火爆社区

The 鈥渢op-notch, passionate, [and] available鈥� profesors at Southern 鈥渢ruly care about [student] success鈥� and 鈥渢ake time to talk with the students---not just the good ones, but also the struggling and average ones.鈥� 鈥淥nce when I was too sick to go to class,鈥� relates one undergrad, 鈥渙ne of my teachers brought the class handouts right to my dorm so I could complete the homework for the next day.鈥� Southern鈥檚 academic strengths include 鈥渘ursing, business, religion, and teaching,鈥� but undergrads say the Seventh-Day Adventist school 鈥渃reates mission-minded graduates no matter what field of study鈥� they choose. Southern鈥檚 popular nursing program is particularly 鈥渆xcellent,鈥� 鈥渆nlightening,鈥� and challenging. The 鈥減rofessors are fantastic,鈥� says one nursing major. 鈥淭hey are all meant to be here and . . . I love them all.鈥� 鈥淭he administration is a bit old-fashioned鈥� and 鈥渃ould definitely work on allowing more student input [o]n certain decisions,鈥� but administrators are also genuinely 鈥渃oncerned about [students鈥橾 well-being鈥� and 鈥渧ery sociable鈥�; they, 鈥渋ncluding the president, are sometimes even seen at the dining hall serving students.鈥� Students gripe that it鈥檚 鈥渉ard to get financial help鈥� at Southern, and that the cost of tuition 鈥渁dds a whole lot of stress.鈥� 鈥淲here does all my money go?鈥� wonders one undergrad. One student sums it up: Southern 鈥渋s about helping you decide what you want to do with your life career-wise, inspiring you to have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and sucking your wallet completely dry!鈥�

鈥淓veryone is different, but we all love Jesus,鈥� says one student, whose classmates agree: Southern is 鈥渁 culturally and geographically diverse school鈥� in which 鈥淭he big majority of kids may come from different backgrounds, but our unique religious background gives us a similar history and, thus, makes us uniform.鈥� Students note approvingly that their classmates are 鈥渘ice, happy, [and] friendly.鈥� 鈥淭he typical student . . . smiles and says 鈥榟i鈥� when one walks by. Most people hold the door open for others.鈥� Many students say that 鈥渢he students [who] are atypical don鈥檛 seem to have trouble fitting in because people seem generally accepting of other people.鈥�

The Southern campus lies near the Tennessee River and the Georgia state line in a 鈥済orgeous鈥� region with manifold opportunities for 鈥渒ayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, cycling, hiking, boating, caving,鈥� 鈥渟ky diving, canoeing, and camping.鈥� Nearby, 鈥渘eat, artsy鈥� Chattanooga also 鈥渕akes for a fun and easy getaway.鈥� The student body eschews drinking and partying; one undergrad says, 鈥淚 know of one student who has ever admitted using alcohol and two students who have used marijuana, but it does not seem like a general practice.鈥� Students rave about Southern鈥檚 鈥渧ery spiritual focus鈥� and 鈥渞eligiously loving . . . environment鈥� but are divided about the school鈥檚 鈥渞igid鈥� policies, which include a dress code, required worship services, and prohibitions against jewelry, dancing, and serving meat in the cafeteria. Many students believe these rules create 鈥渢he healthy good influence of a Christian lifestyle,鈥� but others complain that 鈥渇orc[ing] people to worship [at] designated times . . . makes people want to do it less.鈥