Pepperdine University Top Questions

The campus is pretty diverse. There are those blatantly obvious stereotypes that stand out but that's life.

, Atheist friends, all types. Most people have some money because its an expensive private school, and there's quite a few that are loaded... but you dont really feel pressured to have money and the kids don't act snobby. Greek life is big and a lot of people participate, but quite a few aren;t. Everyone interacts for the most part. There's a lot of opportunities for politics, religious, volunteer work... little bit of everything.

There's a place for every student at Pepperdine, some just have to look harder then others. If your looking for a party school this is not the place, we have party's, but they are hush hush, and you better know somebody before you go. There seem to be two types of kids at Pep though. Those who's parents pay their way through the school, and have money and aren't afraid to flaunt it. And the Church of Christ kids that are on financial aid and are just happy to be here.

Students dress for the most part like "Malibu" culture, however, you can find many students dressed in sweats after the first three weeks of school. There are some seperations within the caf on places to sit but you can pretty much sit where you want. Students from Pepperdine are from all over the United States so it is easy to meet people from different backgrounds.

A great group to be around, everyone is friendly and worth meeting.

Pepperdine's students are very laid back. It has sort of a beachy feel. Some guys will walk around in board shorts and a t-shirt and sandals, while others wear shorts and a polo. There is a mix since people are coming from all over. But what I love about Pepperdine is that I never feel the pressure to dress up and get ready before class or anytime. I have no problem going to class in sweats and a sweatshirt. Of course some girls will take the time to get ready, but the pressure is not there like it is at other schools. A lot of Pepperdine students are from California and Texas, but I would say there is a good mix of other places. I can't think of someone who would feel out of place at Pepperdine, everybody finds their place.

One stereotype about Pepperdine students that is fairly accurate is the number of wealthy students. You see a lot of girls going around dressed in designer jeans, with designer handbags and designer sunglasses, sporting expensive phones. However, wealth does not necessarily equal snobbery, and many of these same students are socially active about things like poverty and the AIDS crisis. This is in part due to the religious pulse of the school, which is associated with the Churches of Christ. Although there are other religions represented, the majority of the students are Christians of some degree, and many are not embarrassed to talk about faith. Despite this Christian vibe, there are a surprising number of homosexual (usually male) students at Pepperdine. In fact, one of the biggest complaint by Pepperdine girls is that the gender ration is 60-40 (perhaps due to the lack of a football team) and many of the 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} male population aren't interested in women!

where to begin. all i can say is if you want to move on to the real world, don't come to this school. the people are all sheltered preppy kids who want to hold the appearance of devout christian during the week and hardcore sports player and partier on the weekends. despite the fact that there is nothing to do in or around malibu, these kids find ways to get relatively trashed every weekend and post their 1,001 pictures on facebook.

there are many different types of people at Pepperdine, however, it is slightly like high school. in the middle of the caf, you have the athletes and their groupies and all the "popular" greek kids (greek row); on the far side is where people study and no one is really socializing (loser town) and on the closest side is where most of the ethnic student body of Pepperdine eats (ethnic ville). this may sound closed-minded and childish, but it is sort of what Pepperdine boils down to. on the other hand, there are some really cool people there and once you find your niche, I think anyone could be happy. but give it time- you may not like it after the first month, semester or even year, but give the school a second chance. it feels like home and you can learn so much from the school, faculty, and students. financially, most students are well-off and this can make less-fortunate students feel isolated, but for the most part, this is not an issue.

Stereotypes are there, but a lot of other peoples too. Most from Cali and Tx. Different types of students do interact. Most are fairly well off financially, but there are those from all economic backgrounds. Very little political awareness, even less activity. Most students are apathetic. Then there's a lot of Bill O'Reilly/Ann Coulter types. Homophobia abounds, but not on a blatant hick level. Religion is the life of many here, but just as many couldn't care less.

There are a lot of groups at the school, but they're all pretty similar in demeanor. A successful Pepperdine student should be laid-back, a bit image-conscious, and in shape. There's just no way to get around campus if you're out of shape. People at Pepperdine invest a lot of time in their appearance so you might find yourself out of the loop if you're not into being well-kept. People who aren't very outgoing tend to fade into the woodwork out here. If you like making your presence known, you'll find a lot of friends.

