The Register’s 10 Things to Ask on a College Tour| National Catholic Register
For high-school seniors, their first steps on a college campus offer them a chance to look into their potential futures. Between course offerings, athletic history, personal anecdotes from the tour guide and Mass times, Catholic high-school...
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For high-school seniors, their first steps on a college campus offer them a chance to look into their potential futures. Between course offerings, athletic history, personal anecdotes from the tour guide and Mass times, Catholic high-school students have a lot to take into consideration. Instead of memorizing every detail, asking questions that matter to Catholic families and incoming students can help focus on-campus time.
Here are the Register’s “10 Things to Ask on a College Tour”:
What are the best school traditions?
School history colors student life at any college or university. Maybe it is a particular song or catchphrase or deep-seated athletic rivalry. Ultimately, school customs and legends help new students feel like they belong. Faith-based traditions are particularly beautiful at Catholic colleges — from the annual May crowning of a statue of Our Lady and special Lenten Holy Week liturgies to Eucharistic processions. Finding meaningful traditions is important.
What is liturgical life like on campus?
Attending a Catholic college or university allows students to explore their faith through the sacraments. From the University of Notre Dame’s celebration of more than 40 Sunday Masses and 160 daily Masses every week, to the perpetual adoration offered at Ave Maria University, Jesus’ Real Presence in the Eucharist can form the “source and summit” of Christian life, as well as college life. Colleen Walker, a senior at Ave Maria University, in Ave Maria, Florida, said that her college’s rich faith life has allowed her to be “led ever deeper into conformity to the Truth himself, Jesus Christ.” Catholic universities also benefit from impressive places of worship, like The Catholic University of America’s connection to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Christendom College’s Christ the King Chapel. Catholic students who are serious about their faith should be knowledgeable about liturgies on their future campuses and where to find faithful fellowship, too.
What is the career center like?
Students should inquire about their potential school’s career center and take note of its location on campus. Excellent higher education institutes will be eager to provide their students with the tools to become successful graduates. Deeply committed Catholic colleges may also include discerning vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the guidance. “The faith is obviously the most important thing. We’re an academic institution, but we’re built and founded with the intention of providing a truly Catholic liberal education, and the sacramental life goes hand-in-hand with that,” Jon Daley, director of admissions at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, told the Register. Post-graduate networking opportunities, like Benedictine College’s The Raven Walk, a new networking platform connecting alumni and current students through mentorship programs and groups, or Belmont Abbey’s focus on internship assistance, can help support your student’s eventual transition into “real life.”
How are the dining halls?
Hungry students want to know: “What’s good to eat on campus?” Be sure to investigate dining hall meal plans and campus restaurant options (at the University of Mary, the university’s campus restaurant is open 24/7 to students and guests during the school year). And what about the best coffee shop or ice cream machine?
What is residential life like?
Student residences are the backdrop to formative collegiate experiences. In dorms, students take on new experiences, like getting along with a new roommate, attending a party or gathering down the hall, or going to a resident adviser for guidance. Single-sex dorms are a part of the Register’s criteria for the annual college guide, and new this year is indicating how many years students are required to live on campus. Families who prioritize their child’s faith life can also inquire if dorms offer priests-in-residence (or women religious), or if some rectors are members of religious communities.
Are athletic events and clubs important to social life?
Between football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse or ultimate Frisbee, college athletics can be a great way to cheer on your classmates or be a part of the team.
New to the college guide this year, the Register is highlighting which athletic conference these colleges or universities belong to. Campuses are a great place to play sports casually and form friendships on the field, too.
What are the academic requirements for students across all majors?
College is primarily an academic journey, where students connect with professors and classmates in pursuit of the truth. Authentically Catholic colleges and universities often promote a strong core curriculum, which can provide the opportunity to develop interdisciplinary skills.
Some unique programs include Thomas Aquinas College’s single degree based on the Great Books and the University of St. Thomas in Houston’s robust core curriculum, which integrates theology and philosophy, regardless of the major students pursue.
On the graduate level, St. Thomas also offers the only Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, which is based on the Catholic literary tradition.
And at the University of Dallas, students read the entire Divine Comedy as well as the totality of Paradise Lost.
Are there opportunities to study abroad?
Many students are interested in experiencing another culture during their time in college, and study-abroad programs help to provide this exciting opportunity. European study-abroad experiences also offer unique accessibility to pilgrimage sites and historic churches, whether it is through a semester-long program, like Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria program, or a summer trip.
“Franciscan’s Austria program is rooted in faith and traditions of a Catholic education,” said Jordan Dillon, a senior at Steubenville studying marketing, adding that abroad she was “able to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ.”
What is the library like?
If students are going to be engaging in rigorous curriculums and discern their futures, they need a beautiful place to study. A centrally located, well-stocked library on campus can be a convenient and inspiring study spot. Tour guides can provide an outline of resources available at the library and the sort of research and study spots available.
What opportunities will I find to grow in my Catholic faith during my college career?
As Catholics, choosing a college requires more than just a checklist of academic, athletic and social offerings.
It is an important next step in discerning the life plan that God holds for each student.
Admissions events at Catholic colleges should be able to highlight the importance of faith. Making faith a central part of the college search can help to clarify the exciting uncertainty that accompanies this impactful decision.
Happy decision-making!
