Biola University Top Questions

Hipster, hipster, hipster. Beanies, Toms, beards, shants, v-necks and deeper v-necks, thick rimmed glasses and an infinite adoration for bands like Bon Iver, The Civil Wars and Justin Bieber (just for irony's sake) runs rampant on our campus. Creativity blooms. That and girls who clearly spend too much time on Pinterest.

The stereotype here at Biola University reflects that mainly of hipster Christian. Due to its sunny location in Southern California and its close relation with the liberal arts, Biola allows students to express their artistic creativity through their clothing style and personalities. Due to our private Christian status, all students are required to be professing Christians, and the campus's students and activities reflect this fact. Each student pushes his or her peers to grow deeper in their relationship with Christ.

The Biola student body has been reputed to consisting of narrow-minded, judgmental Christians who usually identify with conservative views. Because those attending Biola are professing Christians and sign a contract saying they will veer away from certain activities such as drinking alcohol/using tobacco products, etc...many believe that Biola students are trapped in a bubble of naivety. While this may be true for some students, most are not naive, but disciplined. They are not narrow-minded, but passionate learners who believe things wholeheartedly. Biola is a diverse community, full of differing views and opinions found in people from all over the globe. It is full of people who strive to honor God, but who also struggle greatly. The people here are honest and imperfect, but are being molded and taught, and that's beautiful.

Hipsters. Cool Kids. Geeks. Artsy People. Party Animals. Normal People. Weido's.

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.

Due to the fact that I attend a Christian University, I feel as though our school is surrounded with the stigma that we are arrogant and judgmental people. People tend to think that there is no such thing as a Christian education, and the mere thought of it annoys people. However, Biola University is filled with smart, athletic, and outgoing people that are learning more about all kinds of religion everyday. While the schools goal is to prepare students hearts and minds for the real world and equip them with a Christian attitude, it goes above and beyond the possibilities of just religious aspects. Biola does an excellent job in teaching students to become everything from competitive academics, to quality actors/actresses, right in the heart of LA.

The stereotype of students at my school is that we are all goodie-two-shoes who don't have a life, since we go to a Christian university. I wouldn't say this is accurate. Yes, we all try to keep each other accountable in regards to our actions because we want to live a life that glorifies the God we serve, but we still have lives. Going to a Christian university does not mean you have to sacrifice having fun! We still have plenty of fun, it's just smart fun.

The average Biola student is often stereotyped as a "hipster," which is usually the response to clothing styles or laid-back attitudes. Sometimes this stereotype is correct, but there is so much more to the student body than just "hipsters." Biola University has a diverse student body, and every new student is sure to find a group of friends who reflect their styles and ideas.

The most common stereotype that students at Biola get are "rich, white kids". Because Biola is a private university, the vast majority of students are white and generally well off. Biola also has stereotypes on campus that come in to play based off of activity or major. There are the jocks who are always playing sports and never come to class, there are the Inter Cultural Studies majors who walk around without shoes on, and talk about the Great Commission and organize missions trips. There are the music kids who are in the practice rooms at all hours of the day, and rarely make it outside to socialize. And finally there are the Indie/Hipster kids who usually are majoring in some kind of art or creative outlet, they all dress the same and like the same things.

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. To dig more deeper, we have specific stereotypes at our school. There are the athletes who always eat with each other. It is rare when you see one of them branching out and sitting with someone else. There are the indie kids who are into art and dress creatively. You also have your “alpha girls” who are always boy crazy and on the hunt for a ring by spring. There are the Torrey kids whose heads are almost always in their books 24/7. Those are the main stereotypes at Biola. Of course out of all these groups one can find a select few who break from the mold and stand out.