Christopher headed to Riverside

California Baptist University in Riverside, California. The last school on my list to visit. Heading into my one day experience at the college, I was dead set on attending Auburn University in Alabama. The prestigious university in the south was too amazing of an opportunity to pass up. To my surprise, CBU actually impressed me enough to second guess my original thoughts.

From top to bottom, CBU seemed to be a great fit. As I entered the campus the country club-like feeling reminded me somewhat of home. All of the living areas throughout the campus had been renovated in the past three years or so. No matter where a student at CBU would live, they could be confident in the fact that their living situation would be comfortable. 

Beside the living areas on campus, Cal Baptist also was proud to brag their campus food was among the top in California University. Ranked #2 among all California universities and #8 in the country for best food by Niche.com. I found it funny that almost anywhere I went on campus, the students and tour guides were proud to brag about the excellent food options on campus.

Being a super big sports fan who loves to stay active, I was very interested to hear what type of options the college had as far as fitness goes. Intramural sports seemed to be one of the biggest things on campus. Fortuna Bowl was by far a campus favorite by students and faculty alike. The Fortuna Bowl is the campus flag football intramural championship. Beside flag football intramurals, the school also offers opportunities in multiple other sports like soccer, volleyball, and most importantly, basketball.

The rec center was also a highlight of my visit to the campus. Inside of the building was a full weight room and indoor rock wall that was available to any student who wanted to use it. On the top floor of the center was a turf soccer field and track that overlooked the campus. My favorite part of the entire facility was the 3 indoor basketball courts. I knew for sure that if I chose to attend CBU that I would spend a lot of time in there.

Clearly, I was impressed with much of the social aspect of the college. I realized that I should start to pay more attention to some of the more valuable characteristics like the spiritual and academic parts of the school. At CBU students are not required to be Christians. They said that this is so that the school can create a place for the Christians on campus to share the gospel to non-Christian students. I enjoyed this quality of the student life because I think it gives the young Christians a safe environment to take risks and attempt evangelism. 

I sat in on an informational session about the Jabs School of Business. The assistant dean of the school, Natalie Winter, presented all of us in the lecture with tons of information on the program. One of the things that made an impression on me was the credibility of all of the professors. She made a point to acknowledge that the professors in the school of business all had actual work experience in the field that they were teaching. This way the students are being taught based off of experience rather than a textbook.

Concluding my day at California Baptist University, the decision that was right for me was clear. While all of my extended family lives on the East coast and Auburn has excellent athletic and academic programs, I could not bring myself to leave the West coast just yet. 

For the next four years, I will be attending CBU in Riverside. CBU will provide me with a small, friendly atmosphere with plenty of opportunities to meet new people. The spiritual atmosphere was prevalent throughout my visit and cannot be matched by any other school I visited. I am confident in the academics at Cal Baptist to prepare me for what is beyond college as I enter the workforce. Overall, CBU seems like the perfect fit for what I am looking for in a school.

To read another article on a college visit check out: Auburn showcases renovated facilities, southern hospitality. 

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @Phillip11499 and via email: Phillip Christopher.