It is a great school, but it is a Christian (and more specifically Dutch Reformed) school. It and Grand Rapids have a lot of artsy and social justice type things going on - much more vibrant place than those who've never been there might imagine. That said, it represents an ethnic and religious subculture outsiders may or may not be comfortable with.

Anonymous wrote:11:37 here again. For readers on this thread who are discussing a Christian college education with their kids, you might find this David Brooks talk of interest: http://advance.cccu.org/stories/the-cultural-value-of-christian-higher-education

Heh. Brooks doesn't mention Liberty University even once.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DeVos is an alum.

Much to the embarrassment of the couple of Calvin alumni that I'm acquainted with, yes.

And Penn has graduated a few Trumps. Ridiculous to think of certain alums as a factor in choosing a school.

Anonymous wrote:DeVos is an alum.

Much to the embarrassment of the couple of Calvin alumni that I'm acquainted with, yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Devos Family dumps a lot of money into Calvin. Grand Rapids has a lot of colleges for a city of approx. 110K:

Calvin
Aquinas
Cornerstone
Kendall (art)
GVSU satellite
MSU Medical School

Their rival is Hope College which is 30 min away in Holland, on Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is booming. Wholesome vibe, conservative town, but known for craft beer scene. Calvin and Aquinas are in/near East Grand Rapids, which is super pretty, historic mansions, very safe. GR is 2hr drive from Chicago -- you can take Amtrak to Chicago for $20.

Good luck!

I am very familiar with Grand Rapids. Say what you want about DeVos, but the colleges out there are more family oriented and the people I have worked with from that area generally have good values.

I wasn't saying it's a negative thing. I think the Meijer family also donates to Calvin. My point was they're a small private college but they have a few billionaires that live literally <5 miles away and ensure they're well funded.

Anonymous wrote:The Devos Family dumps a lot of money into Calvin. Grand Rapids has a lot of colleges for a city of approx. 110K:

Calvin
Aquinas
Cornerstone
Kendall (art)
GVSU satellite
MSU Medical School

Their rival is Hope College which is 30 min away in Holland, on Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is booming. Wholesome vibe, conservative town, but known for craft beer scene. Calvin and Aquinas are in/near East Grand Rapids, which is super pretty, historic mansions, very safe. GR is 2hr drive from Chicago -- you can take Amtrak to Chicago for $20.

Good luck!

It's a 2 hour drive if you go through a time warp. True driving time is 3 hours minimum and that's from southern GR to Chicago's south side.

11:37 here again. For readers on this thread who are discussing a Christian college education with their kids, you might find this David Brooks talk of interest: http://advance.cccu.org/stories/the-cultural-value-of-christian-higher-education

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in the same league as Wheaton or Hillsdale, but better than Liberty or Grove City.

We aren't familiar with Wheaton or Hillsdale.

Well then...

What does that mean?

I think the poster means that if you're not familiar with these Christian colleges, that Calvin likely will feel very foreign to your son and your family. Families that look at Christian colleges tend to compare among places like Wheaton, Calvin, Hillsdale, Gordon, Messiah, etc. Students who go there tend to come from religiously observant families and are seeking out a liberal arts community that still values and places an emphasis on a faith perspective, though you will find theological diversity and diversity of viewpoints on social justice issues, LGBTQ acceptance, etc. Faculty often tend to be more liberal (theologically and socially) than the student body at many of these schools. I have friends who attended Calvin in the past twenty years and they are doing interesting, great things with their lives and professions - at the UN, in DOJ, at prestigious law firms, etc. Not all have an active faith anymore, but all certainly came from cultures/homes that valued faith in their upbringing.

"have good values"
PP, you blew it with that comment
What does that even mean?
It's code for, "think like us"

Anonymous wrote:The Devos Family dumps a lot of money into Calvin. Grand Rapids has a lot of colleges for a city of approx. 110K:

Calvin
Aquinas
Cornerstone
Kendall (art)
GVSU satellite
MSU Medical School

Their rival is Hope College which is 30 min away in Holland, on Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is booming. Wholesome vibe, conservative town, but known for craft beer scene. Calvin and Aquinas are in/near East Grand Rapids, which is super pretty, historic mansions, very safe. GR is 2hr drive from Chicago -- you can take Amtrak to Chicago for $20.

Good luck!

I am very familiar with Grand Rapids. Say what you want about DeVos, but the colleges out there are more family oriented and the people I have worked with from that area generally have good values.

The Devos Family dumps a lot of money into Calvin. Grand Rapids has a lot of colleges for a city of approx. 110K:

Calvin
Aquinas
Cornerstone
Kendall (art)
GVSU satellite
MSU Medical School

Their rival is Hope College which is 30 min away in Holland, on Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is booming. Wholesome vibe, conservative town, but known for craft beer scene. Calvin and Aquinas are in/near East Grand Rapids, which is super pretty, historic mansions, very safe. GR is 2hr drive from Chicago -- you can take Amtrak to Chicago for $20.

Good luck!

PaleoCon here
I briefly looked at Calvin. Among Christian colleges, it's viewed as one of the more "liberal" schools. They have Feminiat and LGBT clubs on campus.Certainly not conservative as far as I'm concerned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not in the same league as Wheaton or Hillsdale, but better than Liberty or Grove City.

We aren't familiar with Wheaton or Hillsdale.

Both are on the "Colleges That Change Lives" list. Wheaton is explicitly Christian and is considered more academically rigorous than, say, Liberty, Grove City or Calvin.

Hillsdale is conservative and non-sectarian but attracts a lot of Christians.

If you're on Calvin's radar, I'm surprised you've not heard of either of them.

Thanks.

It's because of a sport.

We have gone to church two out of past three Christmas Eves.