a question of "fit"

[bralant]

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I was only accepted to one school and it is a Christian (conservative) school and environment. The problem is I am not Christian and I am gay. Should I apply to more schools next year and try to get into a school that might be a better fit? Do I have to worry about discrimination in professional school? Could I even be expelled for consorting with homosexuals in my free time?

 

[Pharmdapp87]

Hey, I ran into the same problem of whether or not to apply to Christian or Jesuit Schools because of my sexuality and their moral beliefs. It's a very scary thought because, believe it or not some Christian schools have anti-gay regulation that conflict with anti-discrimination laws set by the state. Because they are a private school, that negates some regulations implemented by the state. However, there are some schools who could care less. One in particular is Creighton. My knowledge of alternative sexuality accepting Christian Schools is very limiting, but I know for a fact that Creighton is very accepting and tolerant. I half wish I had applied there. On the other hand, I'm also aware that Lipscomb CAN and HAS kicked out students who were drinking or gay (I hope and pray that is not the school you have gotten accepted to, or that they changed their policies... doubt it though).

My advice... check out the school's policies and call them if you have to. If you don't want to call them, have your friends call them, have someone in your family call them (considering you are out), hell, I'll even if call them and ask them whether they accept gays or not for you. Don't deny your acceptance until you have ALL the information you need. If you need any help or such, my mailbox is always open. I hope things go well and the school is accepting, or that you get into a school that better suits you. Either way, it's not worth letting your next 4 years be miserable because you have to hide "yourself", even if it makes up a small portion of who you really are.

 

[aboveliquidice]

I was only accepted to one school and it is a Christian (conservative) school and environment. The problem is I am not Christian and I am gay. Should I apply to more schools next year and try to get into a school that might be a better fit? Do I have to worry about discrimination in professional school? Could I even be expelled for consorting with homosexuals in my free time?

That is a very good question. My first instinct says to not wait - to push through it, as your personal life is no one else's business.

However, some christian schools (certainly not all - but some) have it in their student code of conduct that a student can be dismissed for misconduct. Almost all schools have similar clauses - but they typically include attending neo nazi rallies, or being caught as a terrorist, etc. Christian schools can interpret homosexuality as a misconduct, and grounds for dismissal.

I would look at the school in question - check their student codes specifically for what is and is not considered misconduct. Some schools are mores strict than others.

You could also conduct a search of this forum to seek out students already attending the school and ask them directly - Keep your identity hidden - I would hate to have you stereotyped for simply seeking answers.

Having already applied to the school - I have to assume that on some level you knew this may happen - if the reasons you wanted to attend the school still exist - then going forward and simply being cautious make be an acceptable course of action.

For what is worth - we a few homosexual students in our class - and it has never been an issue at our school.

Good

 

[evilolive]

I would anonymously call them or email them for an official response. It's an awful situation to be in, but it's a very important thing to consider.

 

[UBCmicrobi]

Even if the school doesn't "kick you out for being gay", I would consider how your peers might react. Assuming that most of the students will be religious/conservative, you might face discrimination from them. Personally, that is not an environment I would want to put myself in for 4 years. As others have suggested, definitely find out just how conservative the school is and whether or not they are concerned with your non-academic life.

Good luck, this must be a really hard decision.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

Did you happen to meet any current students when you interviewed there? Can you contact them and get a feel for what the other students are like? Or perhaps any other interviewing students that got in there, too? You probably don't want to come out to them, but maybe you could indirectly see how their political/religious views are (Facebook could be a good source for this...).

Some Christian groups are more into witnessing to non-believers than others. If that would really bother you, maybe you could get a feel for that by contacting them. From what I've noticed with family and friends who are Christians, those who tend to put a lot of Bible verses/mentioning God or Jesus in their every-day letters and e-mails tend to be more into witnessing to people and usually more bothered by homosexuality.

Also, do you think you could find a community outside of the school that you could fit in with better? Did the school feel comfortable in other aspects?

If the school is against homosexuality in any official way, i.e. if it would violate the code of conduct, I wouldn't go. Four years is a long time to hide that aspect of yourself, and if the school is that bigoted, it might start to drive you crazy. But if you can't get kicked out by it, and the students seem like you could get along with them, I'd probably go for it if I were you.

 

[Kirbypuff]

I would borrow a friend's phone to call anonymously (in case they have caller ID.) I would call multiple departments to see if they all say the same thing. Ask lots of hypothetical questions and find out if they condone any bit of discrimination. It's not just about them trying not to discriminate you but they better also protect you fully if there were a case of discrimination from any party. Hopefully, you can be completely who you are and not have to hide any aspect of yourself when you are there. This is 4 years of your life!

 

[Storm90]

First off, congratulations on getting accepted. It's unfortunate that your personal life could be viewed as "misconduct" by a professional school. Honestly, it should never factor into the equation as I'm sure it violates your rights, and has no bearing whatsoever on what kind of pharmacist you will become. That being said, it would really suck to find out after going through a year or two that you were being removed from the program for "misconduct" with all that time and money invested. Definitely contact the school in question regarding their policies, and I would check into your rights as a student about this particular situation. IMO, your personal life choices are yours alone as long as they aren't breaking the law and reflecting poorly on the school (like doing drugs or something to that effect).

 

[trailrider400]

Well many schools take race and minority status into account. Not sure why people see this any differently. But to the OP i'd say it just like you said - it comes down to a question of 'fit'. As unfortunate as it is I'd think this may not be the best fit for you but you'd have to weigh that yourself. I doubt they could kick you out but unfortunately you may not feel very welcome

 

[SeattleCoug]

Congratulations on your acceptance!

You are have a hard decision to make now, but I hope that like the other replies some of these questions that we ask help you to really know how you fit with the school AND how the school fits with you.

Did you interview with the school on campus or at another location? Were you able to meet some of the staff and students? Was there a general sense of welcome or was it noticably standoff-ish? How did you feel during the interview and with your interactions (other than nervous of course, cause we all felt that!)?

Since you did only apply to one school, what was your reason initially for applying there? Do you feel that you would be able to succeed there or do you feel that you would have to hide your true self?

IMO it is not worth it to attend if you will have to protect yourself from others when you will be stressed out enough from school. I hope you find the answers that you are looking for by talking with the staff about their policies. Good luck!