We Toured Liberty University & This is What We Learned.
I recently took my two teenage sons to tour Liberty University. This was so exciting and felt like such a big deal to me. It was my first college tour as the mom instead of as the nervous/excited high school kid.
I still felt nervous/excited to be on a college tour, but now it is for the futures of my sons rather than for myself. Those late high school and college years are such a hopeful time, full of seemingly endless possibilities. I had my turn, and now it is theirs.
My rising senior went on a church trip to tour Liberty University back in the fall, so he started out with a greater knowledge of this school than I had.
We learned a wealth of information about Liberty on this tour, and of course, I want to tell you all about it.
For starters, Liberty is in Lynchburg, Virginia, which was farther from home than I thought. I was expecting three hours for some reason, but I probably missed a turn or two. It took us more like four hours. It felt like a long drive, for sure.
Actually, I went to college three and a half to four hours from home, so this is pretty much the same as my college experience.
Liberty University campus tours are super simple to set up.
They give group tours every single day of the week at set times. Tours are typically at 9am and 2pm, Monday-Saturday. Sunday tours are at 2pm. Go here to see their schedule. It does change when there are football games or special events on campus.
Our boys are considering Liberty University, among other options.
I am especially intrigued by the Christian atmosphere and classes. Plus, I like that the school is so big that it has so many options for choosing a major. I feel like there is nothing they cannot pursue from here.
Plus, I think this school could be an excellent fit for my oldest son, so I was eager to check it out. He seems to like it too, but he has not decided if he wants to leave home for college yet.
Our tour group had two tour guides and about twenty prospective students with their parents.
The first half of the tour was all on foot. They took us to two different types of dorm rooms. We also got to go into a couple of different academic buildings and sit in a real classroom. Of course, it was summer, so the campus was very quiet and the classrooms were empty.
Our tour guides were current students at the university, and those kids had memorized book loads of information about their school. We learned an exhaustive amount about life at Liberty University. I left the tour exhausted but with all of my questions answered.
Here are just a few things we learned about student life at Liberty University:
-Professors do not get tenure. They gave reasons for why this was a good thing, but it made me feel a little bad for the professors. Job security is a valuable thing.
-There are three different styles of dorm rooms. One is the traditional type that I had back in my college years at the University of Alabama, where you have the good old fashioned community bathrooms. The other two styles are more luxurious.
-They have a cadaver lab “open to select undergraduate biomedical science students.” One of our tour guides was able to work and learn in the cadaver lab while she was still in her undergraduate years. That was impressive and shocking to me. That is a rare privilege for students at that stage.
-If you put in your application using the bar code they give you on your tour, within two weeks of your tour, you get to waive the $50 college application fee. So yes, our son already applied. I do like to save $50.
-It is an all walk campus, and there are buses that bring kids from the more distant dorm buildings to the center of campus.
-There are accountability rules governing student behavior, way more structure than at a public, secular university.
-Students must be back at the dorms each weeknight by midnight.
-Students must attend weekly convocation.
-Liberty has over 15,000 students on campus. This is almost as big as the University of Alabama was when I went there twenty years ago.
-All admittance to sports games and gym membership is covered in your tuition and fees, so you feel like you are going to major NCAA football and basketball games for free. (That’s the privilege of being a student. Parents still have to buy a ticket.)
-The Liberty University gym is incredible. I am not sure there is anything you cannot find in there. It is humongous. It even has its own food court.
-There is only one library. It is very large, but I found this odd for such a big school.
-The library has one of those robotic storage systems. Many of the books are still on the traditional library shelves, but many are stored in this robotic system. We got to see it in action, and my mind was a little bit blown. You can even check out miscellaneous items like a shop vac or a sewing machine.
-Sorry to keep going on about the library, but I was also impressed and feeling old to see standing/exercise desks in the library too. Things have changed so much in twenty years!
-The tour guides did speak frequently about the importance of Liberty being a Christ-centered college. Their mission is to train champions for Christ. That was really encouraging to me. I loved that.
-There are so many scholarship opportunities! With four kids to help through college, that is a big deal to me too.
-One of the scholarships is for Virginia domicile residents, and it is a good one. Of course, that depends on us actually staying in Virginia, which I cannot promise to do…
Altogether, I just loved this school.
If I were the student instead of the mom, I would be like, “Where do I sign up???” I know I would have loved going to school there.
But the question is, did the boys love it?
They definitely liked it. I think either of them could end up enrolling at Liberty. Neither of them complained about anything, but neither of them was like, “Yes! I have to go here!!” Also, neither of them have toured any other schools yet. That makes a big difference too.
So this process has just begun for us. One college down, and several to go. So far this one is my personal favorite, but I know it is not my decision. I promise I will behave and let them choose their school for themselves.
I think Liberty University is probably a very decent school. A little pricey. Great for many regular degrees. The only things you need to be cautious is theology. But you have to check that out for any religious school you go to. I have gone to a Wesleyan university but belong to an independent Christian church. (Restoration Movement, aka Stone-Campbell movement, and we have our own “schools”). Therefore, when you take the theological classes, there might be some clashes in the more minutia of faith. I personally, didn’t have any issues because I believe in more of the big C in Church, and try to keep a more open mind and unify on the bigger tenants of faith now.
I also have known several people who have attended Liberty University and loved it. It has prepared them for their careers well. Academics are great. They also have an excellent homeschool program online for high schoolers.
There has been some bad publicity in the press associated with the school. Do your own research and determine if that’s going to be a make or break thing for you. Just because one person has done something illegal or has sinned, doesn’t mean the whole campus has. I think it had to do with the president and his son or something? Sorry, I’ve slept (or tried to sleep) a lot of nights since then.
You are going to have your very own unique experience and interactions with the profs and students there, so just like you did on this visit. You can listen to all the naysayers and gossip about any school, church, or organization. Or you can go and try it out for yourself. (Be also aware of people who only say good things about a school, church or organization.)
As a homeschooled graduate who looked into many private, mostly Christian colleges back in the 90’s and who is now a mom of 4, one in college, one that is now college age, and two bringing up the rear, and as a wife whose husband has been the president of a tiny Christian college in Canada, and whose father in law has taught college and seminary classes for 30 years, I’m been immersed in this world for decades.
Again, Liberty University is one of the top notch schools, despite it’s recent scandal. Academically wise, you can’t get much better. Just be aware of the price point, and know it’s statement of faith. Be sure that it’s the right size for your student, too. Bigger is not always better. Sometimes the smaller, more inexpensive schools are just as good.
In your researching, one of the best places to go is this website. They do college fairs in person and online all across the nation. Liberty University, I believe, is part of it. It’s the most comprehensive listing I know of that includes all denominations.
https://www.findyourchristiancollege.com/
I hope this helps! I’m so glad you had an excellent visit there! My friends who have gone did love it themselves. I’ve heard it’s beautiful! Enjoy your college search!
Before all this I really only knew of it from hearing about Liberty through church, and then I read ALLL about that scandal because I thought it odd that Jr. endorsed Trump so early in his campaign, so enthusiastically. I feel like the university is recovering well from all that. It sounds like you have more experience with Christian universities than we do. All of us went to state colleges, so this is so new to us! Thank you for all your info!!!
Thank you for this exciting report.
Thanks for sharing your experience at Liberty University. It’s always interesting to read about different campus tours and what they have to offer. I appreciate the insight you provided!
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