Moravian University

Moravian College is an excellent place to be if you want a small and student-oriented education. The faculty are focused on seeing every student succeed, and with the small class size, is able to do so. Not to mention, the average financial aid package for a successful high school student is $18,000, and due to the large amount of alumni who give back, make that possible. Due to Moravian's school size, it is also a great place to make connections and get involved. A third of the student body participates... Read More in athletics, and the majority of the school is involved in extracurricular activities such as clubs, student government, sorority/fraternity life, music and choir, the list is endless. Moravian is also in a stellar location, located in the historic part of Bethlehem - shops, food, activities, events, are just about endless. Moravian is also very keen on giving back to their community, with volunteer groups on campus and some classes (mostly public health) requiring student hours to give back. The public health program is new and developing, but has nation-renowned faculty with tremendous connections that help students land internships, jobs, and receive higher education.

I went for 1.5 semesters at Moravian Theological Seminary in the Clinical Therapy program. The problem with the program for me, as an older student with another graduate degree, was that the main faculty person in the program had a PhD in "professional practice" from an "institute" that folded in 2015. (Forest Institute) Her degree gave her little philosophical or humanities background to material that was being taught in a "transformative" religious setting. She actually entertained and acquiesced... Read More to arguments that "Feminists Therapy should change its name because it is offensive to men," and "homophobia is not a phobia." She had little to say about why we were studying clinal psychology in a Seminary. The students there were younger than I, more conservative, and not used to relating critically to their studies. The material was always presented with the caveat that what we were learning would be on the test of licensing, and weren't we lucky to be so well prepared. There was little done to bridge or create any link between "religious" courses and "clinical" courses. Also, the encouragement to take out loans for the degree was almost predatory. For example you had to fill out a loan application whether you wanted a loan or not. I did not, thank goodness, but it sucked a lot of my savings. It was a waste of money and a waste of time. Beware of such tiny programs with no depth. I learned my lesson. As with any advanced professional degree, research salary expectations; this degree is only masters and the average salary of a clinical therapist is around 44,000. Whenever I think of Moravian Theological Seminary I think of the institution that stole almost 12,000 dollars from me. Though, it is also my fault for not withdrawing sooner.

Moravian College gave me the opportunity to explore and pursue my interests. The faculty at Moravian College serve as mentors who care for their students and want them to succeed. Moravian College has a tight-knit community in which faculty, staff, and students feel safe and welcome. Moravian College offers challenging courses with professors that encourage their students to critically think about the material. Additionally, the college has many partnerships with local organizations and businesses,... Read More which allows students to easily pursue internship and employment opportunities. Overall, Moravian College offers a comforting community in which students can learn and grow as professionals.

For the most part, I loved my time at Moravian, especially the professors and the academic opportunities that I was able to take advantage of. For example, during the summers of my sophomore and junior year I had the opportunity to stay on campus and work closely with a professor on a research project. I received free housing and a stipend. Additionally, my research during my undergraduate years set me on the research path that I am continuing in graduate school. I also had the opportunity to spend... Read More a semester in DC as part of Moravian College's and American University's Washington semester program and during the fall of my senior year, I studied in Oxford England. My time at Moravian also prepared me academically for my first and now my second master's program. One of the main drawbacks of Moravian, was it's lack of diversity, at least during my tenure. Additionally as a small private liberal arts school it relies heavily on tuition to earn money, so even with "tutition discounts" it can be pricey. Overall, I loved my time there and still keep in contact with one of my professors.