Adams 1 Samantha Adams Mr.

Harrell English Comp 1 15 October 2013

Liberty University In the book The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose writes about his experience at Liberty University. Formally attending Brown University, Kevin Roose believed he would get a good experience by transferring to an evangelical Christian college. To his surprise, Kevin received a lot more than just a good experience at Liberty. Ultimately, the benefits of attending a college like Liberty University greatly outweigh any costs a student might encounter. Kevin knew when transferring to Liberty that he would receive a better education than if he were to stay at Brown. That was only one of the many reasons Roose decided to transfer. Receiving a higher education was important to Roose and his family, that is why Kevin's family was understanding about his decision to transfer schools. Kevins family at first was hesitant to let Kevin go to Liberty because he was not familiar with the school. Attending a school with higher education is extremely beneficial, not only because you will be pushed harder and will learn more, but it also looks good to your future employer. A company would rather hire a graduate that did well from a higher education college than a graduate who did well in a community college. At Liberty, you are forced to learn more and push yourself, but that is only to better yourself. Bettering yourself to become as knowledgeable as possible. A difference between Brown and Liberty is that Brown is a college about finding yourself and becoming the best person you can be for yourself, while at Liberty, it is a college about bettering yourself for God, and becoming the best he wants you to

Adams 2 be. For Kevin, who did not go to Liberty for the religious aspect of it, he was going to get a good experience and a good education. Liberty University is a conservative college that is much stricter than the liberal college of Brown. At Liberty University there is a book called The Liberty Way that has over 46 pages of rules that need to be followed to become "Champions for Christ". Roose writes, According to The Liberty Way, entering the residence hall of the opposite sex or allowing the same gets you eighteen reprimands, a $250 fine, and eighteen hours of community service. Some of the other rules include, no drinking alcohol, no pre-marital sex, no hugging for longer than three seconds, no kissing, no persons of the opposite sex in your room, and no R rated movies. If you disobey these rules you will be reprimanded and have to pay a fine. The rules at Liberty are very strict but they are enforced to better yourself and reduce any kind of temptation that would lead you to sin. Brown college is a much different atmosphere. Brown is much less strict and conservative. There are far less rules at Brown than Liberty. At Brown I feel like they want you to experience things for yourself and learn from your mistakes by making bad ones. While at Liberty I feel like they don't want you to make the poor decision at all. At first Kevin thought the rules at Liberty were too strict and some even silly. But as he became used to the rules he grew to like them because he felt comfortable and safe. The rules made him focus on what he really needed to focus on and helped eliminate other unnecessary temptations. While it took some adjusting to get used to them. Kevin later appreciated the rules. One of the rules that Roose had a hard time with was the rule about not cussing. At Brown cussing happened everywhere, even your teachers would cuss. But if you were to cuss at Liberty, not only would you be embarrassed but you would have to pay a fine. Kevin knew he was going to have a problem getting used to not cussing so he purchased a book that would help "tame his tongue".

Adams 3 Although the kids at Liberty did not cuss, they still used words like "darn" or "shoot", instead of the alternative. Roose writes, As it turns out, although its true that most Liberty students dont curse, they dont walk around saying Glory! or Good heavens! Instead, they use network TV versions of standard curses. Nerf curses. Although it took some time for Kevin to not cuss and get used to that rule, he realized that maybe it was a good thing he didn't cuss. He always knew cussing wasn't necessarily a good thing but he didn't realize how unprofessional cussing all the time sounds. This is why all of the harsh rules at Liberty would be frustrating and annoying, but they would do what they are intended to do and reduce the extra distractions. Being so close-minded and sheltered has its downfall to it as well. If you don't make mistakes you are never going to learn from them. At Liberty they try to keep the students as sheltered as possible and only let them know what they want them to know. While in Brown, they want them to learn as much as they possibly can. At Liberty University they all want them to think the same way, which is where it could be considered a down fall. But what could be considered a down fall for some, is an advantage to others because the students are not being exposed to some of the terrible things in this world. There is not much originality in Liberty and it is hard to express yourself when they are all thought to think the same way. Roose writes, In Libertys theology, there are only two categories of people: believers and nonbelievers, people headed to heaven and people condemned to hell. Liberty is known for teaching its students to become the best for God. At Brown originality is encouraged, they are all encouraged to think for themselves and become whoever they want to be, not who their professors want them to be. At Liberty the professors do not want the students thinking for themselves and knowing more than there professors do. They are afraid the students will become more educated then they will and then start to think for themselves. The professors at Liberty do not see this a problem by keeping their students very close minded, but once the students at Liberty graduate they are going to

