California College Has 'Most Religious' Students on EthicsDaily.com
August 11, 2009
(RNS) A small Catholic college in California has the “most religious students,” according to recently released rankings from Princeton Review.
Thomas Aquinas College, a quaint Santa Paula, Calif., campus with just 350 students, knocked Brigham Young University from the top spot and edged out other mega-religious campuses such as evangelical Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., and Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Mich., which was founded by Baptists.
Rankings for the “most religious students” category were determined by a Princeton Review survey that asked college students to score the religiosity of their classmates on a five-point scale. Thomas Aquinas College scored highest out of the 371 North American schools that participated in the survey.
It is surprising, but not astounding.
The smaller the institution, the more it grows by word of mouth and through perpetuation of its own heritage.
It is also more likely that the influence, spirit, and values of the faith upon which that institution is built will be communicated to all its students. They come with certain expectations and find encouragement to grow in their faith.
Perhaps that is why small groups continue to be one of the great incubators of growth in faith and the Christian life.