Pensacola Christian College

This is a versatile liberal arts school that places its goals on acquiring academic excellence as well as spiritual growth and stability.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2003

Faculty Accessibility: A+, Surrounding City: C-

PCC is good place to grow closer to the Lord. I've had the chance to make good Chrisitan friends and hear excellent preaching. Learning to respond with a good attitude to guidlines will come in handy in any area of work.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2004

Campus Aesthetics: A+, Scholastic Success: C-

As a 2002 Premed graduate of PCC now beginning medical school at one of America's premier Ivy League universities, I can attest to the fact that the Premed program at PCC provides a rigorous preparation for entrance into medical school. The course work incrementally develops a student's critical thinking and problem-solving skills. From talking with other students, I feel that the Prelaw, Mechanical Engineering and Nursing programs are equally excellent.

The science classes are taught by experienced professionals, many of whom hold PhD's from other universities. Such a strong academic environment equips the dedicated student, who is willing to sacrifice some personal recreation for the sake of academics, with the knowledge and reasoning skills to achieve an excellent score on the MCAT, one of the major factors examined by medical school admissions committees.

PCC is far more than merely academics, however. The purpose of the college is to provide a world-class education in an environment of conservative, Bible-believing fundamental Christianity. To me, the importance of developing a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ supercedes any education I could have received anywhere. The fact that PCC combines opportunities for both spiritual growth and education made it the school of my choice.

At PCC, strong standards of discipline help students create a sense of values in life. I agree with the administration's perspective on many issues. Even for those students who may not agree, however, the experience of having enforced regulations can still develop their future ability to work and cooperate with people of various conflicting viewpoints in today's world. The interpersonal skills and communicaton skills I learned at PCC strongly influenced my ability to acquire excellent jobs this summer in education and medical research.

I am a Christian. I believe the Bible, and in it God promises that the one who is diligent in his business shall stand before kings. If a student is committed to following Christ's example of humble submission, and is willing to work extraordinarily hard, God will grant that person success.

It is true that PCC is not accredited. However, entrance to medical school is determined not merely by undergraduate education, but also substantially by MCAT scores and extracurricular experiences. Diversify your own education! If you are an excellent student, PCC faculty will help you tailor your class schedule to suit your interests, whether it be music, literature, computer science, or any of a number of other options. You should also plan active summers, at the least working a steady job or doing volunteer projects, and if possible, getting involved in science research at a university near your home or elsewhere. Also viewed favorably by medical school admissions committees are third-world medical experiences. If you prove your ability on the MCAT as well as in one or more of these other areas (work, research, volunteer/medical work), PCC's non-accreditation is insignificant. You still need to have a high GPA to be accepted, but so do students coming from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton!

For upper-level science courses, PCC utilizes the greatest textbooks that students anywhere are exposed to. Class lectures stimulate your mental capacity and make you aware of what must be learned. Your individual studying is the time when you either learn, or fail to learn, the material. This combined approach is used at the top schools in the nation--there is too much information to learn it all in class.

It is said that only a fraction of PCC premed students are accepted to medical school each year. However, the same is true for colleges across the nation. Only a small percentage of all students from any school are accepted into M.D. programs, and they are consistently those who have devoted considerable effort to their classes and MCAT preparation. Thus, the chance of getting into medical school depends mostly on the individual student.In summary, if you are a Christian committed to spiritual growth and personal discipline, PCC can provide you with a competitive undergraduate education in Chemistry, Biology, or Premed, a versatile combination of the two.

4th Year Male -- Class 2002

Education Quality: A+, Surrounding City: C