By Alice Wu
Staff Writer
Franciscan University should not have stricter admissions requirements. While within reason there needs to be standards for applicants, because a good academic institution must hold its students accountable for an education, it also seeks to provide a place to grow spiritually that is unmatched by most other schools.
Franciscan is an alternative to many state schools because of the wide range of majors offered and possible careers that can be started with them. And it does so while being apart of the Newman guide list of colleges.
There are already other selective catholic colleges such as Notre Dame and Boston college, but for those not capable of getting into those institutions, other catholic colleges such as Ave Maria and Christendom do not have the academic catalogue offered at Franciscan.
Not to mention that not all state schools are selective in themselves. There are plenty of state schools that offer a quality education, even though they are easier to get into.
If Franciscan raises its standards to make itself very selective, the realistic outcome is that young adults from Catholic homes who want to go to college yet lack exceptional grades and test scores will get rejected from Franciscan and will probably choose to attend their local state school instead, which is the situation that it was originally meant to solve in the first place.
While the University is not particularly challenging to get in to, it does provide the resources and curriculum to launch a students’ academic career.
The university has invested in many resources for the students’ success in college. This ranges from the center for success program, to the writing center, the language learning center, tutors, and an honors program.
Franciscan exemplifies its motto, “Passionately Catholic, Academically excellent.” Excellence understood from a Catholic perspective does not mean being Ivy league level, but rather pushing and providing its students the resources to succeed.
It must not be mistaken that selectiveness of a college determines the quality of the education. Franciscan opens its doors to many, but also provides the necessary resources in order for all of its students to succeed.