The student body at Pepperdine is less diverse in a lot of ways than some others one might find. It is comprised of mostly middle- and upper-class white students, no doubt. There are a fair share of Asian students, but they mostly keep to themselves. The black students also, as far as I can tell, keep to themselves (there is a strong black student union). There is also a very minority LGBT population. Pepperdine's religious affiliation drives many of the LGBT crowd away. However, for the most part, the other parts of the student body are accepting and loving, for sure. There are even gay guys in some of the fraternities - something I don't think you would find at your average state school. I'm not sure if Pepperdine students as a whole are very politically active, but the ones who are certainly are vocal. The College Republicans are incredibly strong. Young Democrats, not as much - but still definitely around. The left-leaning students are more involved in other organizations that focus on social justice and community service, I think.

Pepperdine is a religious university, and a majority of students are religious as well. However, the students are in no way condescending of people such as myself who choose not to be religious. Most are fairly open-minded to beliefs outside of their own. The administration... that can be a different story. About half of the student body is from California, and the southwest makes up a sizeable portion as well. There are some international students, many of whom integrate nicely into the university. Pepperdine is very racially and culturally tolerant, not suprising for a SoCal school. Physical fitness is a big thing on campus, kind of ironic when you consider the cramped gym underneath Firestone Fieldhouse. Many students will squeeze their way into it after class, or opt to surf or run on the track, which overlooks the beautiful Pacific Ocean. There is a noticeable lack of intellectualism on campus. You are not going to find students sitting on the grass discussing the meaning of life (unless you too believe life is all about Starbucks and Hollister). Fashion is a big thing on campus. Make sure you keep yourself well-balanced.

Almost everyone is Christian, whether practicing or not. Most of the student body is Protestant with a pretty sizeable Catholic population as well. I know of one Jewish person and one Latter-Day Saint. As far as religion goes, Pepperdine is pretty homogenous. Pepperdine would be considered pretty diverse in general, but not at all for a California school. While most people have some friends outside of their race, different racial groups do tend to self-segregate here. Although Pepperdine has a reputation for having a lot of rich kids, its not actually the case. There probably aren't any students who are actually poor, but a good amount of the student population is solidly middle class. However, there is a huge amount of BMWs on campus. Most people don't go all out dressing up for class, but it definetely is a dressy campus. The weather is always nice so you'll see a lot of cute dresses and skirts. It is definetely not a pajama school. People just don't wear their pajamas to around campus EVER, not even during finals week. Most Pepperdine students are from California or Texas. It's unfortunate that there isn't as much geographic diversity here at Pepperdine. Politically, the school is pretty conservative. That doesn't mean everyone is Republican, but the probably the majority of kids come from families that are Republican. It is extremely rare to come across an extreme liberal here.

Most Pepperdine students are from the west coast (CA, AZ, WA, TX, OR, CO) but you get students from ALL over the world. All of my friends and I come from similar but somewhat different backgrounds as far as socio-economic class, high schools, and ethnicity go. There wouldn't be four seperate tables of different people at pepperdine because they would be four tables of people inter-mingling. I would say it's about 40/60 on students' political preference. 40{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} left and 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} right. Money is really not an issue here at Pepperdine.

Pepperdine students are a great mixture of people. There are students from all over the country, as well as students from over 70 countries. There is a large amount of students who are Christian because of the religious affiliation, but there are students who are not religious. There are students who are interested in almost everything. From sports to drama to volunteering, you will find someone on Pepperdine's campus who is passionate about it.

not very diverse, people are involved in cliques. students very political, almost fake sophistication

Pepperdine student body is not a very diverse group if individuals. The majority of students are, understandably, from California, and then the next closest is Texas. Texans are mainly drawn here because of the Christian values that the school promotes. The majority of people here are conservative or Republican, and are willing to defend their point of view. The only oddity at Pepperdine is that there are a large number of gay men here.

There are a lot of rich students on campus who will carry their designer bags with gucci sunglasses on their heads, jumping out of the BMWs on the way to class. But we are not all like that. The average Pepperdine student wears jeans, sandals and a T-shirt to class, just like every college student. I have noticed that we are a little more formal in attire than many other colleges, in that less people wear sweats to school. Students are predominately conservative but there are all parts of the spectrum represented. The political groups aren't very active on campus. Most Pepperdine students are from California and Texas. This was surprising to me when I came on campus but then I learned that Church of Christ, Pepperdine's affiliated church, is big in Texas, which draws a lot of students from Texas to Pepperdine.

Most students look put-together everyday. Very rarely do I see people wearing pajamas, and when I do, it's a little surprising, since no one hardly wears them outside. The men's athletic teams almost always sit together in the caf, and they have their tables that they always sit at. Mostly the student body consists of middle to upper class students, involved in student government, intense academics, sports, or greek life. There is a group for those who don't "fit the mold" of the average Pepperdine student, and they seem to have a really strong bond. Everyone is able to find their niche here.