Pepperdine University Top Questions

I wish that I would have known that I would have to be a bit more culturally prepared for the adapting to the new enviornment. At many times, the student body is not unified and can be unfriendly. There are plenty of opportunities on the campus so it is important to get involved within clubs/ organizations, activites and things of the like.

I wouldn't change a thing about what I knew before I came here. Becoming familiar with Pepperdine University through experiences rather than explanations is a journey that I treasure.

Prior to coming to Pepperdine I wish I had known how difficult it was to get involved and stay involved. It is possible to get involved and active at Pepperdine but it takes a large amount of effort. I had assumed that clubs would reach out to new students to try to get them involved but that was not the case. In fact I had to go out of my way to get any information regarding clubs other than sororities and fraternities since I was uninterested in rushing. It takes a lot of effort to get involved here.

I wish I would have known how Greek heavy this school was before I came. Pepperdine University's Greek Life is very diverse, with various groups to join. And because our campus is so small, a lot of the extracurricular activities are based upon Greek Life. But, if you aren't in one of these groups, it somewhat feels as if you are isolated from a lot of the campus' activities. This makes it difficult for the students who really want to be involved, but may already have other prior obligations that do not allow them to rush or join.

Before I came to Pepperdine, I wish that I had known more about the student organizations and clubs.

I wish I knew how many rules there were and how strictly they are enforced.

I wish I had known that there are a ton of stairs at this school even more than they will show you on tours and so be prepared to get a workout!

If you don't want to be involved in a sorority or fraternity it's probably for the best you go to a bigger school. Most of the activities here are through greek life.

How nice it would be living here.

I wish I knew how much money surrounded the area and how much money it cost to live here. I also wish I knew hw invloved all the students are here.

I wish I would have known that it was impossible to work on campus being an International student. I tried applying multiple times to jobs on campus, and I have been rejected continuously because I do not have a social security number or work permit. It is extremely stressful and sad that I am unable to work in the university.

I wish I knew how challenging it can be at time when it comes to balancing social life and academics.

Understanding the importance of being mentally prepared for the challenges that await you while living independent from your immediate family.

I wish I had known how difficult it is to graduate in four years without coming in with credits; Pepperdine has so many General Education requirements you spend most of your first two years getting those out of the way before you get to the classes you're actually interested in.

That greek life mostly dominates the social scene on campus. That said, it is not a problem to make friends outside the greek system but it will still play a large factor in who you socialize with. Also, the academic standards are much higher than I expected going in to it. It was definitely an adjustment from the relaxed expectations of high school.

I wish I had known to bring a car! I had no idea how spread out Malibu is, and the hills only add to the impracticality of walking to the stores. Even walking around campus can be a workout, because there are steep stairs all over campus. This is great for avoiding the freshman 15, but bring comfortable shoes. Leave your heels at home ladies, because mine just take up space under my bed in my dorm.

I wish I had known that the moral climate was so unlike what I expected from a Christian campus.

Did you know that actually going to lectures is important? Now I'm not saying I'm such a slacker I didn't go at all, I went to the classes one third of the semester! However, the last third, I... um... missed a few classes. The night before my final, which was solely on the eleven lectures that I skipped, as I was cramming all the information from 800 BC to 1400 AD into my exhausted brain. I decided, if I fail this final, it doesn't mean I learned nothing, at least I learned to go to class.

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I wish that I knew that it was very conservative without much diversity.