Tell me about CUA

[Anonymous]

My kid is strongly considering applying next year. Likes the size, that it’s in DC and it looks like she might qualify for a sizeable merit scholarship.

[Anonymous]

This new layout making me dizzy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This new layout making me dizzy

Me too

[Anonymous]

Solid school. Which major?

[Anonymous]

My DS is an athlete at the school. He mainly hangs out with other athletes. He likes being close to home and finds the coursework very manageable with his sports schedule. He received a sizable merit aid scholarship. I'm on campus frequently since I go to most of his home games. When I go to his games, it's usually on the weekends or in the evenings, and I'll drive him back to his dorm. The athletic fields are walkable, but it gives me a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. I always see other kids walking around outside of the dorms so I think the kids stick around campus on weekends. My DS is not Catholic. He doesn't feel out of place even though it is a very conservative Catholic college, not like more liberal Jesuit schools. I don't think he would have picked the school if he wasn't playing his sport but he seems relatively happy there.

[Anonymous]

NP. Anyone have any insight into the architecture and civil engineering dual degree, or either program on its own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is an athlete at the school. He mainly hangs out with other athletes. He likes being close to home and finds the coursework very manageable with his sports schedule. He received a sizable merit aid scholarship. I'm on campus frequently since I go to most of his home games. When I go to his games, it's usually on the weekends or in the evenings, and I'll drive him back to his dorm. The athletic fields are walkable, but it gives me a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. I always see other kids walking around outside of the dorms so I think the kids stick around campus on weekends. My DS is not Catholic. He doesn't feel out of place even though it is a very conservative Catholic college, not like more liberal Jesuit schools. I don't think he would have picked the school if he wasn't playing his sport but he seems relatively happy there.

I wouldn’t call it “very conservative” or even “conservative,” but it is not Catholic In Name Only like some places. I think a few credits of either Philosophy or Religion (not sure which) are still required.

The campus is not large; you’ll either like that or hate it. Recent years have seen a lot of renewal in the surrounding area, and there are more restaurants and the like than there used to be.

I have the sense it’s not a very political place, at least as colleges go. The people on campus seem happy to be there. It’s naturally strong in Philosophy and, of course, Catholic theology. Nursing and Social Work seem to be well regarded. Opened a great big new business building not that long ago.

Sorry I don’t know about the specific program(s) you mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is an athlete at the school. He mainly hangs out with other athletes. He likes being close to home and finds the coursework very manageable with his sports schedule. He received a sizable merit aid scholarship. I'm on campus frequently since I go to most of his home games. When I go to his games, it's usually on the weekends or in the evenings, and I'll drive him back to his dorm. The athletic fields are walkable, but it gives me a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. I always see other kids walking around outside of the dorms so I think the kids stick around campus on weekends. My DS is not Catholic. He doesn't feel out of place even though it is a very conservative Catholic college, not like more liberal Jesuit schools. I don't think he would have picked the school if he wasn't playing his sport but he seems relatively happy there.

I wouldn’t call it “very conservative” or even “conservative,” but it is not Catholic In Name Only like some places. I think a few credits of either Philosophy or Religion (not sure which) are still required.

The campus is not large; you’ll either like that or hate it. Recent years have seen a lot of renewal in the surrounding area, and there are more restaurants and the like than there used to be.

I have the sense it’s not a very political place, at least as colleges go. The people on campus seem happy to be there. It’s naturally strong in Philosophy and, of course, Catholic theology. Nursing and Social Work seem to be well regarded. Opened a great big new business building not that long ago.

Sorry I don’t know about the specific program(s) you mentioned.

When I said it was "conservative" I meant conservative Catholic, ie very Catholic. For example, the dorms are all single sex and there are visitation hours. My DS says they are loosely enforced. I'm on the Facebook parent page and there are often posts about students looking for roommates that are "very devout Catholics." The school's housing page states: "Undergraduate students live in single sex residence halls. Coupled with programs directed towards student's personal, spiritual, and moral development, single-sex housing fosters an environment of virtuous living consistent with the Catholic intellectual tradition." I went to a Catholic college back in the 1980s and we had visitation hours, but my college now has coed dorms and no visitation restrictions.

[Anonymous]

Is it a rigorous college? Is it elite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it a rigorous college? Is it elite?

1) Depends on the major (like at every school) and 2) no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is an athlete at the school. He mainly hangs out with other athletes. He likes being close to home and finds the coursework very manageable with his sports schedule. He received a sizable merit aid scholarship. I'm on campus frequently since I go to most of his home games. When I go to his games, it's usually on the weekends or in the evenings, and I'll drive him back to his dorm. The athletic fields are walkable, but it gives me a chance to talk to him for a few minutes. I always see other kids walking around outside of the dorms so I think the kids stick around campus on weekends. My DS is not Catholic. He doesn't feel out of place even though it is a very conservative Catholic college, not like more liberal Jesuit schools. I don't think he would have picked the school if he wasn't playing his sport but he seems relatively happy there.

