RESPONSE #2: Christendom alumni are employed in every field: medicine, nursing, architecture, business, marketing, graphic arts, engineering, editing, education, and everything in between. Employers are looking for certain abilities in their new hires: critical thinking, analytical skills, excellent communication skills, and the ability to be innovative. These skills are acquired through Christendom’s liberal arts education. The majority of Christendom alumni are not working in their fields of study. In fact, 73% of people today are not working in their educational fields, so no matter what the major, it does not seem to have a big effect on what type of career field people go into. The liberal arts education received at Christendom helps expand the students’ intellects in such a powerful way that they are able to master any vocation with ease – and 93% of employers are looking for this in their new employees. For the Class of 2022, 98.9% were employed or in grad school within 6 months of education (compared with the national average of 86%) and on average were making $45-$49k. Christendom alumni get decent-paying jobs upon graduation and then work their way up the ladder until, in most cases, they have reached upper management. If this is too hard to believe, just do a little research on Google to find out the truth about the power of a liberal arts degree in the workforce today.

RESPONSE #3: All colleges are insular bubble-esque places in that they are not real, but rather, are unnatural, contrived experiences. Christendom’s bubble is a Catholic one, which means that the Faith affects all of the many aspects that occur on campus – academics, social, religious, moral, recreational, etc.  Everyone is at Christendom to learn the Truth and to do their best to live it.  At a large state school, the bubble is one of secular hedonism, where truth is relative and everyone has the right to do what they want, when they want, with whomever they want.  At Christendom, the students are not immersed in secularism, but they certainly learn about the many problems in today’s culture, and study the reasons for these problems, and learn about the solutions to them.  They do only hear from Catholic or conservative speakers and guests, but these speakers often times discuss their experiences dealing with the “other side,” and give insights that are beneficial for the students who are planning on being “in the world” but not “of the world.” Christendom students are given a broadened worldview through their exposure to other cultures through study-abroad opportunities. They get to understand the poor and the needy through missionary activity. They confront the culture of death, face-to-face, while praying outside abortion clinics. Christendom students certainly learn about the world, but they are able to still grow in wisdom, virtue, and holiness at Christendom – without having to be on the defensive all of the time. They don’t just survive college – they thrive.  Students who attend the secular hedonism bubble schools have to wade through filth to arrive at graduation with their faith intact. They are on the defensive constantly, and their morals and virtues are beaten down at every moment by many people. Their beliefs are questioned and their lifestyles challenged, and sometimes this ends up being too much too handle, and they stop practicing the faith (80% of those who leave the faith do so between the ages of 18-23), all while paying the institution tuition, room, board, and fees.  When people wish to go to war, they must first go to boot camp and be around all like-minded military personnel so that they can learn the latest trends of their enemies – how they eat, how they sleep, how they talk, how they dress, how they think, how they fight, what their weapons of choice are, where they live, where they hide, and everything in between.  Nobody would say anything derogatory about Marines training at Quantico or Paris Island. Christendom students are preparing for the great culture war that awaits them, and they need all the training they can get – in an authentic Catholic culture, without the interference and distraction of the world. That is how they will become the leaders in the New Evangelization and help to restore all things in Christ.

RESPONSE #4: There is nothing boring about going to Christendom. There are so many groups, clubs, and activities that if you actually did all of the things that were offered, there is a good chance you would fail out! Not only are there many things going on, but the best part is that YOU can actually be a part of them – rather than merely a spectator on the sidelines.  At large schools, since the competition is so fierce, it is hard to serve on student government, or to lead a club, or to take part on the varsity sports teams. At Christendom, students of all majors can take part in theatrical shows, play on the varsity USCAA sports teams, run for offices on students government, assist with event planning for the over 100 events put on each year, play in the intramurals, or perform at one of the many variety shows on campus.  Students can go to Rome for a semester, spend three weeks in Ireland during the summer, or spend a week doing missionary work over Spring break. Students can volunteer to do works of mercy in the local town, or travel to nearby Washington, DC, to feed and clothe the homeless. Although Christendom doesn’t have an overriding sports culture, the college community does like to cheer on its team, and the Christendom Crazies, as some of the most vocal fans are called, lead the charge.  Christendom’s teams are not in the NCAA, but they often play teams in Div. I or II, and sometimes beat them!  Rugby is a real popular sport to watch, as is women’s softball, and men’s and women’s soccer. The location being in the Shenandoah Valley gives students many opportunities to hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains or to enjoy the Shenandoah Rive. Students can easily drive to DC in an hour and take in the museums, shows at the Kennedy Center, or various sporting or music events at the Verizon Center. No matter what, there is something for everyone to do – it is never boring. As far as internships go, the college has many connections with various political organizations and think-tanks in the DC area which gives students great internship opportunities over the summer months.

