The following document was written by Dr Bob Agee, a leader in Christian education, and used here by permission.  Dr Agee makes an excellent argument for why students should consider a Baptist institution for their traditional and/or online learning needs.  Baptist Colleges Online is proud and honored to make this material available.

Why Choose a Baptist College or University?

By Bob R. Agee

President Emeritus of Oklahoma Baptist University
and
Former Executive Director of the Association
of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools

Early one Fall semester I was walking across campus and met a student whom I had not met.  I spoke to him and began asking my usual questions: What’s your name? Where are you from?  What year is this for you?  In the conversation he told me that he was a transfer student who had chosen to attend Oklahoma Baptist University rather than stay at the major state university where he had been enrolled.  Out of curiosity I asked: “What prompted you to transfer?”
 
His answer caught me somewhat by surprise.  He said, “I was sitting in a math class with 700 other students being taught by a graduate assistant who could barely speak English.  No one called the roll and if felt to me that no one really cared whether I came to class or not.  In a moment of frustration I looked around and concluded that if I’m going to get an education, I need to go somewhere that I can be assured of studying with a full-time professor in smaller classes where someone will genuinely care.”

As the conversation continued, he made the comment that in the few weeks since the semester had begun he realized he had made the right choice.  He talked about how impressed he was with the faculty in his classes and how much it meant to him to have people around him in the dorms and in the student center who seemed to really care about him as a person.  That chat with the transfer student caused me to think even more deeply about the sales pitches I had delivered to prospective students through the years.  Does it really make a difference where you choose to go to college?   What should you look for when you are selecting a school?
 
Look for a college where the institutional mission statement talks about a “Christian” or “Christ-centered” emphasis.  That statement will be found in the catalog and student handbook and the school must demonstrate to accrediting agencies that they take specific and appropriate action to carry out their mission.  When you talk with admissions counselors or other representatives of the college, ask about the steps that are taken to make the educational experience one that is truly Christ-centered.
 
Look for a college where quality classroom instruction is given a high priority.  That usually expresses itself with relatively small classes taught by fully prepared professors.  Large classes taught by graduate assistants generally end up being very impersonal and contribute significantly to high drop-out rates in schools where that is the practice.  What you experience in the classroom may well be the most important part of the college experience.  The kind of faculty hired and the priority given to teaching will shape the atmosphere surrounding what takes place in the classroom.
 
Look for a college where the institution emphasizes high standards of morality, ethics and decency.  We live in an “anything goes” society and all too often the atmosphere in colleges and universities are more mirrors of contemporary society than they are standard bearers of good.  Check out the student handbook and look at the policies that regulate campus atmosphere and living conditions.  When the school stands for Christian principles of conduct, the campus atmosphere and institutional focus will offer a climate where a person can flourish.  A college or university which unashamedly attempts to incorporate the highest and best of Christian thinking and behavior into its institutional life will do more to educate the whole student than one where “anything goes”.
 
 Look for a college or university where there is evidence that people will really care about students and their well-being.  It’s important that you feel that you matter to the administrators and to the faculty and that they are available to answer your questions or assist you when you need help.  The years you spend getting your education are too important for you.  Over the years I’ve watched struggling students find a new sense of direction because a caring Christian professor took the time to help them with a problem or because a caring Christian administrator invested some time with a student.  The atmosphere on campus has a great deal to do with whether a student stays in school and perseveres to get his or her degree within the traditional four or five years.  An intentionally, unapologetically Christian college is marked by an atmosphere where the students feel that they really are valued as persons and someone cares whether they make it or not.
 
One of the factors that distinguishes a Christian college from a secular institution is the attention given to and the value placed on spiritual growth and development at the same time they emphasize academic excellence.  Every human being needs to grow and develop intellectually, socially, professionally, emotionally, and spiritually.  For the education experience to be all that it should be the school should take the “holistic” approach.  In the Christian college there are no restrictions to prevent professors and the institutional climate from lifting the students’ sights to look for the highest standard in every area of development.  Colleges and universities that emphasize spiritual growth and development alongside intellectual and professional growth and development will be places where a student stands the best chance of becoming what God wants them to be.
 
Most colleges and universities are very comfortable with the task of imparting information with the hope that the student will absorb some of it and thus grow some intellectually.  Everyone expects also that during the college experience a student will decide on a major and begin preparing for the world of work and thus they will emphasize professional or pre-professional development.  The variety of campus activities and services try to give attention to a student’s psychological and social needs with the expectation that the student is going to mature some in his or her social skills.  The area of development most often neglected is the area of spiritual growth and development.  Wouldn’t it be tragic to invest four or five critical years of your life developing the foundations to become an intellectual and professional giant and end up being a moral and spiritual midget because that part of your education was neglected?
 
A Christian campus takes a variety of approaches to emphasizing and nurturing the growth and development of the spiritual life.  College sponsored chapel services, campus ministry sponsored evening worship and Bible study sessions, Bible studies in the dorms, mission service projects, are just a few of the kinds of activities that go on at a Christian college or university.  Faculty and staff serve as mentors and encouragers to students and are often strong influences in helping students work through their search for growing in their walk with God.  Often times those faculty mentors or staff encouragers are the very ones that God uses to help a student come to a deeper understanding of God’s will for their lives vocationally.
 
After years of working with colleges and with students I can assure students that where you choose to go to college may well be one of the most important decisions you will ever make.  A student’s chances of succeeding are greatly enhanced by choosing a school where the characteristics noted here are found.  Take your search seriously.  Ask the tough questions.  Talk to current students as well as to the professional counselors working with you.  Your future will be profoundly affected by the college you choose.