What's the point of unaccredited colleges?

[missourimary]

If you are going into business, medicine or law, there are certain colleges that you look into just because they are so well known in their field. You'll make the contacts you'll later need, and have an edge on others entering the job market due to the degree.

With or without accreditation, Bible colleges are the same way. If you want to go into ministry in the UPC (especially if you are a woman) you go to a UPC affiliated Bible college, accredited or not. Otherwise you don't have the contacts (or husband) you need later.

There are other "advantages" to going to a non accredited college though. Speaking generally of all non-accredited schools, there are several things that might prompt someone to attend one of those than an accredited school. Some are cheaper. Often people don't realize a college isn't accredited when they enroll. College is college, in their eyes. And, though it is becoming more common for businesses to check accreditation before hiring, not all do.

UPC affiliated non accredited schools have an excellent recruiting plan. (Sending their puppet ministries, choirs, and such out to various churches and conferences isn't only to give students experience, and pastors who promote Bible college may be well favored.) They also may be promoted by parents who are concerned that their children will be corrupted in a public university setting.

I wasn't UPC when I was looking for a college, but I did consider myself a Christian. I talked to several students who had attended Bible school, thinking Bible school would be my ultimate answer to all difficulties. I could study the Bible in a Christian atmosphere-no more teasing, no drugs and alcohol, no gossip, no one putting others down. After all, it was CHRISTIAN! A student told me not to go... he said universities were the worst schools for that stuff, followed by Bible colleges, followed by private colleges. He recommended that if I wanted that atmosphere, a private college would be the way to go. I only half believed him at the time, but my parents wanted me at a university, so we compromised on a private college. I discovered there were attitudes and behaviors that I didn't agree with, but there was support (chaplains, caring professors) who would work with me to deal with those issues. I stayed all four years, since I'd started attending a UPC. But I still wanted to go to Bible college. I arranged to spend two days and a night at a UPC Bible college to see if it was for me, and decided there was no need for me to attend. Students ran the halls all night, slept through their midterm reviews the next day and the professors acted like that was normal... lots of flirting, little study. It wasn't what I was looking for. I didn't know at the time that it wasn't accredited, but I wouldn't have cared. I was looking for a certain atmosphere, not a degree. I just didn't find what I was looking for there.

When I had asked for an overnight visit the college was surprised. Apparently that isn't something that's often done at UPC Bible colleges. It ought to be-both for the parents as well as the 17-18 year olds looking into attending.