Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA ?

[ckay87]

I don't understand how its the school's fault if parents send their kids there. Its a private school and they have the right to set their rules as they please. Maybe the parents are pushing their kids to go there, or say they will only pay for them to go there. But in the end, these "kids" are adults and can go to whatever college they please. They wouldn't be the first student that had to pay their own way through school. If they decide to go to LU b/c their parents pushed them to that is not the school's problem, and I don't see where the school should have to change their rules b/c of this. A large majority of the students at Liberty are there because they WANT to be, and they love it. If you've ever sat in on one of their convocations or been to a fottball game or something they have just as much pride in their school as students who go elsewhere. So if the kids that chose to go there are okay with the rules I don't see why people have to be so judgemental about it. They are not hurting anybody.

ETA
They are not isolated from the real world. Who says the real world has to consist of R rated movies and drunken parties? What is it that everyone thinks they are missing out on that is so important?

And they are not all as "isolated" as you think. I partied with plenty of LU students as well as other locals and students from the other surrounding colleges. I never got written up for anything the entire time I was there other than a parking ticket. I did get called into the dean's office once because a security officer that I was arguing over a ticket with saw my tongue ring. I took it out before I went in and she just said I couldn't wear it on campus.

I went to LU b/c it was free. I didn't really want to go to college at all, at least not right then. So I went pretty much to class and that was it. But I watched the other students around me all the time, and the vast majority of them were happy to be there. They loved the school the environment and were more than happy to follow the rules. And everyone I know has gone on to be successful at whatever they worked towards.

Well, it is nobody's "fault" and of course they have the "right" to make their own rules. You are losing sight of what this thread was about. The OP asked for opinions and she's getting them.

Personally, the last thing I want for my kids when they go to college is for them to be isolated and restricted. The world is filled with bad things....far worse things than R rated movies. And as adults they'd better be prepared to navigate that world while staying true to their beliefs. Just my opinion.

 

[kt_mom]

What exactly is it that these kids are supposedly so isolated from that makes them incapable of functioning properly in the real world?

 

[sassyat30]

A lot of the worth of a degree is the perception of what it is worth. So if the person hiring feels a bias toward Liberty and its academic environment, as you've already heard that many do, then no, your degree is not worth the same as a degree from a university that allows its professors academic freedom.

Where you get your degree from can make ALL the difference, depending on the field.

In academia, degrees from LU are scoffed at.

Something that everyone who thinks they should go there need to consider.

ETA: Wanted to clarify that LU is for Liberty University.

 

[ckay87]

What exactly is it that these kids are supposedly so isolated from that makes them incapable of functioning properly in the real world?

First - Hmm, not sure anyone said that. For me.... I'd better be able to trust my "Christian" child by that age without having a bunch of strangers impose ridiculous restrictions on them. If anything, these are rules that should be imposed on people who might have a more troubled past. If someone has been raised to be a good Christian, shouldn't they be able to handle the world while still holding true to their beliefs?


Second - I have a REAL problem with Jerry Falwell so I'm going to back out now. I shouldn't even be here.

But Lynchburg is a lovely town. We have relatives there - I love the south.

 

[LukenDC]

The rules and restrictions issue does not bother me in the least. No one is forcing kids to attend Liberty. Each campus has its own culture and prospective students are responsible for doing their research before accepting an offer of admission.

A few years ago some Orthodox Jewish students sued Yale because the dorms have co-ed floors and bathroom/shower facilities. They lost the suit and the judge opined that if the co-ed showers bothered them, then they should not have accepted an offer to attend Yale.

Some students thrive on rules and extreme discipline. Virginia Military Institute strikes me as Hell on Earth, but it still attracts eager applicants and has a loyal alumni network.

 

[kt_mom]

I have seen the word isolated in several posts. Yet all I've really heard anyone refer to is R rated movies.


Maybe its not so much about being restrictive as it is about the way they want the community to view the students. Its a Christian University. And no, not all R rated movies are filled with filth, but some of them are, and since the school can't take the time to evaluate each one on an individual basis, then they can just say none at all.

