When I first started telling people I would be attending Saint Martin’s University after high school, I always heard the same question, “why are you going there, you’re not even Catholic?” Well, that’s a simple question to answer.

It might just blow your mind.

Are you ready……………….

You don’t need to be Catholic to go to a Catholic Institution.

In fact, you don’t need to be of any religion to go to a religious institution.

Religious schools can teach you so much besides the area of your studies. Religious universities teach you to have values and how to live up to your own potential. I love the school I attend because here I learn more about the morals and ethics I want to implement into my career and life post-graduation. SMU specifically has four main values: faith, reason, community, & service. As I go upon my education at SMU I am not only learning in my classes about my desired major (business administration), but I’m learning how to be an ethical leader in a divided society. I learn to not only have faith in God, but I learn to have faith in myself, that I’ll be able to accomplish anything I set my mind to. I learn to reason with people, maybe my ideas won’t always be the way to go, so I learn to listen to the reason of others and hold a developed discussion. I learn to love and respect the community I live in, because if I don’t care about it, how am I supposed to convince others to do it? I learn to put my community first in certain aspects and when I need to do my part to help transform our divided society into an undivided one. I learn to have a sense of service, helping those in any ways imaginable. Believe it or not, the little things we do can go a long way! I firmly believe the moral lessons I’m being taught every day at this Catholic Benedictine Institution would not be taught to me at a public university or state school.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, you’re curious if there’s any more benefits to going to a private religious institution.

Well, a major benefit, are the small class sizes. Most religious schools are small, which means the student-teacher ratio is relatively smaller than those of huge state schools. At SMU, particularly, the average student-teacher ratio is 12:1. This is great because you get the help that you will need. You can grow relationships with your professors, which is great, because eventually, you’re going to need a recommendation. These smaller class sizes help the professor focus the teaching on their students, and by doing this you spend more time on the areas you need to focus on. You connect with students more and that helps build a stronger community. In these small classes, your ideas are not only heard, but they’re shared and implemented. You’re the student and the class should be taught around all your strengths and weaknesses.

Beyond learning ethical values and appreciating the small class sizes, you find friends that have the same morals as you. You’re genuinely happier when you surround yourself with people you can be yourself with. Some of these people will become your best friends while you’re in college, and some will even become lifelong friends.

If you’re considering where you’re going to spend your next four years, or even considering transferring, don’t automatically look over religious campuses. These institutions have so much to offer, and yes, even if you’re not religious. Of course, you’ll have to endure some of the requirements of a private school, but some don’t have that many. SMU for insistence, you only need to take one religious based class. But if these religious classes are out of your comfort zone, that’s an even better reason to take the class. Expand your knowledge in areas you didn’t imagine. Look at the perks of a religious institution, because I can ensure you that the pros outweigh the cons.