Pepperdine University Top Questions

The worst thing about Pepperdine is that people think it is an elite school, but really most students here do not care very much. That is similar to what I said above, so let me say something more personal to me. I think the food offered here is one of the worst things. I care very much about where my food comes from for environmental, human rights, ethical, and health reasons. They pretend to have lots of organic and vegan options yet there are not, and this regular food is priced as if it were so.

Pepperdine University is built into a hill. No matter where you go, there are stairs that the students have to climb. There are hills and stairs everywhere. It is unavoidable. But having to go from the bottom of campus to the top in ten minutes is trecherous. One time, it took me half an hour into the class to stop sweating after the hike/sprint up there. But there is an upside to it: great calves.

Many of the students here grew up in very sheltered homes, so they have a somewhat narrow worldview and very little life experience. Pepperdine exposes them to other topics, but through a purely academic standpoint, so those students who arrive with these experiences are still vastly misunderstood. These students mean well, but it is difficult for them to conceptualize the situations in which their classmates were raised, with far less opportunities than they were given.

The worst thing is the lack of school spirit. It is hard to feel connected at times and excited about attending Pepperdine because students don't always seem attached to the school. Sporting events and other school events usually have a very low attendance and it is discouraging for both students involved in those events as well as students who wish to get involved more.

The worst thing about my school might be not that people here are not open to new perspectives, but that because there is such a strong demographic pull in terms of religious beliefs, there simply isn't as much exposure to other views. There are several individuals on campus who are rigidly wealthy-class Republican and cling to that identity, but the university itself does not encourage or enforce it. In fact, most of the classes I've taken tend to mellow out students who fall into this area. I would have liked more exposure to students with different worldviews.

For those looking for a college town, Pepperdine is not the school for you. While Malibu is stunning, it is a very wealthy community with really only high end places to go to to hang out. To put it in perspective, Target is about 20 minutes away. The biggest complaint I have about Malibu is that there is very little to do at night. If my friends and I want to go out on a Friday night, we typically drive to Santa Monica or LA (about 30 minutes away).

The tuition to attend Pepperdine is extremely high. Although you are paying an incredible education and location, the tuition is still very high. There are many scholarships that are available, however, this still may not be enough for some people.

The worst thing about Pepperdine is probably the "bubble" type environment that Malibu produces for the campus. Students are unable to experience a great deal of diverse experiences and must go out of their way to escape the bubble. However, the self-limiting bubble does create a very tight-knit community and is a nice experience.

The worst thing about my school is that there is a group of students, who by society's standards are considered to be in an elite group of their own. This group does not have to work as hard or worry about any financial struggles because they live life lurxuiously and high above the median income. Now, it is not their fault in the slightest, but it is hard to watch a large portion of Pepperdine students who don't work as hard or are not as ambitious, succeed because of their connections or inner circle of "the rich."

I think there's a tendency for people to maintain very shallow relationships on our campus. Because most people study abroad, your friend group is always changing and I think that's why students are more likely to have a group of 20 good friends rather than 4 or 5 really close friends. It's very rare to have deep personal realtionships (especially your first year) at Pepperdine. It gets better, but it's a rocky start.