RESPONSE #5: Christendom does have a number of rules and regulations governing student life that other colleges do not have. But these rules are not meant to be restrictive, but rather, give the students the freedom to become the best persons they can become – similar to the 10 Commandments, in that if we follow these laws of God, we will attain happiness.  Many colleges have no policies governing student interaction in the residence halls – and bad things happen. Many colleges have no filtering devices or limits to the use of the internet, and bad things happen. The rules prohibiting alcohol in the residence halls are meant to provide a better sense of community, rather than a party atmosphere, as found at many colleges. And the professional dress code is meant to elevate the fact that going to class and studying are an important aspect of the students’ lives.  When students go to colleges that have no such policies, and are given the opportunity to make their own choices, unfortunately, due to their fallen human natures, they often choose the easy way, which is not always the best and right way.  It is no wonder that 80%of students who leave the faith do so during the ages of 18-23 (the college years). With little moral direction being given, and the majority of those attending college caring little about religion, truth, or God, it is difficult for good, moral, faithful Catholics to maintain their identities in the practice of the faith. At Christendom, even with our rules and regulations, there are still plenty of students who choose to disregard the policies and suffer the sanctions for doing so. There is no guarantee of perfection, either on Christendom’s campus or elsewhere, but the fact that we have these policies in place assists the students in their pursuit of holiness and greatness.

RESPONSE #6: Private education is not always affordable for everyone. But Christendom’s average family is one income, with 6.1 children, and we are able to make it an affordable investment for them. Always knowing that it is not going to be the cheapest option, families see the value of investing in their children’s future, because of the results of the Christendom education as evidenced by our alumni statistics.  We always encourage anyone who is interested in our time-tested liberal arts education, taught from a Catholic worldview in an authentically Catholic culture to try us out for one year. Just about anyone can afford Christendom for one year. If after that time, you see the benefits, then we can work with you to try and make it work out financially.  Christendom has generous grants, scholarships, need-based loans, sibling discounts, and much more. On average, students pay about $23,000-$25,000 per year.

As far as debt goes, while it may have been possible many years ago, it is, unfortunately, almost impossible to go to a private college and not accumulate debt – unless you are independently wealthy. That having been said, many families see that accumulating $32K-$37K in debt after four years is worth it. Knowing that their children are going to end up doing well in a career--making good money later on--helps lessen the worry about paying off that debt. (In fact, 98% of recent graduating classes are employed or in grad school within six months of graduation). Of course, very few believe that taking on $60-$100K in debt for college is a good thing, and we would advise against that.

RESPONSE #7: Although you may have read some of the same books, recited some of the same poems, gone over some of the same history lessons that are offered at Christendom, there is a very good chance that a second “reading” of them would be a benefit to you – particularly as you grow from youth to adult. If a liberal arts education was good for high school, it is even more beneficial to study the liberal arts in college – in a lived community – where the teachers are your mentors and friends, and your classmates are all studying the same topics, which makes the conversations even that much better.  In high school, you can only touch on some of these topics. In college, you can delve deeper into the areas of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful, and graduate with a deeper understanding of the biggest questions in life.  Technical knowledge is important for some career fields, and that is where graduate school comes in.  A college education is meant to be an education – not a training ground.

RESPONSE #8: Although Christendom has only been around 45 years, the alumni network is pretty extensive, and the alumni are very willing to help the students (and other alumni) with their career needs. There is a high concentration of alumni in the Metro Washington DC area, and through this network, students can easily find jobs and internships – and build connections with alumni and their outside networks.  Alumni work in every field possible, and the college has an official Alumni Mentor Program, whereby select alumni have agreed to give out their names, job titles, and contact information to prospective students, current students, and alumni to be contacted about how they went from Christendom’s liberal arts program to their technical field of work.

RESPONSE #9: It is true that everyone at Christendom is generally a faithful, practicing, believing Roman Catholic (we have had a number of non-Catholics over the years, but very few), and we see that as a good thing. There will be very few times later on in life where young Catholics will have the opportunity to be around so many other like-minded individuals who can help them grow in wisdom, virtue, and holiness. For the rest of their lives, they will be immersed in the world with people of other faiths, beliefs, and attitudes toward life, and during that time, they will utilize what they have learned at Christendom to help evangelize those with whom they come in contact.  As far as diversity of race on campus, Christendom accepts anyone of any race – as long as they meet our admissions standards. Over the years, we have generally attracted mostly Caucasian Americans, but we have had various others from foreign countries and of diverse ethnic backgrounds attend. In recent years, we have seen significant growth in the number of Hispanic Americans attending. However, Christendom does not try to recruit any persons of any particular color or race – simply people who want to take advantage of the top-notch liberal arts education taught from a Catholic worldview in an authentic Catholic culture. If people want to do this, then we want them to attend.

RESPONSE #10: Christendom’s core curriculum is unique and although it is true that you may end up having to take classes that you might not necessarily have picked, there is a very good chance that you will end up enjoying the class, and that what you learned in that class will give you an edge in life. For example, there is a class that we require called Metaphysics. There are many who would not understand why anyone would take this class, let alone mandate it, yet if you ask Christendom grads which classes had the most influence on their outlook in life, many would say it was Metaphysics, because it was in that class that they started to understand the reality of being, and the importance of philosophy for a true understanding of reality. But if given the chance, most say they never would have taken the class – and that would have been a real shame.  So, most colleges are like a buffet of classes, where students can pick and choose what looks good to them. The problem is that they are not always getting a balanced “diet” of classes, and as a result, their intellects are less capable of understanding the big picture in life. A core curriculum, such as the one Christendom offers, gives our students the opportunity to have a well-balanced education which will benefit them in their future careers.

