My Future My Faith
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MY FUTURE MY FAITH Navigating the Transition from High School to College ADVANTAGES OF A FAITHFUL CATHOLIC COLLEGE PLUS College search Areas to explore timeline on a campus visit How to pay 3 and so much more! for college A resource from the creators of NewmanGuide.org, which recommends faithful Catholic colleges. HOW TO What if you could find NAVIGATE an ideal college, one THE COLLEGE that sets you up for SEARCH success in your faith, family and livelihood? What do you want out of life? Can the next four years help get you there? What if a college If college is your next step, you have several different options, including attending a secular or Catholic college. But all paths aren’t could help you: the same, and your college choice could have significant impact on your faith and future! Consider this: Even at Catholic colleges, nearly 1 in 8 Catholic students make good, grow in your have genuine, leaves the faith by graduation. That’s because many of prepare for lifelong faith and clean fun these colleges have become highly secular. a career and friends maturity vocation Many college students slide away from prayer, Mass attendance and Catholic beliefs—especially on secular campuses. and become the special person God wants you to be! Of course, it doesn’t This is possible at a have to be this way. faithful Catholic college, There’s a great Catholic like those recommended college out there, just in The Newman Guide right for you! (NewmanGuide.org). We’d like to help you find it. Let’s take a look. Copyright © 2020 The Cardinal Newman Society. Additional copies may be requested at NewmanSociety.org. No part of this resource may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. 2 My Future, My Faith For more resources: NewmanGuide.org 3 ACADEMICS Faithful Catholic colleges offer a wide variety of majors, each beginning with an inspiring core The courses you take in college— curriculum focused on the liberal and the professors who teach them—vary greatly from place to arts. You’ll study the great works place. College is a big investment! of mankind and come to a fuller You want to be sure that a college’s understanding of God, creation, academic program prepares you philosophy, history and science. for career and life. You’ll learn facts and the reasons Today, most colleges hold biases behind the facts. You’ll learn in nearly every subject area. skills and how to serve humanity They’ve abandoned a traditional in your career. You’ll learn how core curriculum in the liberal arts. to think clearly and rationally in They push ideologies that are any situation. often anti-Christian. But the best colleges 93% Studies find that 93% of employers value critical aren’t afraid of truth thinking skills more than a person’s college major. And consider these recent headlines: and Catholic ideas: They teach theology and Why Hiring Managers Value Liberal Arts Degree? a Liberal Arts Education No Degree at All? At the faithful Catholic philosophy alongside (Times Record News) Yes, Employers Do Value You Are the Perfect colleges recommended science and the humanities. Liberal Arts Degrees Candidate for a Tech Job (Harvard Business Review) (CNBC) in The Newman Guide, Lesson of the Day: They consider the ethics of “In the Salary every subject begins Race, Engineers Studying STEM Why Liberal Arts Is every discipline. Sprint, But English Critical for Building a with the truth of God Isn’t the Career Majors Endure” Boost We Think Successful Business (New York Times) Career (Forbes) and creation—from They teach reasoning and (Forbes) engineering to nursing communication in addition to business. to facts and skills. 4 My Future, My Faith For more resources: NewmanGuide.org 5 No one wants to believe it will happen DORM LIFE to them, but it’s important to be aware that sexual assault is a big problem on college campuses today. Consider this: Did you know that students typically spend only 15 hours per week in the classroom? College-aged females have the The rest is spent elsewhere, which highest rates of sexual assault. is why it’s important to consider the Most sexual assaults in quality of dorm life. college take place off Binge drinking, drug use and the campus, but about a third hook-up culture are occur within student dorms. common on most college campuses. 2 Two key factors are associated with sexual assault: drinking College students and casual sex. report high rates of sexual activity, % On college campuses, more than half of forced sexual STDs, pregnancies, abortions and 90 assaults and 90 percent of assaults on incapacitated victims sexual assaults. take place after midnight. Most others occur after 6 p.m. That’s no way to grow in faith and maturity! Reasonable dorm policies can go a long way in helping prevent sexual assault, but most colleges offer only co-ed dorms and allow visitors in What you’ll find at the Newman Guide colleges: dorms, even late at night. Consider choosing a faithful Catholic college At faithful Catholic colleges, chastity that protects bedroom privacy and the safety of students. and clean living are encouraged. Most of them provide single-sex dorms, which most other colleges have abandoned. Even more helpful, some preserve the privacy of bedrooms, forbidding opposite-sex visitors at all times of the day. We think this is ideal—a common-sense, traditional practice that protects privacy, chastity and safety. 