catholic colleges |

Small School Profile: Christendom College

Type: Catholic, Co-Educational
Location: Front Royal, Virginia
Enrollment: 400
Average GPA: 70% Above 3.5
SAT Middle 50 Percent: 1600-1980 (CR/M/W)
ACT Middle 50 Percent: 22-28
Top 10 Percent of High School Class: 21%
Top Quarter of High School Class: 71%
Student to Faculty Ratio: 14:1

Special Programs/Offerings:

Christendom College is particularly proud of its rigorous core curriculum. For the first two years of study at Christendom, all students are required to take 72 semester hours worth of courses in Western History and Literature, Theology, Philosophy, Foreign Languages (Latin, Greek, French, or Spanish), Political Science, Natural Science, and Mathematics. Students then spend their junior and senior years on the courses required for their majors. Christendom advertises its academic programs as being fully in line with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. It’s primary focus is to instruct students on the rich heritage of the Catholic Faith. Students who are considering applying to Christendom should keep its strong religious identity in mind.

Christendom also offers a Junior Semester in Rome. Students in the program are housed just outside Vatican City and take classes in Theology, Apologetics, Art & Architecture, and Italian Culture in a building from which they can look out onto St. Peter’s Square. This opportunity will surely be quite attractive to Catholic students who desire to have first-hand experience of the Holy City.

The majors offered at Christendom center around the humanities, so this would not be a good fit for students who wish to pursue a course of study in mathematics or the sciences.

Student Life:

Again, Christendom is a fiercely traditional Catholic institution. This is very much reflected in the school’s campus life. Students work to advance Catholic morality in the society at large – there are two student organizations dedicated to pro-life activism, for instance – celebrate the feast days as a community, and even learn traditional Gregorian chant. If you are a Catholic student looking for a supportive and confident Catholic community in which to further your post-secondary education, you will find the atmosphere of Christendom College quite edifying.

Christendom College

Small School Profile: Marymount University

Type: Catholic, Co-Educational
Location: Arlington, Virginia
Enrollment: 3,500
Average GPA: 2.5 Required Minimum
SAT Middle 50 Percent: 890-1100 (CR/M)
ACT Middle 50 Percent: 19-23
Top 10 Percent of High School Class: 7%
Top Quarter of High School Class: 33%
Student to Faculty Ratio: 14:1

Special Programs/Offerings:

Marymount, like Lynchburg College, also offers an Honors Program for a small group of students who have earned a minimum GPA of 3.5 and a minimum SAT score of 1200 (CR/M). Students in this program are given priority in course registration, one-on-one faculty mentoring, and scholarship support. They will also be given the opportunity to complete research projects as undergraduates.

Marymount’s location just outside of Washington DC also makes it an ideal location for those students who would like to get some hands-on career experience. Students at Marymount have been hired for internships with federal government agencies, multinational corporations, local museums, non-profit organizations, and more. Students at Marymount have also taken advantage of the school’s study abroadprograms. Semester and year-long programs are available in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Some of the distinctive majors Marymount offers include Fashion Mechandizing, Fashion Design, and Forensic Science.

Student Life:

Marymount is largely a commuter school, but roughly 700 students live full time on campus. For those seeking religious direction, Marymount has an active campus ministry. There are also over twenty student clubs and organizations ranging from dance troops to professional associations. Marymount’s proximity to Washington DC also means that students have easy access to the capital’s museums, theaters, and weekend night life. It seems unlikely, then, that a student at Marymount will ever have a reason to be bored.

Marymount University