Gordon College

Statistics

Students Say - Academics
The motto of Gordon College is "Freedom within a framework of faith." For the uninitiated, that translates to "a liberal arts education through a Christian perspective." It's delivered through "engaging professors who share the same passion for Christ and change in the world" that the students here have. In addition to being "great teachers," professors are also "highly skilled, intelligent, accessible, and caring." "Even in big lecture classes, they invite you to have lunch with them and try to learn all their students' names. If a professor's office hours aren't accessible for a student, they are happy to make time for him or her, and they are always available via e-mail." "The teachers expect much out of you, but when you are done with a class you are a master in the field. Even the core curriculum is incredibly straining, but intellectually rewarding." One caveat: "Some of the adjunct teachers are not really that great." "Gordon's administration runs a tight ship, but does not always listen to the opinions of the students when making decisions." That's just fine with many students, though, who coo that "Our administrators are really invested in Gordon's mission, and they really care about students." "Facilities could be better, but they are building new structures, like our new science center, to improve the quality." Several academic programs have their promoters here, but the music department is the object of special praise.

Students Say - Campus Life
Life here is fairly quiet. "The week consists mostly of going to class, studying, the gym, and occasional movies and Bible studies." Weekends can also be slow. "We usually manage to entertain ourselves fairly well, though. There are plenty of movies going on all around campus in people's rooms." When they want to get off-campus for fun, "people often go into Boston as we are quite close." "There are numerous museums, exhibits, shows, concerts, restaurants, and games to see there. Many people also enjoy going to one of the many beaches that surround our campus." "There is a lot of school spirit around the sports teams, especially because there are several other rival colleges nearby that we play against often." There are also "a wide variety of extra-curricular activities" for students to join. "There are some party people but not many." "Unfortunately, the 'party group' and the 'Bible group' don't connect much." Not surprisingly, given the religious affiliation of the school, a spiritual vibe pervades the campus, "we enjoy worshipping and getting into deep intellectual conversations about God and existence." "The cafeteria food could be improved," and "Some of the older dorms could be remodeled." Students would also like the school to expend some more resources "providing more ways for students without cars to get off campus."

Students Say - Student Body
The typical Gordon College student is a "white," "preppy," "middle class, evangelical Christian." She grew up in a "suburban" setting, and is "most likely from the New England area." She was "either home-schooled or went to a private Christian school." Temperamentally, she is "academically focused and hard-working," "involved with either athletics or music," and she "loves the Lord." It is not out of the ordinary for students to "meet their future spouse on campus and get married their senior year." There are "not many international students, or students with different ethnic backgrounds," which leads one student to sum up the student body in both a positive and negative sense, depending on your perspective (i.e., whether the term "Good Shepherd" has meaning for you): "The word sheep sometimes comes to mind-white, fluffy, followers."

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