Kristin

Most people seem to stereotype Pepperdine as a university full of a few particular types of people:

1. Bible-thumping do-good Christians who spend all their time volunteering, praying, and finding ways to change the world.

2. Stuck-up super rich kids who show up on campus with the most expensive cars, clothes, and latest forms of technology

3. Extremely good-looking people, plenty who go Greek, while there are still good-looking nerds/non-Greek students as well

Realistically, these stereotypes are not completely accurate. Some people end up being a mix of these stereotypes, but in truth, there is quite a bit of diversity on campus. People from almost every stereotype will manage find people similar to themselves. And not everybody is super rich or stuck up either.

Pepperdine is absolutely amazing. True, it's not the perfect fit for everybody, but for students who want a campus that is not too large, but not too small, then Pepperdine is perfect. The campus itself is beautiful, but it would be nice if it was a little more accessible to the shops and restaurants in Malibu. The campus is built on different levels, so students do not need to worry too much about gaining the Freshman 15 as they will be walking (and climbing stairs) all over campus. It is said that Pepperdine students live in a sort of bubble, as they are a bit secluded from the rest of Malibu and do not usually get worked up over political or societal issues. However, after trips to Los Angeles or surrounding cities, it can be nice to retreat to the quiet area of Malibu. There is plenty to do around the area, if not always on campus, but students have to be willing to find things to do and drive to get there.

One of my favorite things about Pepperdine is how they encourage students to study abroad their sophomore year. They have programs in England, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, China, and Argentina. I studied abroad in London and absolutely loved the experience!

Aside from the required general education classes that can potentially have over 50 students, most classes are quite small. This allows professors to get to know you personally and even recognize you around campus. A large amount of students take their studies seriously, especially around midterms and finals when the library becomes 'the place to be.' Classes are rigorous, but not impossible. Professors are always willing to meet and help you outside of class time.

Incoming freshman are required to enroll in a Freshman Seminar course, and can choose from a wide variety of courses. My Freshman Seminar was one of my favorite classes, as it was a course completely devoted to the rereading/study of the Harry Potter books.

There is a wide variety of students at Pepperdine, though almost all know how to work hard for good grades as they were some of the top students at their high schools. While some people look like they just stepped off the runway in the latest fashions when arriving for class, others look like they rolled out of bed two minutes before class started. Quite a few of the student on campus come from very wealthy backgrounds, and money is not an issue for them at all. However, there are other students who are at Pepperdine courtesy of scholarships, grants, and loans as well. It's thought that Pepperdine is a pretty conservative campus, but there are plenty of liberal students as well, providing a bit of contrast, though most students seem to not be extremely interested in politics.

Many students are involved in the Greek life on campus, and are always busy with some activity or another related to their fraternity or sorority.

A popular organization is called University Ministries (UM) which takes place once a week at a local church. UM is basically a youth group led by students for students, and offers ways to get involved with the church or volunteering throughout the community.

Freshman students live in dorms that place 8 students in a suite: 4 bedrooms (2 people per room), a bathroom, and a common room. Often, these students become some of your closest friends during your first year at Pepperdine.

Since Pepperdine is so close to Santa Monica and LA, there is plenty to do off campus that does not involve drinking: the Santa Monica pier, 3rd Street, going to concerts, shows, shopping, Hollywood, etc.

The common thought on dating at Pepperdine is that it is virtually non-existent. Or, if you do date, you will more than likely end up marrying that person.

The Freshman dorms are closest to main campus. Each building is all girls or all boys, but they are situated every other. In each dorm, there are six suites. Each suite has four bedrooms (2 people to a room), a bathroom (2 showers, 2 sinks, 2 toilets), and a common area with a couch and table for the 8 people to share. Each dorm building also has a common area/lobby with a tv and fireplace. The bedrooms are decently sized. The rooms also have lock boxes which you can rent. They will give you a combination for the lock and then you can store your valuables in there if you want. You can also rent a Coolwave which is a fridge/freezer/microwave combination.

The Sophomore dorms are a little further away from main campus. It is one big building, but is split so that the girls are all on one side and the boys on the other. The majority of these dorm rooms are arranged so that there are two people to a room with a door leading to a bathroom that is shared with the room on the other side. Basically, four people share 1 bathroom that has 1 shower, 1 toilet, and 2 sinks. There are common areas/lounges at the end of every hallway on each floor that have a tv, couches and tables to study. They just finished renovations on the main lounge which both girls and guys can use. There should be a kitchen in that lounge now.

The junior and senior dorms are apartments. There are 2 bedrooms (2 people to a room), a bathroom, kitchen, and living room in each apartment. The bedrooms are smaller than the freshman dorms, but there is the living room, so it evens out the space.

There are also apartments on the graduate campus which are more expensive, but they are much nicer as well. In these, there are four bedrooms as every person gets their own room.

I chose Pepperdine for several reasons. First, the campus is absolutely beautiful, and the weather isn't too bad either. I also liked how Pepperdine has a decent amount of majors and minors to choose from, so just in case I decided that I didn't like my choice of major anymore, I would still have a large selection of other majors to choose from.

I also knew that I wanted to study abroad at some point during my college career, and Pepperdine is very big on having their students go abroad. Most students study abroad their sophomore year, for either a semester or the whole year. Pepperdine has programs in England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, China, and Argentina You also have the option to do summer programs or summer internships in those countries and sometimes other places as well such as Africa, Fiji, Russia, etc. The nice thing is that Pepperdine owns it's own building/house in those six countries and you study abroad with people from Pepperdine, not random people from all across America.

Pepperdine is really close to the ocean, which makes for a pretty view as you walk to class every day. The campus is built on different levels so there are lots of hills and stairs. Main campus where the classrooms, library, caf, etc. are is on one of the lowest levels. The freshmen dorms are the dorms closest to main campus. The sophomore dorms are further away, and the junior and senior apartments are even farther (but since it's a relatively small campus, the walk is not too long). There are plenty of places throughout campus that have nice overlooks of the ocean and the rest of Malibu as well.

As a junior, I am now enrolled in mainly upper division courses. There are less than 20 people in my classes, so the professors get to know you one-on-one. The classes themselves are challenging, but not impossible. They are the type that seem hard, but at the end of the semester you can look back and feel like you've learned a lot. Most of my classes are discussion based. It is not a lot of the professor lecturing, but instead a full class discussion on the material we are learning.

Every semester, the night before finals week starts, the faculty and staff put on a breakfast for all of the students. It is nice to have a study break and get free food! The professors serve the food (pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, coffee cake, etc.) and it is really just a fun way to end the semester and take a break from studying.

It is always fun to watch the Frosh Follies which the freshman students take part in during their orientation at the beginning of the year.