Bethel University-Saint Paul Top Questions

The parking situation at my school is the most frustrating. There are too few parking spaces on campus for all of the commuting students. The amount of parking devoted to department guests is ridiculous. Most of the time those parking spaces are completely empty. My school automatically requires every commuting student to pay for a parking permit, charging my student account without my consent. They forget that some students don't require a parking permit, because they carpool or bike to school. My school should quit spending money on frivolous expenses and devote money to creating better parking solutions.

The most frustrating thing about Bethel would be the amount of time some professors belive you should spend on their class. Some professors expect you to spend too much time on their class than others. I have only run into this a few times, but it can be frustraiting when you have a heavy load.

The gym can be kind of busy at night.

The availibity of the gym on the weekends. It is not open sometimes.

Having to pay for school on my own and take out many loans, while the majority of people around you get their entire schooling paid for by their parents.

Because it is a "Private Christian School" it is always assumed that everyone there is a strong Christian. However, this is not always true. There are many people who struggle with their faith, but have to hide what they are actually feeling.

I have small frustrations being a new college student, but nothing that would cause me to transfer schools.

The most frustrating thing about Bethel is kindness that everyone has towards each other. Its not a bad thing, but having this be a Christian University everyone watches thier words which leads to miscommunications leaving out what people actually want to say to express thier ideas.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the cost. Bethel is great about doing whatever they can to make studying and living here affordable, and they do a great job. But books, meals, classes, and living do add up. I'd suggest looking in to as many scholarships and financial aid as possible. Things come together, and if God wants us here, he'll make it work out. The price can be stressful at times though.

There is a very touchy atmosphere surrounding minorities. The most prominent examples center around race and/or sexual orientation. Many students are conservative, but almost all are passive. The minorities (actually, small percentages of the minorities) feel slighted and expect the school to cater to them somewhat. As a result, there are often small issues that are blown out of proportion as the same students complain repeatedly about minor problems. Most of us don't mind people being gay, but we also don't want it to be grounds for faux-discrimination accusations.

The most frustrating thing about Bethel is that it is mostly higher class white evangelical Christians. There isn't much diversity. A lot of emphasis is put on looking good and being a Christian. Some people are seen as fake and hypocritical.

I do not get frustrated with my school, I appreciate everything my professors, president and everyone else on staff does for me.

Bethel University is a Christian school. One of the most frustrating things is living with people who say they are Christians but do not live out their faiths. This can be very disheartening at times. It can also make it difficult to stick to your own faith and personal values.

The lack of tasty food on the weekends.

They have horrible food on sunday nights in our dining center because not many people are actually at the school then.

I wish it offered more things to do on the weekends.

It is very expensive

Too many people wearing "masks", not being who they really are; it's the main thing that holds people back from building community.

Probably the most frustrating aspect of Bethel would be parking. Once you are allowed to park on campus, it can be quite difficult to find a spot at all during the times of 9am to 1pm during the week. If you're fortunate, someone will be leaving the same time you arrive and hopefully you can find a place to park. Several occasions I was late for class due to the lack of parking.

The school is connected to the Baptist General Conference. Sponsors and donors make sure that the university sticks with their values, which are often religiously conservative. Religious diversity on campus is extremely limited and spiritual seeking and questioning is pretty hard. I wish there were more options available. I've been trying to figure out what I really believe, and I've often (not always) had to look outside campus to find something I can believe in. On campus, the library is one place where seeking is actually pretty easy.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that almost everyone has the same faith. We mostly all believe in God; we are almost all Christians here. I think that it would be more interesting to go here if there were more diversity in the faith aspect. It would help me see what other people believe and learn more about other faiths. I think that this would both strengthen my worldview and open my eyes to be more accepting of other faiths.

There are not many things that are frustrating about my school. The only thing I find frustrating is the cost of my school. It is pretty expensive. I am helping cut down on the cost by doing as many scholarships as I can.

The only thing that really frustrates me about Bethel University is the cost of tuition.

The most frustrating thing is that with being a Christian school, everyone's faith is implied. Everyone assumes that the entire student body is "Christian," and holds the same beliefs and convictions. This is just not the case, and it makes it difficult to radically live out a faith when you're not being challenged to do so.

The kids here are very sheltered. A lot of them come from mainly private school or homeschooling backgrounds and don't have very good social skills. It sometimes seems like the kids here don't know "what's up" or what is really out there in this life. Most kids just stay in their little sheltered hall and don't go very far from a single friend circle. Another frustrating aspect is that lot of the professors are very biast in many aspects of Christianity and this life in general.

Sometimes I do not like the small size of the campus and wish there were more things to do on campus.

The only issue I have with Bethel is that a majority of the student body goes home on the weekends, making Bethel seem like it's deserted and empty. Freshmen who don't have cars can either stay on campus or go to a nearby Target or the mall for entertainment.

The cost of the school is frustrating. It is such a great school but so expensive.

The lack of parking and the inadequate work out facilities are the things that frustrate me the most. I think physical fitmess is a very important aspect of a healthy life and I feel that Bethel does not accomidate this need in their weight room. I also feel that the amount of parking and the slim number of students, especially underclassmen, who are allowed a car is ridiculous. Since Bethel is so expensive it is important that the students be allowed cars so they can have off campus jobs.

The weight room is really small. The Dining Center hours aren't very good and I waste meals.

There is no diversity in people or in thinking!

The cost of the tuition is frustrating. Other than that nothing is too frustrating.

The lack of diversity. The lack of accessibility for differently abled people (ramps, elevators).

It is bordering too small, where I feel like I can't meet as many people as I could on a large campus, but I still like the size.

The dorm and the quiet hours, it gets hard to sleep. As far as academics go: I find it frustrating that I can't arrange a class if it doesn't fit into my schedule and I can't test out of classes that I believe I have significant knowledge in.

The cafeteria hours are not always at times when I need to eat. I have class and then work, and sometimes the only time I can eat is during chapel, but even the coffee shop shuts down for it. It would be great if there was somewhere I could go at any hour to eat when I'm hungry and when I have time.

The pressure to date Bethel students and marry them. The joke is 'ring by spring' which means an engagement ring by your junior year and getting married the summer after you graduate. Both sexes feel this pressure that they have to date and marry someone who goes to Bethel.

Bethel University was a wonderful school, but because there was a strong religous perspective, people with the same thoughts and beliefs gathered there. This was great for creating community, but did not give much exposure to what the real world was like. People often refered to it as a "bubble". Also, the strong religous emphasis made it hard for people to be different or unique without feeling judged or out of the norm. Bethel unfortunately is suited for a specific population, and doesn't leave much room for anything else, as much as the univesity would like to.

The most frustrating part of Bethel is the fact that it is fairly tiny, and located in the middle of a suburb with limited outside transportation. It has a pretty good shuttle system but if you don't have a car on campus, it can be hard to get to areas that are outside of the shuttle's route.

expensive parking permits and housing

striving to be more diverse

The pressure from students to look a certain way.

Since Bethel University is what you would probably call a "conservative Christian University", some students may find that there are too many rules to follow, including a Lifestyle Covenant that all applicants who attend must sign. Because Bethel attracts mostly upper-middle-class church-raised Protestant suburban Caucasian students, students who don't quite fit that typical profile may feel like the minority.

the huge emphasis on diversity and the very liberal administration. they use the diversity angle to push their liberal agenda, and they stifle the opinions of more conservative students and faculty. people become afraid to speak their own opinions for fear of being labeled a racist or bigot, when they aren't.