Posi/Neg's about Fuller

neg>> Compared to Biola, there is no community at Fuller. I will give this negative the benefit of the doubt, by hoping that I just haven't found it yet, but I don't think so. The campus is just "dead", all the time. There is no one really sitting around, and all the food places close by dinner time. It's so weird, and so different from the Biola community, and it is a real bummer. I think that the problem lies in the fact that there is no undergraduate school at Fuller. Most grad schools/seminaries are within an undergraduate school, and therefore have a bit more life to them. This is also a bummer because I desire to minister to undergraduate college students, and there are none around. This is definitely one of the main reasons I almost didn't go to Fuller. 

pos>> My classes are legit. I am 99.9% sure that I would not be able to attend another seminary within California who offers classes on how to change public policy, studies of globalization, and topics within the realm of politics. Being around older and wiser men and women, who are well educated and passionate about being a Christian, and being involved in political and justice issues, is invigorating. 

neg>> I am not super excited about being around campus at night. It's pitch black, there is no one around, and I don't know anyone in the area... It's weird. 

pos>> I feel challenged. The classes are difficult. 

neg>> Taking care of life business at Fuller is a pain in the butt. For instance, I have to prove that I have health insurance by filling out a form online, then sending in a paper I have to fill out all about myself, a copy of my insurance card, AND a summary of my benefits. To make matters worse, I can't bring this to the Fuller campus insurance office area, but I have to send it or fax it to some random place. Total pain. Again, compared to Biola, the administrative side of Fuller is not so organized. But (again I will sing Biola's praises) you can't even compete with the staff at Biola University - they are the best people I know, and I have literally never felt more safe than when I was at Biola. From the secretaries, to campus safety, I knew that they cared for the students. So anyway (back to Fuller)... all of my classes were not in the buildings where the internet said they were (I was a tad panicky), and you have to payoff your account by the first day of each quarter, or you receive a $250 fine. No payment plans, no couple of weeks grace... they.want.your.money. 

pos>> PASADENA. Pasadena is THE most amazing city I have ever spent a legitimate amount of time in. It's absolutely beautiful, and full of life. I can't wait to have the chance to explore more of it as time goes. 

All in all, Fuller is very different than the Christian campus that I am used too. If Fuller wasn't so academically strong in the areas that I want to study, I definitely wouldn't be going there. Going to Fuller has made me realize how important it is to be going to a school based on what you are academically pursuing, even when other areas that are important are sacrificed. 

I love the fact that within my Christian Ethics emphasis, they are teaching us to be leaders in this area. I believe that this will really come in handy in my future as I continue to minister to young students. There are many ethical questions that need answering and attention, and I am so excited to increase my knowledge in this area. 

In my politics and policy course, we are supposed to come up with something that we would like to change within the Pasadena community, and write a proposal on it for our final project. God has put it on my heart to hopefully look into the area of the "Safe Surrender" law. This law says that if a woman has a baby, she can leave it at a "safe haven" (including hospitals, and fire stations), and won't be held reliable for a crime. This law is to try and stop women from leaving their babies to die in dumpsters etc. Well, I would like to propose that within the Pasadena school system, this law is taught every year, in the homeroom class. Just a simple reminder could help give a chance to newborn babies.