Biola University Top Questions

A common stereotype at Biola is probably a goody goody kid. A goody goody kid would be one who is sheltered, has never made any mistakes, and is basically perfect. I would say that is not true. Most students at Biola are normal people who make mistakes just like everyone else.

As a school in general, the stereotype of students are that we are weird and that we live in a bubble. Since we are a Christian university and each student is required to sign a contract (no drinking, smoking, sexual activity, etc.), our lifestyle stands out to outsiders. However, when you get to know the people at Biola, you will find some who are passionate and fearless about what they believe and that above all they desire to be a light in this dark world.

Because we have a 30 foot tall mural of Jesus painted on the side of our science building and upon enrollment we are required to sign a statement of faith in God and a student conduct code which prohibits sex, drugs, and alcohol, the common opinion of Biola students is that we are all Christians. We are, after all, the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It doesn’t get more explicit than that. I attended public school, and was convinced I would never want to go to a private Christian school. However, I did, and I felt right at home. In my high school there were kids fighting, drugs sold and bought by students, children who, by their fashion taste and foul language, aspired to 20 years in jail around the same time they got their diploma, and a Samoan campus safety officer with biceps larger than my thighs who everyone knew as “Hammer.” I can only imagine the public university scene when these same kids had cars and money and more bad company. Suffice it to say, the change in pace coming to Biola was enjoyable to say the least. Pretty much everyone at Biola is friendly and nice. We are normal people just like everyone else, from broken families on the wrong side of the tracks to people from foreign royalty here. However, everyone is united under the same belief in Christ. The same values of Christian love and grace to get us through the everyday grind. So while people may say dismissively that Biola is just full of Christians, in a very real and fundamental sense, it is. We have our school controversies and there are things I disagree with, but at the end of the day, we are a family.

Biola University is unique in that stereotypes do not exist in the same way that they do at most other universities. Yes, there are people who have different personalities, styles and interests; however, students are accepted for who they are at Biola regardless of whether they play sports or are incredibly smart. Somebody may be known for being on the baseball team or being a forensics team member. There are students who have extremely high intelligence and those who like to have fun, but Biola is different because all students have one thing in common. We share our faith at Biola and because of that there are no major stereotypes. Rather, people welcome the differences in each other because differences complement each other. People are first known for their love for God and possibly for other things there after.

Hipster yess its very accurate

Biola University is oftentimes likened to a protective bubble or incubator. Within this safe world, there are oftentimes different pockets of subcultures that thrive in this environment. There are the jock sports players who inhabit Horton and Hope Halls. There are the studious Asians who call the Library a second home. And there are the artsy hipsters who think dressing in ugly sweaters, tight jeans, and wear bandanas while sipping their non-Starbucks coffee. Sound silly? Well, of course it is. Biola is home to many different kinds of people and different personalities. Naturally, there will be stereotypes formed by common preconceptions, but hey. It's bound to happen. But Biola is more than that.

The stereotypical Biola student would be a person who either lives in the library and never takes their head out of a book, or a person who sits in chapel and prays all day everyday with no rests. These stereotypes are anything but the truth! Biola is short for Bible Institute of Las Angeles, but don't let the name fool you, this school is much more than sitting in chapel and studying. Biola offers a variety of different majors that students can choose from, because of this many students even choose to double major because they fall in love with more than one of Biolas' majors. They also have many different ways for students to be involved in life on and off of Biola, such as any type of club you can think of, sports teams, student jobs and internships both on and off the campus and so much more. Biola students are anything but their stereotype, they are extraordinary people who choose to live their lives through Jesus Christ our lord, and want to attend a university that shares those same beliefs.

The stereotype of students at Biola University is "Hipsters" who incorporate Biblical information into regular conversation and are very "chased". On lookers also may say that Biola students are perfect Christians and extremely "holy". I would say that this description is somewhat accurate but the students lack the perfection implied by observers. Though a high majority of students here do follow Christ loyally, others and the previous included make just as many mistakes as any secular college student.

I would say that there are two major stereotypes of the students here at Biola University. The first would be a "missionary kid." Many people seem to have a view of Biola as being a school for missionary kids who have had no experience with the outside world or the United States for that matter, but that is not true. Although there are many missionary kids who do attend Biola, they aren't the only ones and many missionary kids are very up-to-date with culture and are not out of touch with reality like some perceive! The second stereotype of the students at Biola University, is that everyone dresses hipster. I would say that this stereotype is closer to being true. While not everyone has a hipster style with the skinny jeans, black framed glasses, and "toms" shoes, there is a pretty big group of students here that dress just like that and it almost is "the thing to do," but like I said, not everyone dresses that way!

Students at Biola have a reputation for being religious and morally conservative because of the profession of Christian faith and community contract all undergraduates agree to upon entry. Everyone signs their name to a statement of agreement- that means no alcohol, no drugs, no smoking, no sex, no gambling and there is even a no dancing policy while you are enrolled. Although this stereotype does accurately describe many of the students at Biola, there are plenty of undergraduates who choose to disregard this standard and most get away with it. The administration also makes some exceptions to these long-standing rules by allowing dances to take place off campus, and on campus as long as they are choreographed, previewed and deemed appropriate.