Bethel University-Saint Paul Top Questions

The cafetieria takes forever to get food and has limited verity. The gym and wellness center is small and ofter crowded.

Students who attend Bethel are normally very wealthy. It is sometimes frustrating coming from a middle class family trying to keep up with the wardrobes and things that the typical Bethel student aquires.

Bethel Univeristy likes to talk a lot about reconciliation, which is a good thing to discuss. However, I feel like the only version of reconcilation that is discussed is racial reconciliation, and usually the differences between whites and blacks. I think that they should also talk about other forms of racial reconciliation, as well as reconciliation within friendships or other relationships, which would also promote a more healthy environment to live in.

The worst thing about my school is that there are too many students, particularly whom are white. i do not have a problem with white folks, but I do have a problem with people who are ignorant about race relations and as well as those whom have a false conscious about the society that they are living in, especially when Bethel is predominately white and located in a suburban area.

The worst thing about Bethel University would have to be the workout/weight room. I wish that it was bigger and had more machines. Overall I have enjoyed my time here at Bethel and there isnt much I would change about it.

The worst thing about my school is the amount of money that I must put into it. Admittedly, I was not the best high school student, and did not try my absolute best. The same still applies, but not as much. With that said, I do not gain the best scholarships. On the other hand, my roommate, a straight 4.0 high school GPA and recently just lost his 4.0 college GPA does not have more than a few thousand dollars more than me in the scholarship departement. Most students here are not destined for high paying jobs, inconvientiently.

Probably the disorganization of the school. There seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between academics life, campus ministries, and student life, which can be frustrating for students. As our school is growing and changing, I have found some inconsistencies between these organizations on campus. However, I realize that our school is growing and changing... meaning that they don't have everything figured out yet.

Not enough diversity.

My school is not the best place for students of color. As a new student especially coming from Africa I get looked down upon quite often

I do not consider anything about Bethel to be bad. I agree with the missions statement and I agree with what Bethel is trying to do; with the classes, professors and environment. I am very grateful for my university.

Large amount of liberal professors. This is often a clash between the large amount of conservative students. LIberal professors often have less disciplined teaching styles.

One of the bad things about our school is the idea that people feel they cannot show their brokenness. There is a sense of not being able to tell or talk about the hurt and pain in our lives because it could make people look week.

The worst thing about the school is the cost. I love attending here and wouldn't have it any different but the loans that myself and most other students hae to take out put a large amount of stress on us.

Bethel University has a wonderful community life that focuses on bringing it's students together. Sometimes this sense of community becomes so strong that students become unaware of the realities of the outside world. Because of this, my only negative feedback would be the unwillingness of students to branch out and be apart of the outside community. There is a constant unwillingness to leave Bethel University, and although that makes a great college community, I don't believe that makes as successful of a person.

That when you are on a meal plan, for example 6 meals per week, you cannot carry extra meals over to the next week. You have to use all 6 meals in one week or lose them.

Being a gal that loves sports, I have found that Bethel's student section at sporting events is quite disappointing. Even though our football team made it to National Semifinals for NCAA DIII, the Bethel crowd was sub-par throughout the season. Despite my many attempts to get them on their feet, the student section was sitting during the second half of our Homecoming game!! Although Bethel has so, so much to offer, I miss the energy that a student section uniquely creates.

Bethel University's worst characteristic is its lack of diversity. There isn't much diversity racially, ethnically, or economically. The student population resembles a large group of Scandinavian immigrants. This has had its fair share of consequences. It seems that there is a lack of racial sensitiviy around campus due to the fact that most students are of the same race and background. I think more can be done to improve this in our admissions office and I hope that concerted effort is taken in the school administration.

The worst thing about Bethel is the lack of food options. It's not like a public university where they have a Domino's, Subway, McDonald's, etc. Sodexo operates all our food choices, so they can charge whatever they want. While this shouldn't make or break a decision, it's definitely something to consider.

Bethel University is a wonderful institution. However, due to the fact it is a private, Christian institution does mean that there is a decided lack of diversity on campus. The majority of students who attend that college come from upper-middle class to wealthy homes, and are most often Caucasian. This population does not necessarily provide the best opportunities to experience diversity, and in many cases, several individuals will not engage others of a different ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic class. I believe that this deficiency is extremely detrimental to the college experience.

The worst thing about Bethel University is the food choices on weekends. This is the worst thing about my school because over the weekend a lot of students will go home if they live close by so our food choices are more limited then a typical week day at Bethel.

The worst thing about my school is the lack of parking and fitness space available.

Again the cost of tuition. It is very difficult for students, such as myself, who come from families who aren't that well off financially to afford this school. I really like the school and all it stands for, but the cost makes things difficult.