I wouldn’t call it “very conservative” or even “conservative,” but it is not Catholic In Name Only like some places. I think a few credits of either Philosophy or Religion (not sure which) are still required.

The campus is not large; you’ll either like that or hate it. Recent years have seen a lot of renewal in the surrounding area, and there are more restaurants and the like than there used to be.

I have the sense it’s not a very political place, at least as colleges go. The people on campus seem happy to be there. It’s naturally strong in Philosophy and, of course, Catholic theology. Nursing and Social Work seem to be well regarded. Opened a great big new business building not that long ago.

Sorry I don’t know about the specific program(s) you mentioned.

When I said it was "conservative" I meant conservative Catholic, ie very Catholic. For example, the dorms are all single sex and there are visitation hours. My DS says they are loosely enforced. I'm on the Facebook parent page and there are often posts about students looking for roommates that are "very devout Catholics." The school's housing page states: "Undergraduate students live in single sex residence halls. Coupled with programs directed towards student's personal, spiritual, and moral development, single-sex housing fosters an environment of virtuous living consistent with the Catholic intellectual tradition." I went to a Catholic college back in the 1980s and we had visitation hours, but my college now has coed dorms and no visitation restrictions.

Yeah, it’s plenty Catholic but not really as lockstep Catholic as the impression you seem to have derived from externals. Take a look at Ave Maria in Florida as a comparison. Now THEYRE Catholic! At CUA, the Catholic culture is there, no question, but not everybody is going to daily Mass, weekly Confession, regular rosary and adoration at the Shrine, etc. There are plenty of non-Catholics in the student body.

I think the fact that the really devout are advertising for other really devout roommates confirms that not everybody fits that mold. If they did, nobody would need to advertise.

If you’re looking for catholic, but maybe-not-really-all-that-Catholic, the fact that it’s a Pontifical University more or less run under the auspices of the US Bishops might suggest a better fit elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Never heard of it.

[Anonymous]

I'm an alum from the '90s - back then we had co-ed dorms as well as some co-ed floors. I think the Vatican put some pressure on CUA to clamp down on things - yes, the actual Vatican as it's the only pontifical Catholic university (or some such - meaning not Jesuit, basically).

I've kept up with CUA via friends whose kids no go there. With very strong music and drama schools, there's always been a visible LGBTQIA+ population. It has a very strong engineering program (spouse went from there to HYPSM for grad), nursing, social work, political science, philosophy. When I was there, 4 semesters of religion were required but they did not have to be Catholic-centric.

It's my understanding that these days it looks more conservatively Catholic on paper than in real life. It cannot compare to places like Ave Maria, Christendom, Liberty, etc., where religion is tracking your every move and thought. Dorm visitation rules, I'm told, continue to be very loose, no required Mass attendance. I'd say it would feel most Catholic in the sense that you can't get birth control in the infirmary or a burger on Friday during Lent.

I love that the area has become so vibrant in the last decades, and it's wonderful for internships due to Metro right on campus (only GW has similar access IMO). Enthusiastic alumni and very solid academics.

[Anonymous]

CUA can definitely be a good fit for the right student. Maybe more a fit for your B student, student athlete, or passionate catholic if going there for undergrad.

The school was historically better than it is now. It was a graduate only institution for many decades and had strong PhD programs across the arts, sciences, eng. It still does have graduate programs and lots of research, but mainly in the humanities, philosophy, theology.

It is THE pontifical university in the states, and lots of catholic religious leaders, bishops and the like, have studied there.

Nursing, social work are good too. There's music and drama. The eng and arch programs are accredited, I'm sure kids do well from there, but do your homework on those.

It's not the type of place sending kids to wall street or consulting.

The law school is declining IMO. But it could be. a good place to get merit money for law school.

The location within DC obviously affords access to movers and shakers, lots of internship opportunities.

The school has really leaned into being conservative catholic in recent years. But there still is a good mix of political affiliations among the students. The admin's shift towards conservatism/more intense catholicism has been good for courting conservative donors and developing links with the conservative Washington political elite, but probably bad for the university's reputation, and def not good for attracting bright students from across the country, most of whom who don't want doctrinaire conservative catholicism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Anyone have any insight into the architecture and civil engineering dual degree, or either program on its own?

I know that this dual degree is popular and something that the university is investing resources in. If your student is interested, I would definitely check out CUA. Many excellent faculty; a very friendly, kind, and hardworking student body; involved alums; and a nice campus that has a brand new student center, new business school building, and new nursing school building, among others.