George Fox University

Statistics

Students Say - Academics
"Students resoundingly agree that GFU is "a Christ-centered, academically challenging university where students are not a number" and where "faith and learning" are integrated at "a high academic level." Accordingly, the "devoted, amazing, [and] accessible" professors "teach not only about academics but incorporate life skills into their lectures/teachings." The school offers a major in Christian ministries (with four different areas of specialization) along with minors in Quaker studies and marriage and family. Most students, however, opt for traditional majors such as education, business, computer science, and biology. The school places a pronounced emphasis on its students. Professors ask students "to call them by their first names, and they know the names of all their students." "My advisor . . . is very interested in how I am personally doing and lets me know that he cares about me," reports an engineering major. Although courses are generally "challenging," the intimate academic environment provides support even to those who are "struggling." That said, some complain that classes "need more discussion and less lecture." "

Students Say - Campus Life
"Because GFU is substance-free and "very moral," campus events can be "very random but legal" and fun in "their own quirky way." Examples include "extreme bingo, a women's night of crepes and chai, bowling, corn mazes, a murder-mystery dinner, [and] a root beer kegger. Good times aside, "Studying takes up many hours of the day." When not studying, students tend to "think about marriage a lot" and go on "group dates," but with the "high ratio of women" prospects can vary. Although one student likens the GFU environment to Pleasantville, undergrads mostly flourish rather than chafe under the strict rules. One student reports that there are "a lot" of activities on and around campus and that they "never run out of fun things to do." Caffeine is one substance that gets the nod: "There are at least three places within a four-minute walk from campus center to get coffee and sit down to talk about life." The nearby 99W drive-in theater, "one of the last in Oregon," is also a popular hangout. Weekends can be "boring" since many students go off campus, but that isn't to say you can't join them. Suburban Newberg is "an hour from the beach, two hours from the mountains, and only 35 minutes from downtown Portland," says one student. "What more could you want?" "

Students Say - Student Body
""We're not just a Christian school; we actually love God," notes one student. George Fox undergrads say that the "typical student" comes from "an evangelical background, and tends to be conservative, [both] politically and religiously." Although GFU is affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Church, most students are Baptist or belong to other conservative Christian denominations. Undergrads are "politically conscious" and have "a real interest in spreading the kingdom of Christ throughout the world through social justice, education, and missions." Most report that students here are "honest, friendly, and caring," and those who "do not fit the mold" are "treated with love and acceptance" and can usually "fit in if they make an effort.""

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