St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia

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My son has been awarded a scholarship to go to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. My brother, whose daughter goes there, says it is just like the college we attended, Loyola College in Baltimore. I would not have too much of a problem with him attending such a school, but that was 30 years ago. It was a little crazy, but we all got out with our faith intact.

I would like to know if anyone is familiar with St. Joseph’s. I would appreciate comments regarding the academic quality of the university, its adherence to the Catholic faith, etc. Both the good and the bad.

Thank you.
 
**Ok this is proably a stupid question…But have y’all visited the college yet? If you did what was the feeling you got while you were there? My husbands best friend went there (we live an hour outside of philadelphia)I’ll try and call him tonite and get his opinion on it…

But if its a full scholarship i’d almost suggest to take it…Free money for school is hard to come by!**
 
It is run by the Jesuits and they definitely know about education. My sister lives very close to there, and our seminary is just down the street. One of our parish priests did his undergrad there, and went to the seminary right after, so it obviously inspired him(and he is a wonderful priest). I hear a lot of stories about the problems in Catholic Universities these days, but I still like the idea of a Catholic school and hope for that for my kids.
 
maria29 said:
**Ok this is proably a stupid question…But have y’all visited the college yet? If you did what was the feeling you got while you were there? My husbands best friend went there (we live an hour outside of philadelphia)I’ll try and call him tonite and get his opinion on it…

But if its a full scholarship i’d almost suggest to take it…Free money for school is hard to come by!**
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No, we haven’t visited yet, but we are planning to. I just wanted to get “the inside scoop” so that when we visit I know what to look out for.

Does the school have a liberal or conservative reputation?

Do they have a good academic reputation?

Are they strong in the liberal arts?

Do they have a core curriculum?

Are men and women on the same floor in the dorms?

Do they often honor politicians and others who are at odds with the Catholic faith?

Lots of other questions, too, that I hope to have answered when we visit.

Recently I had to go back to Loyola in Baltimore, where I graduated from, to get my transcripts sent to another university. While on campus I regretted telling him not to apply to Loyola because, even though it has a pretty liberal reputation, my sister, my brother, and I did get a good education there. And we all came out of it with our faith intact, despite the goofy theology and harassment from some of the faculty we had to put up with.

My brother, whose daughter goes to St. Joseph’s says it’s basically a clone of Loyola, so I’m more receptive to it than I might have been several months ago.

BTW, we just got word tonight that they’ve added on to his scholarship, so that, together with my employer’s contribution, he basically has a free ride for tuition. Room and board are another matter…

He’s also considering Boston University, which we have visited and really loved, but we haven’t heard from them yet. UNC Chapel Hill is another school he’s considering.
 
My younger sister (Class of 91) and older brother (Class of 85) attended St. Joseph’s University and both enjoyed their College experience. Both remain faithful catholics. My dad went there as well back in the 50’s and swears by the University to this day. I do believe it is still a good Catholic College/University but with anything in today’s society lots of secular views could certainly get let in. I think after you check it out you will feel a bit better about your decision. I think that if you have raised your child fully emersed in their faith they will have a good foundation to fight any outside secular influences that they may cone in contact with during their college studies. Remember too, that the world needs good souls out there battling for the good of our faith and the world, a light in the darkness of the world. 😃
Good Luck!! 👍
 
Check out the Cardinal Newman Society website. I know they’re developing a guide to Catholic colleges that examines Catholic character, but I’m pretty sure it’s not available yet. They should still have some info on there you can search through.

Some things to look out for (good indicators)…
  • Curriculum requirements: are theology and philosophy classes required? What do people say about those departments in particular?
  • Are the dorms single-sex? If not, are they co-ed by floor?
  • Are there opposite-sex visitation restrictions?
  • Does the school impose penalties for sexual activities outside of marriage?
  • What is the spiritual life on campus like? (ie, frequent Masses celebrated, many opportunities for confession, spiritual or other groups that will provide good Catholic support)
  • Are students active in community service?
  • Are there fraternities or sororities?
  • Does the school sponsor a presentation of ‘The Vagina Monologues’, a ‘queer film festival’, or other such nonsense?
  • Key words to look for in the academic mission statement/catalogue: faith and reason, intellectual life, and Catholic T/tradition
I’m a sophomore at Notre Dame… I haven’t heard anything specific about St. Joseph’s, but I vaguely remember getting mail from them a few years ago. I can’t stress enough how important those college visits are–it’s how you really know if the school is a good fit. Make sure he gets to sit in on a class or two and meet some students, but definitely also check into the Catholic character of the place–IMO there is nothing more dangerous than a thoroughly secularized school masquerading as Catholic. It can undermine a college student’s faith in an instant.
 
