted to sing. The choir sings at every 10am Sunday Mass, as well as at many of the Solemn Sunday Vespers. They sing at graduation and at other academic convocations, and they travel sometimes to other parishes or venues to perform. Additionally, the College has a schola which provides beautiful Gregorian chants for a number of our Masses. Personally, one of my favorites that they sing is Sicut Cervus More information on Dr. Poterack may be found here. The choir has recorded 4 CDs so far, and all of them may be downloaded for free by going here:http://www.christendom.edu/life/choir.shtml Q: What's your[Tom McFadden, Director of Admissions] favorite thing about Christendom College? A: Oh there are just so many, but let me see if I can narrow it down to one thing. Speaking as a former student of this college, and now, as an employee, I'd have to say that the fact that the Catholic faith affects everything that we do here on campus is my favorite aspect to the college. When we talk about our faith or Catholicism, it doesn't just happen when we are in the chapel or in theology class. Catholicism is a way of life, a manner of living, that should affect everything that we do. Catholicism affects our academic progam in that everything is taught from a Catholic perspective, and deals with subject matter important to Catholics, such as philosophy, theology, literature, history, and political science. Catholicism affects our students' extra-curricular events by having uplifting and edifying students activities, ones that promote the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. Catholicism affects how our students live in common by having family friendly rules and regulations on campus, such as, no alcohol, no intervisitation, dress code for class and Mass, modesty dress code, no TVs or internet in the dorms, and curfew for freshmen and sophomores under 21. Christendom was a time in history when pretty much everything was Catholic, or at least all of Europe. That's why we are called Christendom because we are trying to work to restore all things in Christ, working to transform the social order and make it more Catholic. Catholicism is, as we like to say, the air that we breathe, and personally, I just can't get enough! I invite you to inhale Christendom College!
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