I Picked One of the Most “Extreme” Catholic Colleges—and It Changed Everything

When I tell people I go to Christendom College, the reaction is almost always the same: a raised eyebrow, a polite smile, and then, “Wait, that super strict Catholic school?”

Yep. That’s the one.

To be honest, I kind of thought the same thing before I enrolled. I wasn’t raised Catholic. I’m a convert who came up through public schools and a typical suburban youth group. From the outside, schools like Christendom seemed rigid, irrelevant, and out of touch with the real world. I figured religion and real life should stay in separate lanes.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Today, I see the genius of a college where faith isn’t just fused to an after-school young adult group but is, instead, integrated into the heartbeat of campus life. Christendom hasn’t just offered me a degree. It has given me clarity and direction. It has given me a foundation—one I didn’t even know I needed.

Here’s how this “extreme” Catholic school became the best decision of my life.

I arrived confused, but I found clarity.

When I arrived at college in the Fall of 2022, I was a brand-new Catholic. I didn’t have all the answers. In fact, I was still wrestling with big ones: What does the Church really teach? What does it mean to be a Catholic man? How do I stop making the same spiritual mistakes in life?

From the first week on campus, I felt like I had stepped onto a lifeboat. Suddenly, I wasn’t just learning theology; I was living it. Daily Mass wasn’t an extracurricular; it was part of the campus rhythm. Classes weren’t just echo chambers; they were rigorous, honest, and rooted in tradition.

The core curriculum challenged me to ask better questions: What is the good life? How do faith and reason work together? How should I embrace the liturgy as a layman? The people of whom I asked these questions weren’t just scholars but serious and faithful Catholics. Their example taught me that truth isn’t just something you memorize. It’s something you live.

As a former Protestant, I had always respected the Bible. And yet it was at Christendom that I discovered how deeply Catholic thought integrates Scripture, history, and philosophy. The Church wasn’t the enemy of reason; she was reason’s home. The more I studied, the more I realized that I hadn’t just stumbled into the Church—I’d been led here, step by step.

I expected rules, but I found something deeper.

Before college, I had never gone to daily Mass. I had never really spent time in adoration. I’d only been to confession once. Now? These practices are part of my normal life.

At Christendom, the sacraments aren’t just “available,” they’re everywhere, practically in the air we students breathe. Daily Mass is packed. Confession lines are long. Eucharistic processions don’t feel awkward or forced—they feel like the heart of campus life. It’s not “too Catholic.” It’s just Catholic.

And it’s contagious. When your roommates, classmates, and professors are striving for holiness, it rubs off on you. My friends and I refer to it as “holy peer pressure,” and man I need it.

I’ll never forget one moment during a Holy Hour in my junior year. I was anxious, worried, and overwhelmed. My girlfriend (now my fiancée!) was graduating a year ahead of me, and I wasn’t sure what came next. But there, in silence, I realized something: God isn’t just true. He’s present. He was with me. That’s the kind of clarity you can’t Google or have AI generate for you—and it was the kind of peace you rarely find on a college campus.

I thought it wouldn’t prepare me for “real life,” but I was wrong.

People assume that small Catholic liberal arts colleges aren’t “practical.” But I’ve found the opposite. The formation I’ve received at Christendom has made me sharper, steadier, and more competitive in the job market. I’ve had incredible internships, thanks to professors and alumni who care enough to open doors.

After my sophomore year, I worked as an independent sales contractor and brought in over $270,000 in company revenue in just four months, making me one of the top performers of that summer. I would have never realized my knack for sales and customer service without Christendom’s extensive network of faithfully Catholic alumni.

More than that, I’ve learned how to think, how to lead, and how to stand firm in a chaotic world. A political science professor of mine once said, “The world can train you in skills. What it can’t train is virtue. That’s up to you.” That stuck with me. Turns out, employers are starving for people who are grounded: people who aren’t swept away by every trend or talking point. Christendom forms people like that.

So, is it “too Catholic”? Maybe—and thank God it is.

If you’re on the fence about choosing a faithful Catholic college, especially one as radically Catholic as Christendom, take it from someone who once laughed at the idea: don’t settle for less. Don’t be afraid of a place that challenges you. Don’t write off a school just because it doesn’t chase the culture.

You’ll hear the critics: “It’s too small.” “Too old-fashioned.” “Too Catholic.”

But ask yourself: “Too Catholic for whom?”

I used to think schools like Christendom were weird. Now I wonder how anyone becomes a faithful Catholic adult without them. And I wouldn’t trade my decision for anything.