Pepperdine University Top Questions

What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

Kristin

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Megan

People tend to stereotype Pepperdine students into two different categories: 1. Gorgeous, stuck-up, and unbearably rich. 2. Naive, sheltered, and unbearably Christian. Both are partially accurate in selective cases. Given Pepperdine's lofty tuition fees, there are a lot of wealthy students. However, I know many people who are solely depending on financial aid and must manage their expenses frugally. Most people have enough class not to boast about their financial superiority, and economic stratification shouldn't be a concern when applying to the school. As far as external appearances go, the mountainous nature of the campus ensures that that most students are in decent shape. So, yes, there are attractive students at Pepperdine, but there is, like anywhere else, a full spectrum. Conservatism is more prevalent at Pepperdine than secular universities, and I've had the misfortune of meeting a couple of very opinionated, closed-minded people. However, given the intellectual caliber of the student body, the majority of students are interested in expanding their viewpoints and engaging in lively discussions about their beliefs. Even seemingly sheltered students are open to elements of the full college experience and readily admit doubts about their faith. Although I wouldn’t recommend that non-Christians attend Pepperdine, I know of many atheists, deists, and skeptics that have adjusted quite well.

Sonya

If you're not a student who's busy 25 hours a day at Pepperdine, then chances are you're one of the ones not wearing shoes. One very common stereotype of our students is someone who's probably taking a full course load, interning in LA, working for the campus newspaper, joining a business fraternity, volunteering with inner city children, and auditioning for the musical -- all before dinner. Sure, these students may sometimes be stressed about the amount they do, but they wouldn't have it any other way. This "over-committed student" stereotype is especially true. Another stereotype is our version of the Malibu hippie -- students extremely concerned with social action and justice. They sleep outside for a week to bring awareness to homelessness, they love to give hugs, and occasionally you'll see these flannel-clad folks walking around without footwear. There are worse problems to have than either of these stereotypes, I think. Other than these, the normal subcultures exist: theater kids, jocks, nerds, frat guys/sorority girls, etc.

Noelle

The stereotypical Pepperdine student would probably be obscenely rich and unbelievably attractive. I would say that this stereotype is accurate to a degree. There are a good number of rich, beautiful people at Pepperdine, but that stereotype certainly does not apply to everyone, and I don't think it even applies to the majority of the students here.

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.

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.