Houghton College

Fantastic school. Its small, but the sense of community is super strong and people tend to make lifelong frienships here. The faculty student ratio is also low, and the professors really care deeply about you as a person. The resodence life is a blast, and once you let yourself get sucked into the campus culture you will never, ever be bored (despite being in the middle of the country).

Maybe it’s a little weird to write a review of your college, but I loved my experience at Houghton. It’s in the middle of nowhere — I really mean that. But the student body is fun and the college makes sure there are activities to participate in. It is a Christian college, and if you want to shape and grow your faith this will be an excellent opportunity to do so with a strong community of other believers around you. If you’re not interested in Christ or exploring a relationship with him, you may want to rethink your decision. If you want a small community where you’ll get to know many of the faculty and make life long friends — this is the place. Have fun!

How do you compress 4 years of college into one review? It is impossible. But here are the highlights:
— Houghton is filled with staff who are there on a mission. No one is after the Big Bucks, but rather are there because they have a passion for Christian* education.
— Unlike some colleges, the Christian* identity of Houghton is central. Expect to see an application to the Bible in every class (though not every class period) and know that the moral dimension of your future profession will be discussed.
— The student body is caring and friendly like no other I’ve visited. Expect to be greeted by almost everyone if you visit, and if you have an issue don’t be afraid to ask for help. My father had a minor medical issue while on campus, and no fewer than six students came over to offer assistance (on a day when the quad was almost empty).
— Education is job one at Houghton, so expect the best in terms of professors and materials. Most have worked in their fields of expertise for years, so there are very few teaching from a purely academic, theoretical background.
— Houghton is in the middle of nowhere. And I do mean nowhere. There are no gas stations in town (there’s one about 5 minutes away in Fillmore), and it’s 30 minutes to the nearest McDonalds. However, the entire campus is within walking distance, and offers a large number of activities to keep you busy after class. Be sure to visit before making a decision to see if you can stand to live so far from «civilization».
Overall, I can’t recommend Houghton College highly enough for a Christian* scholar. Everything they do, they do well. It was a great time of my life, and I still enjoy going back from time to time.
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*By «Christian», I mean Protestant of the Evangelical vein. This is NOT a Catholic university, although they certain do welcome Catholic students. If you’re not sure if you’d fit in, schedule a visit and see it for yourself. This is very much a «what you see is what you get» place, and just about any student would be happy to chat with you about their faith.