Tries too hard when it comes to pushing racial diversity.

It is easy to come and think we have it all together and not ask for help along the way.

The worst thing about my school is the small amount of parking spaces. I would love to have a car here on campus, but it is almost impossible for Freshmen to get a parking space. It would be so great to have a car to get around the Twin Cities, but I am not able to get a spot to park.

That Bethel emphasizes reconciliation way to much. They make all of us whites feel like it's our fault that our school isn't more diverse and that we need to be more accepting towards others, but we are very accepting.

The lack of racial diversity. I came from the city so I am used to there being a lot of people with a lot of different backgrounds. At Bethel a majority of the students are from the suburbs.

There is not much racial diversity and I think this is mainly beacause it is a small private college in the suburbs of Saint Paul. It is also pretty expensive and this can determine whether people come here or not.

I believe that Bethel University is a great educational instiution; however, like every educational institution, there are some negative areas about the school itself. As I am learning from expierence, I would say the biggest disadvantage about coming to Bethel is the fact that Freshman and Sophmores can not have cars on campus. This limits these students to social, educational and family events alike. This rule often becomes an inconvience for the student as well as other parties involved. Although a minor negative, this is contributes to the freshman or sophmore student being completely satisfied while attending Bethel University.

I think the worst thing about Bethel is that there are quite a few snobby rich kids who are just here because their parents sent them. They are worried about their clothing brands, hair, make-up, and accessories. They do not seem like real, authentic Christians, although it is not my place to judge. While in my opinion there are a lot of these kinds of people, there are plenty other aspects of Bethel that are fantastic, so I wouldn't let this me a deterrent.

A lot of people on campus think that you have to be a Republican to be a Christian. This is frustrating because I'm not conservative and I've had people question my faith.

That it is really cold here.

This school is expensive. It's a great school but expensive.

Nothing.

The financial aid that is offered is not helpful at all. People who really need financial aid are not given any help to pay for such an expensive education. Even though the quality of the education and the school itself is worth the cost, it would be more helpful if financial aid could be given.

Students strive too hard to be perfect, and do not want other students to see their struggles so there is oftentimes a silence around problems that should be addressed head on.

The only real downside I can think of would be the tuition. As much scholarship as they give, it is still costly to be a student here. I think in the long run, the high cost will be outweighed by the amazing experiences had here

There is a lack of diversity among my school. All of the students are very nice though. The workload is a bit much and it takes a lot of focus to do well, and it is hard to do that when there are so many activities going on.

I feel like my school needs to be more accepting of students and their different view points. They also need to give students the impression that they do not need to have top designer clothes or to dress up for class everyday. Also I feel like there needs to be more financial aid for students. I pay thousands of dollars by MYSELF and I feel like there is no additional help for myself.

The lacking of racial diversity.

I think our school tends to be placed in the Bethel Bubble and people pretent things on campus don't happen that really do happen! For instance, I know drinking and drugs go on at school, but people pretend our school is perfect, and we are not! We struggle like any other school. Yes, our instances of drinking and drugs are much lower, but we still have them and we are not a perfect little campus. We struggle too, like any other campus!

The worst thing about my school is that many of the people are superficial. They are willing to befriend someone, but only get to know her a little bit. They like to pretend to be tolerant, but every gay or atheist is smart enough to know that there are definite limits to that tolerance, so he'd better keep quiet. They like to pretend congratulate themselves on being a diverse group of people, but its far too expensive for most international students and even for many students of color, so the majority of students are white.

The worst thing about Bethel University would have to be not just the lack of diversity, but the emphasis on diversity. Because we are not ethnically diverse, making a huge deal about the struggles faced by the minority of the school is not helpful in "reconciliation." In fact, it tears the community apart and instills a fear and stigma about people. It is important to be respectful of differences in cultures and upbringing, but the way in which the minority is singled-out makes them feel too, like they are "different." This shouldn't be the case!

Currently, the worst thing about Bethel University is the weightroom. It is a little too small to encompass all the students that want to use the weightroom.

The community is not very diverse in thought; it doesn't really challenge the way that you percieve the world, it is not the best place for debate.

The worst thing about this school is the lack of diversity. Though the diversity is there, it is primarily young white people. Most students and very open and willing to branch out, but some are just ignorant (though not rude). This school needs some strong willed people ethnically diverse people who are willing to help bridge a gap.

I pay for school on my own so the cost

The worst thing would be that there is little to no diversity and sometimes it is hard to find community here. It's difficult because sometimes I feel judged constantly.

the extreme of stress that is prevalent all year long.

Not very diverse, very strong in their beliefs.