Adams 4 be in the real world where they will be thinking for themselves and no longer relying on their professors to tell them what to think. This strategy of teaching is not wrong, it is just not for everyone. I personally would not like to be forced to think what everyone else is thinking. The education they receive at Liberty is a high education it is just much different than what you would receive that brown. There is no religion taught at Brown because everyone has a different religion. While at Liberty, everyone has the same religion; religion is thought heavily. Liberty has classes focused on just the bible, while at Brown, there are no classes thought specifically for religion. Since everyone has so many things in common with each other at Liberty it is much easier to relate and fit in. Students at Liberty have common beliefs. They are all evangelical Christians, who have accepted the lord Jesus Christ in to their hearts. If a student has their own opinion at Liberty, other than what everyone else believes, they will not fit it. But instead of pushing you away because you think differently, Liberty will try to convince you to think the way they do and that what you think is wrong. For example there was a student at Liberty that thought she was bi sexual. Instead of reprimanding her, they try to convince her she wasn't bi sexual and that what she thought was wrong. Roose writes, His Liberty classes have taught him that bisexuality is a sin- and not just any sin, but a sin above all sins, a lifestyle choice that represents a total disregard for Gods will. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and students at Liberty often forget that. But if you are going to have your own opinion, and it is a conflicting opinion to the opinions of Liberty, you should attend a different school. Students who are very opinionated and think differently than the socially norm, should attend a college more like Brown, where their opinions will be valued and not convinced they are wrong. Neither school is right nor wrong in how they teach their students, it is just which setting you would rather prefer. Liberty and Brown are two very different Universities but they have much more in common than Kevin thought they would.Kevin realized that the students do make mistakes and are not perfect, they

Adams 5 even breaks the rules. Roose writes, The trick to being a rebel at Liberty, Ive learned, is knowing which parts of the Liberty social code are non negotiable. Liberty students are going to make mistakes just like the students of Brown would, they would just be punished harder. Both universities are equipped with the same technology used to learn. They both have classrooms and labs and classes no college student ever wants to take. Both schools have students that are furthering their educations. The students at both colleges are still people. They might not have the same views on everything, but in the end, they are still both people. Just because you don't have the same religion as someone doesn't make you two completely different people. The fact that you believe in God or a certain religion doesn't mean you are any better than someone who doesn't. Kevin realized that just about everyone thought the same way at Liberty but there were a few students that thought differently. Kevin realized that the students at Liberty were genuinely kind and friendly. Roose writes, Heres one thing I can say so far: Liberty students are the friendliest college students Ive ever met. Theyre much friendlier than the students at my old school. Not only are the students friendly, but the professors of Liberty are friendly as well. Being different and having your own opinion is what makes this world. If we all had the exact same views and beliefs the world would be extremely boring with no originality. Im not saying the students at Liberty do not have their own personalitys, because they do, they just have the same beliefs and morals. For Roose he had a great and life changing experience at Liberty University and although it was different, he went in to the situation with an open mind and it worked out in his favor. He made long lasting friends, got an awesome education, and accepted God in to his heart. Kevin never thought while being at Liberty that it would change his religious views. Roose writes, As I said, Im already feeling my views challenged and augmented by people around me. Not all of Kevins views and beliefs changed, but the ones that did change were for the better. Transferring to Liberty from Brown was a life changing experience. Not everyone would have had the same experience that Kevin did. Not everyone may understand why Kevin Roose decided to transfer colleges and they might not understand the

Adams 6 relationship he now has with God. Liberty may not be for everyone, but for Kevin Roose it changed his life for the better.