Check out the Cardinal Newman Society website. I know they’re developing a guide to Catholic colleges that examines Catholic character, but I’m pretty sure it’s not available yet. They should still have some info on there you can search through.

Some things to look out for (good indicators)…
  • Curriculum requirements: are theology and philosophy classes required? What do people say about those departments in particular?
  • Are the dorms single-sex? If not, are they co-ed by floor?
  • Are there opposite-sex visitation restrictions?
  • Does the school impose penalties for sexual activities outside of marriage?
  • What is the spiritual life on campus like? (ie, frequent Masses celebrated, many opportunities for confession, spiritual or other groups that will provide good Catholic support)
  • Are students active in community service?
  • Are there fraternities or sororities?
  • Does the school sponsor a presentation of ‘The Vagina Monologues’, a ‘queer film festival’, or other such nonsense?
  • Key words to look for in the academic mission statement/catalogue: faith and reason, intellectual life, and Catholic T/tradition
I’m a sophomore at Notre Dame… I haven’t heard anything specific about St. Joseph’s, but I vaguely remember getting mail from them a few years ago. I can’t stress enough how important those college visits are–it’s how you really know if the school is a good fit. Make sure he gets to sit in on a class or two and meet some students, but definitely also check into the Catholic character of the place–IMO there is nothing more dangerous than a thoroughly secularized school masquerading as Catholic. It can undermine a college student’s faith in an instant.
 
Check out the Cardinal Newman Society website. I know they’re developing a guide to Catholic colleges that examines Catholic character, but I’m pretty sure it’s not available yet. They should still have some info on there you can search through.

Some things to look out for (good indicators)…
  • Curriculum requirements: are theology and philosophy classes required? What do people say about those departments in particular?
  • Are the dorms single-sex? If not, are they co-ed by floor?
  • Are there opposite-sex visitation restrictions?
  • Does the school impose penalties for sexual activities outside of marriage?
  • What is the spiritual life on campus like? (ie, frequent Masses celebrated, many opportunities for confession, spiritual or other groups that will provide good Catholic support)
  • Are students active in community service?
  • Are there fraternities or sororities?
  • Does the school sponsor a presentation of ‘The Vagina Monologues’, a ‘queer film festival’, or other such nonsense?
  • Key words to look for in the academic mission statement/catalogue: faith and reason, intellectual life, and Catholic T/tradition
I’m a sophomore at Notre Dame… I haven’t heard anything specific about St. Joseph’s, but I vaguely remember getting mail from them a few years ago. I can’t stress enough how important those college visits are–it’s how you really know if the school is a good fit. Make sure he gets to sit in on a class or two and meet some students, but definitely also check into the Catholic character of the place–IMO there is nothing more dangerous than a thoroughly secularized school masquerading as Catholic. It can undermine a college student’s faith in an instant.
 
Check out the Cardinal Newman Society website. I know they’re developing a guide to Catholic colleges that examines Catholic character, but I’m pretty sure it’s not available yet. They should still have some info on there you can search through.

Some things to look out for (good indicators)…
  • Curriculum requirements: are theology and philosophy classes required? What do people say about those departments in particular?
  • Are the dorms single-sex? If not, are they co-ed by floor?
  • Are there opposite-sex visitation restrictions?
  • Does the school impose penalties for sexual activities outside of marriage?
  • What is the spiritual life on campus like? (ie, frequent Masses celebrated, many opportunities for confession, spiritual or other groups that will provide good Catholic support)
  • Are students active in community service?
  • Are there fraternities or sororities?
  • Does the school sponsor a presentation of ‘The Vagina Monologues’, a ‘queer film festival’, or other such nonsense?
  • Key words to look for in the academic mission statement/catalogue: faith and reason, intellectual life, and Catholic T/tradition
I’m a sophomore at Notre Dame… I haven’t heard anything specific about St. Joseph’s, but I vaguely remember getting mail from them a few years ago. I can’t stress enough how important those college visits are–it’s how you really know if the school is a good fit. Make sure he gets to sit in on a class or two and meet some students, but definitely also check into the Catholic character of the place–IMO there is nothing more dangerous than a thoroughly secularized school masquerading as Catholic. It can undermine a college student’s faith in an instant.
 
Thank you to everyone who replied. We’re planning to visit St. Joe’s next weekend, and then he’ll take the official tour and go to some classes with his cousin sometime after that.
 
Just posting a follow-up.

After a lot of prayer and discernment, and after visiting my niece who goes to school there, my son has chosen to accept the offer from St. Joseph’s and will be attending in the fall. He was also accepted into the honors program.

We all believe it is the answer to our prayers and are very happy with the choice.

Go Hawks!
 
Congratuations!!!And heres to him being able to get a “cheap” education:) (scholarships)
 
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