Pensacola Christian College

I intended to attend PCC for 4 years and them go on to graduate school. I actually attended PCC for what turned out to be about 1 and 1/2 semesters. I was a "Pre-Law" major and planned on a career in the judiciary. The spring before I attended PCC, I visited several Christian colleges, including PCC, and it seemed on the surface to be a very nice, Christian school. Also, the price seemed right... C-H-E-A-P. It costs about $5000/yr for tuition, room, and board. Being that my parents were separated, and our finances weren't exactly great, it almost seemed almost "too good to be true."

First, I knew before I started, that PCC was an "un-accredited" college. Being a somewhat naive 18 year old, I really didn't know what that meant, and was assured repeatedly that it wouldn't be a problem. Being "un-accredited", students do not qualify for any type of federal or state financial aid. That should have activated some alarm in me. Being a Christian, I didn't think the somewhat lengthy list of rules in the Student Handbook would be much of an issue either. Boy, was I wrong on all counts!

Before I go further, PCC is a truly a great place in the sense that it safe, clean, comfortable, very well-maintained, and the members of the student body are mostly sincere Christians, looking to do what they truly believe to be God's Will. There is little in the way of "negative" peer-pressure. You won't be offered illegal drugs or be presurred into getting drunk at wild frat parties at PCC.

It is, however, not a place for someone that believes in serious academic study or in "academic freedom", reading whatever you please, using the INTERNET, the presumption of "Innocence, until proven Guilty", your most basic U.S. Constitutional rights (which I felt should be considered important, as a person planning a law career), any form of protest or dissent, or in the Biblical concept of "Free Will". Basically, if you do not "conform" to every rule (including many, many UNWRITTEN rules), and every dictate of the administration, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE BIBLICAL, you will find your life will become a proverbial Hell, rather quickly. There is an old proverb, which fits PCC to a "T"... "THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS." I believe that the administration of PCC has good intentions. That does not mean, that they are right.

My story is admittedly long, and still difficult for me to share, but I believe worth telling. In my particular case, I attended my first semester at PCC and while the intial adjustment was a little difficult, I managed through it (though I did rack up a number of "demerits" for such horribly sinful behavior as: failing to have my bed made by 7:30am, possessing "unauthorized" Christian music, studying for a test after 11:00PM, and the worst of them all... BORROWING a bicycle, as mine had a flat tire.) Late in my 1st semester, I was "socialled" (not allowed to speak to any girls) for 2 weeks for ACCIDENTLY walking into a girl. It is VERBOTEN to make contact of any type with a member of the opposite sex during your stay at PCC. Even it though it was very accidental, the school's D.C. (Discipline Committee) wouldn't hear of it. (So, you horny guys out there should definitely stay FAR AWAY from PCC!) Conitinuing with my story... so my first semester was okay, but with some difficulties. During the winter break, I struggled with the thought of going back for a 2nd semester, but, as I believed God had led me there, I decided to return.

Upon returning, I found that things seemed to be going okay, until the 3rd week of February. (I will be very, very delicate in how I put this, as this is a likely a family-oriented, co-ed school site.) One morning, I had a late class and my roommates had left for their own classes. After having taken a long, hot shower, I felt the need to relieve certain needs, which are done by most teenage guys in private. Having started to engage in that activity, I naturally didn't expect anyone else to be in my dorm room, as I knew my roommates schedules well. (While I had been in the shower, one of the RA's [Resident Assistants] had entered my dorm room unannounced looking for "illegal music" [Illegal music is "unapproved" music which is basically anything other than "classical, semi-classical, and 'good Christian music'"] that he had suspected one of my roommates of possessing. Note that at PCC, any member of the faculty can enter your room at any time, without any notice or permission; the dorm doors do not have locks.) I started to walk out of the shower unclothed into MY own dorm room and didn't even see the RA until he shouted my name. I was totally humiliated that the RA caught me "red handed" in an extremely embarrassing situation. A humiliating experience became even more humiliating when he said "you know, I am going to have to report you for this". At first, while I was upset and very humiliated, I tried not to think that much of it. I pretended to proceed as though nothing happened. (By the way, the RA never did find that "illegal music.")

