Katherine Patrick O'Brien

Every Catholic's Guide to College, 2020 Katherine Patrick O'Brien

Colleges and universities with a strong Catholic presence on campus offer an added dimension to their students. The "home away from home" that many create provides comfort, stability, a place to relax, make friends, as well as pray and be fed by God's love and mercy to all students, from the nominally Catholic to the fervent believer. Given the high levels of anxiety felt by students, attending a college that provides this added layer of support is essential. Finding the right college is paramount for teens. Succeeding in college, academically, and personally, requires the right environment with the various challenges, opportunities, and supports the student needs to thrive. For Catholics, finding a college or university with a spiritual home adds another dimension to the search, one that other college guides ignore. Colleges have merited inclusion in the Guide based on the availability of strong support for living and growing in faith on campus. Support includes the presence of a top ranked Newman Center, a Catholic dorm, FOCUS or St. Paul's outreach Catholic missionaries, or being listed in the Newman Guide. About 300 colleges and universities are included, the vast majority of which are public universities. Each college's entry includes basic admissions criteria and financial aid information in addition to information on the academic programs offered. Making the Guide easy to use, the colleges and universities are listed in alphabetical order. An exhaustive guide by major as well as an index listing the schools by state makes searching the entries easy.