火爆社区

Pepperdine University is a Christian liberal arts school situated in picturesque Malibu, California. Many students say the 鈥減rofessors are the greatest strength of Pepperdine,鈥� citing 鈥渕entorship [and] research collaboration鈥� opportunities thanks to the small classes. Faculty 鈥済enuinely care about your individual success, both personally and academically.鈥� One student says that it鈥檚 normal for 鈥渢hem to invite students to their homes for dinner or to host a Bible study group.鈥� Professors are lauded as 鈥渧ery passionate鈥� and 鈥渟uccessful in their field.鈥� Many professors utilize Pepperdine鈥檚 location to take 鈥渇ield trips to the beach, lagoon, waste treatment plant, museums, and organizations in Los Angeles.鈥� The great scenery doesn鈥檛 just include California: Pepperdine鈥檚 鈥渁bsolutely fantastic鈥� international programs are a draw for many, sending students to destinations like Argentina, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and England. 鈥淭he Church of Christ mission is prevalent,鈥� as all undergrads are required to take three religion courses.

Pepperdine students rave about their 鈥渨elcoming,鈥� 鈥渃aring,鈥� and 鈥渢ight-knit鈥� community. 鈥淓veryone is genuinely interested in how to make the world better and people take up a real interest in each other,鈥� says a student. 鈥淓veryone always has a smile on their face鈥� and 鈥渋n times of crisis the support system is tremendously helpful.鈥� 鈥淓ven though there is a large group of both the left and right,鈥� one student says this is 鈥渢he most open-minded student body.鈥� Students find 鈥渄iverse...personalities and ideas鈥� but say the school would benefit from attracting more students who don鈥檛 exactly fit the 鈥淐hristian, white, conservative,鈥� and affluent background. Students are 鈥渢aught to live life with purpose, service, and leadership.鈥� Overall there鈥檚 a 鈥渕ix of driven entrepreneurs and chill surfers,鈥� and 鈥測ou have your partiers and then you have the very religious鈥� students.

Students take pride in their 鈥渁cademically rigorous and beautiful school.鈥� They find Pepperdine鈥檚 campus to be 鈥渄rop dead gorgeous鈥� with an 鈥渁mazing ocean view.鈥� Its prime location in Southern California means there are plenty of options for activities outside of the classroom: students 鈥渟urf, hike, [and visit] museums.鈥� Of course, church is prominent here too. 鈥淲e are...allowed to freely incorporate our faith into our education,鈥� one student says. The school also features a Convocation Series, although some express concerns about that since it 鈥渋s required [and] factors into [students鈥橾 GPA.鈥� They still find other ways to connect with religious communities, though, often 鈥渄oing [community] service in an off-campus location鈥� with a religious affiliation. Evenings bring 鈥渁 lot of events on campus either sponsored by clubs, athletics, [or] the student programming board,鈥� but one thing undergrads would like to see more of is 鈥渟chool spirit at the athletic games.鈥� Pepperdine has a dry campus, so students looking for that kind of nightlife spend 鈥渨eekends...[taking] trips into L.A. [or attending] parties off campus.鈥�

Those looking for hands-on career experience need look no further than Pepperdine, as there are 鈥渕any opportunities for research and applied learning 鈥� available on campus.鈥� And the inclusion of 鈥渁 lot of projects applicable to the class鈥� is 鈥済ood for building a portfolio.鈥� But Pepperdine readily goes beyond that too, and students can avail themselves of a variety of resources through the career teams at each of Pepperdine鈥檚 five schools; these resources include one-on-one coaching, on-campus recruitment, and job shadow days. The office also provides connections with major industries in and around Los Angeles (鈥淧epperdine has an excellent reputation in Southern California,鈥� after all!) and helps students tap into the 鈥渆xtensive alumni network鈥� through programs like Career Coaching, which pairs students with alumni who share their stories and offer professional development advice. The faculty is another useful tool: 鈥淕etting to know our professors on a deep level is useful not only for finding career connections but for gaining personal advice tailored to the specific individual.鈥� All of these add together to equal impressive outcomes: recent employers of Pepperdine graduates include Amazon, Disney, and Ernst & Young. According to Payscale.com, the median starting salary for alumni is $70,100, and 53 percent find a great deal of meaning in their job.