The next morning, I saw a slip in my mailbox from the "Dean of Men" asking me to report to his office that afternoon. Scared, I went to the meeting, and was told by the Dean of Men that the "sinful" activity that I had been caught doing was not "in the spirit of the school" (a catch-all phrase used commonly at PCC). My "behavior" was in his words was "possibly indicative of latent sexual perversion". I tried to explain and be very rational (I really couldn't see the problem with what I had done, other than I got caught doing it), but it was no use. I apparently wasn't "repentent" enough for him. I was asked if I would like to withdraw from PCC (their way of expelling kids without drawing unneccessary publicity). He told me I could certainly appeal his decision to the D.C., and possibly even remain there, but that would have made my already embarrassing situation, even more humiliating, by making it public knowledge on campus. Even though I really didn't want to, I agreed that I would withdraw. By this time, you're probably saying to yourself, "this guy must have been really humiliated"! Yes, I was... that was until the Dean of Men decided, despite my literal begging and pleading to the contrary, that it was terribly important to CALL MY MOTHER while I was in his office with him, to let her know EXACTLY [in detail] why I was being asked to leave the school. Can you even possibly imagine how I felt?

After that, I was "shadowed" for several days, not allowed to talk to anyone at all, forced to pack my belongings, and put on a bus (at my own expense) for a over 1000 mile trip back home. While on that very long bus trip home, I thought of becoming a runaway and even seriously contemplated suicide. I came way too close to comfort to actually going through with it (I actually bought sleeping pills), until I came back to my senses, and realized my life still had worth, at least to God (but, apparently not PCC). I returned home, but things weren't ever the same after that. I was emotionally and spiritually scarred. I felt I couldn't live at home anymore and I moved out on my own and tried to pick up the pieces of my life.To top it all off, despite prior assertions to the contrary, those "credits" that I had accumulated for my 1 full semester at PCC would not transfer to any local college in my area (and I'm not talking about the Ivy League). So, I basically wasted a full semester of my life, my parents and my own money, and had my self-esteem totally crushed and my trust in people squashed like a bug. Fortunately, I have been able to largely get past this, with counseling, an understanding Pastor, and support from others. I eventually sought higher education elsewhere, but my life hasn't been the same since. Its been several years since I was at PCC, and I've since been able to re-establish a meaningful relationship with my parents. They know NEVER to bring up the name "PCC" in a conversation. To anyone out there, know, REALLY KNOW, what you are getting yourself into. If you are a perfect, glorified being who never makes mistakes, and will be able to blindly follow authority without question, PCC is the place for you. Humans should look elsewhere. You've heard of "four-letter words". PCC is my "three-letter word". I think it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, I DO NOT RECOMMEND PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE... not even to my enemies! God Bless You!

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000

I would not recommend PCC to anyone who is not used to being in such an overprotective, ultra-fundamentalist environment. Those who are used to this type of atmosphere will get on splendidly there. It is truly a "safe" place for parents to put their kids in order to keep them totally protected from EVERYTHING!!

If, however, you desire to learn in whatever field of study you are interested in and do so in a Christian environment but don't expect or want to be treated like you are a kindergartener, DO NOT GO TO PCC!!! As someone who graduated from there and experience a year of employment there in the demerit office, I can tell you that it is NOT a good place to be.

I did make excellent life-long friends there and did meet my husband there, but aside from that had I known back in 1994 as an incoming freshman what I know now, I would not have gone to PCC. God would have worked out my husband and I meeting some other way. I would have looked into other Christian schools like Tennessee Temple, Liberty, Clearwater Christian or Cedarville.

There are different places for different kinds of people. If you are the type to be led around and told how and what to think, then PCC is for you; but if you want to learn how to think for yourself and make decisions based on what God says instead of what other HUMANS tell you to think, DON"T GO TO PCC!! They want your mind, to make you into a mindless drone of theirs. We are to be Christ-like, not Horton-like, much to their dismay.May God bless you as you pray and seek where you should go.

Alumnus Male -- Class 2000