But still, I would like an example of how restricted and isolated the kids are other than R rated movies and alcohol.

As far as the degree goes, I've seen alot of people leave Liberty to be very successful in all different fields. Some fields more so than others. There are some fields that Liberty is not up to par in at all, but you can run into that in any school. Many schools are known for being better or worse in certain fields, that's why you do your research. The reality is that people enjoy discrediting Liberty because they don't like Dr. Falwell.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I would hazard a guess that the student population is pretty restricted by beliefs. My parents sent me to Catholic grammar school, but by the time I was ready for HS they wanted me to get out and interact with people who believed differently. I'm doubting that the students at Liberty are going to come across too many classmates that don't believe in God, or who might be Muslim or Jewish. They will come into contact with those people in real life. It's easy to hold onto your beliefs when you share them with everyone you come in contact with-it's when you're challenged that you grow.

 

[NotUrsula]

The reality is that people enjoy discrediting Liberty because they don't like Dr. Falwell.

Um, no. The reality in the academy is that Liberty is viewed askance because it is a vanity school, founded by the leader of a specific church in order to lend legitimacy to that church. ANY school set up that way will be met with skepticism in the academy at large, because the founder invariably rules the place with an iron fist and limits academic freedom to some degree (and often rather a lot.) Sometimes time and the death of the founder will lessen that effect (see BYU for an example of that.)

The latest-founded school to draw this kind of negative rep is Ave Maria University. Though it is nominally associated with the Catholic Church, it is not associated with a recognized Catholic religious order and is almost totally under Tom Monaghan's control.

 

[Fitswimmer]

Um, no. The reality in the academy is that Liberty is viewed askance because it is a vanity school, founded by the leader of a specific church in order to lend legitimacy to that church. ANY school set up that way will be met with skepticism in the academy at large, because the founder invariably rules the place with an iron fist and limits academic freedom to some degree (and often rather a lot.) Sometimes time and the death of the founder will lessen that effect (see BYU for an example of that.)

The latest-founded school to draw this kind of negative rep is Ave Maria University. Though it is nominally associated with the Catholic Church, it is not associated with a recognized Catholic religious order and is almost totally under Tom Monaghan's control.

I'm Catholic and I wouldn't recommend that place.

 

[TaraPA]

I don't know a thing about Liberty - but Lychburg, VA was home to Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons, and The Waltons Mountain Museum is still there. Beautiful area, very rural, everyone was very nice. We stayed there a few years back while attending a Waltons Reunion of cast members held at the museum. Stop laughing!

 

[jenfur]

In academia, degrees from LU are scoffed at.

Something that everyone who thinks they should go there need to consider.

ETA: Wanted to clarify that LU is for Liberty University.

Academia scoffs at a lot of things. I am getting my degree for a specific job in an area in which I have a high degree of interest. What I learn from the University is just a small sampling of the information I have or will aquire about a subject. As I said before, many people may need to introduce themselves as graduates of Harvard (for example) to get noticed. I am more secure than that and I am certainly not woried about what Academia thinks, especially since "they" tend to preach to their own choir.


And as for friends in HR departments, My husband has worked in the medical field and in the mental health field specifically for many years. He was offered many jobs from several places when he graduated.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I don't know a thing about Liberty - but Lychburg, VA was home to Earl Hamner, creator of The Waltons, and The Waltons Mountain Museum is still there. Beautiful area, very rural, everyone was very nice. We stayed there a few years back while attending a Waltons Reunion of cast members held at the museum. Stop laughing!

I'm not laughing..I have Little House on the Prarie on my DVR

 

[jimmiej]

I would hazard a guess that the student population is pretty restricted by beliefs. My parents sent me to Catholic grammar school, but by the time I was ready for HS they wanted me to get out and interact with people who believed differently. I'm doubting that the students at Liberty are going to come across too many classmates that don't believe in God, or who might be Muslim or Jewish. They will come into contact with those people in real life. It's easy to hold onto your beliefs when you share them with everyone you come in contact with-it's when you're challenged that you grow.