6 My Future, My Faith For more resources: NewmanGuide.org 7 SPIRITUAL At a faithful CAMPUS LIFE Catholic college: LIFE Four years immersed in a truly Catholic culture where faith Life outside the classroom should be fun and exciting—and it should and virtue are promoted. help you grow into adulthood. Clubs, sports and social time prepare you for life, career and vocation. Courses in which the truth On most college campuses, the lifestyle strongly contradicts Catholic about God and creation are values. Even many Catholic colleges host student clubs, performances, fully integrated, allowing campus speakers and events that oppose Catholic teaching. insights that are excluded from secular education. Campus ministry that often provides access to multiple priests and religious, Mass and Confession throughout the week, Eucharistic adoration, celebration of If you go to a secular religious feast days and college, be sure to seek out counseling at all times of the Catholic center or local the day. But a truly faithful Catholic college strives to form the whole parish and take advantage of person—body, mind and spirit. You’ll be stretched to become the opportunities for Mass, Campus life that is conducive the fully human person that God wants you to be. Confession, counseling and to Christian living and study. good friendships. You’ll find a culture that respects chastity, charity and virtue. And you’ll make good friends who share your priorities and The assurance of fidelity But as good as a Catholic values—the sort of friendships that can last a lifetime! to Catholic teaching and center might be—and the practice across the entire quality can vary greatly, so education. They’ll help you navigate the many be sure to investigate—it can changes in your life that lie ahead. never offer all the advantages of a faithful Catholic education. 8 My Future, My Faith For more resources: NewmanGuide.org 9 If large numbers of students BOTTOM lose their faith in college—or COLLEGE SEARCH TIMELINE LINE they fail to become wise and virtuous—then are they really Fall of your junior year Summer between your getting a good education? “ ” • Take the PSAT junior and senior years A lot of colleges are And at what cost? Tuition is not • Attend a summer “experience” known for providing the only concern. • Start making a list of colleges you are interested in, especially at one or more colleges that a good education. you’re interested in Thankfully, there are colleges from those recommended as that provide a “good” and faithful Catholic colleges at But what is “good”? NewmanGuide.org The standards have changed affordable education in the very Fall of your senior year a lot in recent decades, but best sense. A faithful Catholic • Start coming up with a • Re-take standardized tests the faithful Catholic colleges college can prepare you to standardized testing plan if you need to raise your score recommended at NewmanGuide.org • become a leader in your family, Begin looking at financial • Get letters of recommendation have never abandoned the workplace and community. aid options True, Good and Beautiful. • Gather application essays, Meanwhile, it helps prepare recommendations and forms you for eternity in Heaven! Winter and spring • Complete applications of your junior year Be sure to check out the • Continue to look for scholarships, colleges in this magazine and Winter and spring ask colleges about special at NewmanGuide.org, where scholarship weekends or of your senior year you will find extensive competitions • Submit FAFSA form for aid as information about each of the soon as possible after Jan. 1st • Narrow down your list of faithful Catholic colleges that colleges and set dates to • Compete in the Newman is recommended. visit during the spring Society’s $5,000 Essay Scholarship Contest • Take the SAT/ACT/CLT There is no cost for the service. • Complete any last-minute We simply want every Catholic applications family to know about these • Compare your options great college options! Families and decide! nationwide are discovering the unique and enormous value of faithful Catholic education. 10 My Future, My Faith For more resources: NewmanGuide.org 11 Are you tempted by certain SO MANY CHOICES: kinds of sins? What environment TAKE THE NEXT STEPS Which college is right for you? will help you avoid them? Once you have a good idea of what you’re looking for, the next Now is the time to start exploring faithful Catholic colleges at Faithful Catholic colleges offer a campus environment that can step is to dig in and research NewmanGuide.org, so you can discover which one will be a the colleges that are on your good fit for you.