Wheaton College

People can be close-minded. Very clique-ish. It seems like the level of 'piety' puts you in different social groups. There are the kids that are going into ministry, then the kids who are not. Most conversation revolve around God. Which is good, except that a spiritual high can quickly turn into a spiritual OD. Its hard your freshman year unless you are an athlete or in the conserve.

Academically, the school is very good. They teach you to think critically. But the social scene is so awkward and non-existent, you wont enjoy your time here enough to keep in your program. It seems like people study here and as a hobby, they study more. In the winter, be prepared to watch movie after movie, because there is nothing else to do and no car. The weather is horrible, which limits choices even more in the winter to spring.

There are some really sweet people. But I found it near impossible to break into a social group. That said, there are people who really enjoy it and find their niche quickly. You need to make sure the school fits you individiually, because Wheaton is one of those places that if it doesnt-- you will be trapt and miserable.

It has been probably the most damaging thing to my faith as well. Its really hard to be ignored by people who claim to have the love of Christ. To feel really hurt and yet have chapel messages (3 times a week) telling you to give more of yourself to God. I went to the counseling center, desperate, and they were no hope.I tried really hard at this college. But in the end, I refused to stay at a place like this and I dont regret the decision at all. MAKE SURE THE COLLEGE FITS YOU INDIVIDUALLY, DO NOT JUST GO TO WHEATON BECAUSE IT IS A CHRISTIAN COLLEGE WITH A BIG NAME. When I was leaving, all the stories came out about the students who have withdrawn/transferred. It isnt uncommon to leave. I know that is true of all colleges, but Wheaton sometimes seems to promise something it doesnt deliver.

1st Year Female -- Class 2012

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Extracurricular Activities: C-

I can only echo many of the earlier cautionary comments about choosing to attend Wheaton College. I should should say, from the outset, that some of the best professors I have ever had (including those in graduate school) - men and women who have had a profoundly positive impact on my life - taught at Wheaton College. Many of them, however, due to pressure from a new administration which sought to curtail academic freedom, were compelled or chose to leave Wheaton about a decade ago.

Though the coursework is often academically rigorous, and critical thinking and writing are nurtured, there are nevertheless serious shortcomings in a Wheaton College education. It's important to remember that you go to a college or university to get a good education; you want to be taught and have your thinking challenged by the best professors and peers possible. Whether these teachers and your fellow students are the same religion as you has no bearing on this whatsoever. In fact, the opposite the case: meeting, befriending and egaging people outside your own cultural and religious sphere is an essential part of your education. This is entirely absent at Wheaton. In fact, I suspect it's become worse since I've graduated.

An earlier reviewer mentioned the Religious Studies Department (called, at Wheaton, something like Bible/Theology), and since that was my major and I'm still in the field, I should say that many of the professors hired to teach in that department are there because of their conformity to the religious beliefs of the college, not because of any contribution they've made to the academic study of religion. They may be nice, and friendly and pious but they will not necessarily teach you the transferable skill of critical thinking that you'll need in the world. I suppose I should also caution those who may misunderstand the use of the adjective "Christian" when used by many "Christian" Colleges to describe themselves. These groups are using "Christian" not according to its dictionary definition, but in a very sectarian sense. They mean "Christian"s like them, excluding the vast majority of Christianity which would be considered apostate or not "really" Christian. (Notice that Holy Cross, or St Olaf, or Notre Dame don't call themselves "Christian" colleges, though using a normal definition of the term they certainly are.) This is something I didn't realize when I was 17 and now wish I had. Besides, you'll be able to practise your religion, as you see fit, at *any* university in the Western hemisphere or Europe. There's no need to go to a (radically) confessional school - go where you will get a good education. This is advice that I received when I was 17 - regrettably I didn't understand it and therefore didn't heed it.

Apart from the academic and religious, it should also be noted (as earlier reviewers have said) that there are real social problems at Wheaton College. It's not a matter of it being "boring" - I had a lot of fun with my friends. The problem is that it's extremely socially repressive and unhealthily so. If students bring childish, psychologcially unhealthy constructs of gender relations, life, privacy, etc. to the college, it should be the task of the educators to help the students grow into adult ways of thinking and functioning. For the most part, however, these constructs are *fortified* in the Wheaton College community - not just among students, but also by administrators, staff and some faculty. Four years is a *long* time to endure such an environment. If you value your psychological health - you should look elsewhere (and probably not at another "Christian" college).

With regard to your future career - there are two problems you'll face as a Wheaton College graduate: either people won't know about Wheaton, or they will. When you tell someone that you went to Brown or Northwestern University, or Oberlin or Carleton College, the first thing they'll think is "wow, you must have a great education". When you tell someone that you went to Wheaton, the first thing they'll think (whether it's true or not) is "wow, you must be a fundamentalist". That is not the kind of first impression you want to give as you're entering professional life - and even later in life, no matter what you do, it stays on your c.v. This can (and does) present genuine problems.Overall, the reasons people tend to go to Wheaton are not the right reasons for choosing a university - and the drawbacks (academic, social, psychological, professional) are difficult to overestimate.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

The college definitely will provide you a top-notch education and prepare you to be well versed in a certain religio-political-schoarly camp, namely evangelical-republican-evangelical scholarship. Professors are all competetant and students are bright. In my four years of experience there, I learned how to state my positions from aforementioned vintage point but never learned how to engage or dialogue with those whose beliefs and orientation are different from those that the college advocates. For me, university education must take place in a diverse setting (by the way, having a lot of missionary kids and negligeable percentage of ethnic minorities are not what constitutes diversity)in which there needs to be diverse representation of thoughts and beliefs. In this regard, Wheaton falls very short.If you are thinking about pursuing fine art or commercial art (advertising, graphic, digital media, etc), DO NOT CONSIDER Wheaton. Its art department will not teach you whole lot besides providing you with tools to develop your artistic sensibilities and skills on your own. In addition, the department only has handful of instructors, one for each discipline (during my enrollment, there only were four studio professors).

4th Year Male -- Class 1999

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Education Quality: F