A young man from our church is a freshman at Liberty. He's studying to be a minister, so Liberty is probably a good place for him. He went to a public schools & has been amongst a wide variety of people & beliefs.

 

[kt_mom]

Academia scoffs at a lot of things. I am getting my degree for a specific job in an area in which I have a high degree of interest. What I learn from the University is just a small sampling of the information I have or will aquire about a subject. As I said before, many people may need to introduce themselves as graduates of Harvard (for example) to get noticed. I am more secure than that and I am certainly not woried about what Academia thinks, especially since "they" tend to preach to their own choir.


And as for friends in HR departments, My husband has worked in the medical field and in the mental health field specifically for many years. He was offered many jobs from several places when he graduated.

I agree.

I have friends who have graduated from Liberty and gone into great jobs in nursing, education, sales, counseling, journalism and several other areas. One of them has a great job with the Defense Intelligence Agency. One of them has her degree and masters from Liberty and is the head HR person for a major company that has offices here in Lynchburg. One own his own small business and makes 250K plus a year. So their not all doing terribly.

 

[NotUrsula]

As I said before, many people may need to introduce themselves as graduates of Harvard (for example) to get noticed. I am more secure than that and I am certainly not woried about what Academia thinks, especially since "they" tend to preach to their own choir.

Fair enough, but there "are* ramifications, though I'm sure that in your opinion they are negligible in your circumstances. The legitiimacy (as opposed to simple academic reputation) of one's undergraduate school counts for quite a lot if you should decide that you want to go to graduate school someday, or ever get a job in a teaching capacity. Personally, I have issues with investing in a degree that a sizeable number of potential employers will consider suspect.

 

[kt_mom]

And yet education is a very popular major at Liberty.

Somewhere out there one of your kids might have a teacher who came from Liberty. Chance are you might never know.

 

[Cindy B]

And yet education is a very popular major at Liberty.

Somewhere out there one of your kids might have a teacher who came from Liberty. Chance are you might never know.

Our district allows all parents to look up a teachers bio. It will list the name of the school and the courses they took --but I don't think the grades.

The schools want to prove that the teachers in the district are highly qualified.

 

[babieemelly]

To the OP:

If your daughter is majoring in education and you're from Jersey, she should go to a Jersey school. I'm in my third year of college and am majoring in childhood education. I have a lot of older friends who also majored in education, many of whom went out of state (two even went to LU!) My friends who went to school in MA had a hard time getting a job in both NY and NJ. Even though MA is only a few hours away and a lot of the requirements are the same, they had to come back home and take more classes in local universities to complete the local requirements. It was a pain, but they got through it and were hired.

When it comes to my friends who went to LU, one was from NY and one was from NJ and neither of them were hired. Not only did the requirements at LU not meet the requirements needed here, but the NY and NJ public school systems here are so diverse (and that diversity is studied and celebrated in most education programs) that most local principals simply wouldn't hire anyone coming from a school with such a restricted and homogeneous curriculum. One of my friends wound up moving down to VA and was able to get a job in an elementary school and my other friend went to school for two extra years at a school around here and was eventually hired in a NJ school.

I personally wouldn't recommend it.

 

[katerkat]

Virginia Military Institute strikes me as Hell on Earth

It is.

 

[jrmasm]

Academia scoffs at a lot of things. I am getting my degree for a specific job in an area in which I have a high degree of interest. What I learn from the University is just a small sampling of the information I have or will aquire about a subject. As I said before, many people may need to introduce themselves as graduates of Harvard (for example) to get noticed. I am more secure than that and I am certainly not woried about what Academia thinks, especially since "they" tend to preach to their own choir.


And as for friends in HR departments, My husband has worked in the medical field and in the mental health field specifically for many years. He was offered many jobs from several places when he graduated.[/QUOTE]



That was me. I never said that you couldn't get a job with a degree from LU. My point was that you're kidding yourself if you think it never matters. And I'd bet that in cases when kids have just graduated and have very little work experience, that it matters in more cases than not.