RESPONSE #11: Christendom has around 4000 alumni, and about 160 of them have discerned a religious vocation, either as a priest, deacon, religious sister or nun, religious brother, or seminarian. That’s about 4%. That means that 96% of the alumni have chosen to NOT become priests or religious.  So, in short, if you wish to join a religious vocation, there is nothing standing in your way if you attend Christendom, but there is no reason to believe that that is the only reason to attend.  In fact, we have had over 530 alumnus-alumna marriages, out of the 4000 alumni, which means that over 1060 of the 4000 have married each other – that’s 27% of the alumni have married other alumni.  As far as holiness goes in our students, the bottom line is that Christendom offers many opportunities for spiritual growth – through the sacraments offered, through the education and things we teach, through the personal relationships on campus, and through the many opportunities for service in the community and abroad.  Whether a student chooses to do any of these things is up to him. The college does not force anything on them, but rather, encourages them to take advantage of all that is offered, for in so doing, there is a good chance that the person will grow in holiness – which is the purpose of life. There are some who come here who seem a little less enthusiastic about the “holy” things on campus, and maybe want to spend more time “partying” or goofing off, rather than focusing on their academic and spiritual lives, but that is the minority of students, and normally, through positive peer pressure, they come to realize what they should be doing.  There are human beings on campus, so of course there is going to be gossip, and rash judgment, and sin.  This happens everywhere.  The Devil hates Christendom, and he hates the fact that we have so many opportunities for growth in Christian charity, and so, he does what he can to create division, sometimes, between those who are striving for holiness on a regular basis and those who hope it happens by accident.  But there is absolutely no need to come to campus thinking that you need to be a super holy person to attend because we all start somewhere on our spiritual journey to heaven. Some are way ahead, and some are lagging behind, but the one thing that is for certain, at Christendom College, in general, everyone is at least on the same road – heading the same direction – and when they fall off the road, the over 2 hours of confession a day that are offered come in handy. So, welcome to Christendom, land of saints and sinners. Join us!

RESPONSE #12: While it is true that Christendom does not accept Federal funds, this in no way means that we do not have robust financial aid offerings. We provide financial aid resources just like most every college; you just will not apply for aid through the FAFSA like you will at 99% of all other colleges. Christendom offers loans, grants, scholarships, and other forms of aid that enables students to afford Christendom. One of the biggest differences between schools that take Federal aid and Christendom is that when you get a loan for college, you are indebted to the Federal government, whereby, if you get a loan when you attend Christendom, in general, Christendom is the one lending you the money. (Since Christendom issues the loans this also means we are able to offer debt-forgiveness to students who discern a vocation in a religious community with a vow of poverty). Sometimes, though, families choose to get outside loans from non-government, private banks, and that’s fine too. In short, if someone wants to attend Christendom, money is not normally the thing that stands in the way.

RESPONSE #13: The main reason that Christendom is not ranked in any of these secular ranking guides is that Christendom does not take Federal funds. If we took Federal funds, we would be obliged to fill in statistical data about our students, our faculty, our retention and alumni giving rates, etc, into a system called IPEDS.  This is the official government “statistic” keeping outlet, and all schools that take Federal funds MUST submit their information each year. Since Christendom does not take the funds, it does not submit the data.  Because it does not submit the data, when these various secular ranking associations are looking for statistics, they go to the IPEDS machine, and search. Christendom is not in the machine, therefore, doesn’t ever make it into anyone’s search. It’s that simple. Regardless of whether Christendom is in any of these guides or publication, the academic nature and profile of the college is very strong. The incoming freshmen each year have very high standardized test scores--with a 1250 average in Fall 2023-- and they have great high school GPAs. Christendom’s freshman retention rate the past three years has been around 90%, and its 4-year graduation rate is 69%.

RESPONSE #14: Christendom offers some math and science courses that can assist someone in attending medical school, but ultimately, a Christendom education helps people become human first, scientists second. In the medical community today, there is a lot of talk about the need for doctors to show compassion, empathy, and human understanding, rather than simply viewing the patient as a specific disease or body part.  Christendom alumni often need to complete some of their pre-requisites at another college or community college, but these can be completed over the summers while attending Christendom. For those interested in nursing, many alumni have been accepted into accelerated nursing programs which are either 12 months or 18 months in duration, and are designed for students who have earned a BA from another college and wish to then earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

According to the  Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC):

“As you select a college remember that just as in high school, a good liberal arts education is a key ingredient to becoming a physician. You’ll need a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences that relate most to medicine: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. But it’s important for your college experience to be broad. Taking courses in the humanities or liberal arts will help you prepare for the ‘people’ side of medicine.” https://www.aamc.org/students/aspiring/109796/considering_decision.html

Christendom has a number of alumni who have become doctors and nurses, and each of them would be happy to discuss their journey from Christendom to medicine with you, if interested.