Messiah College

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Hallmarks and Quirks

Soccer. For me, it's a lifestyle.
Studying abroad. Ironically, one of the best reasons to choose me is because I'm really good at sending students somewhere else. I'm actually one of the top twenty-five schools in the nation for sending students abroad; if you're itching to cross Europe off your bucket list, I can get you there, no problem.
Environmentalism and sustainability. I'm really intentional about recycling and taking care of the environment. I even have a community garden and greenhouse in the middle of campus where you can buy fresh fruits and veggies.
Nursing, sciences, and the medical field. For a small school, I have an impressive nursing program and excellent, accredited science programs. I run a tight ship, though. You'll hate calculus and anatomy your first year; but believe me, you'll thank me later.
Education. I crank out teachers like nobody's business. Elementary Ed., Special Ed., Secondary Ed., TSOL, you name it.
Going to church. Shuttle buses even stop by on Sundays to give you a ride to church if you need one. My name is "Messiah" and I'm in the middle of Mennonite country; this shouldn't surprise you too much.

A car—or, better yet, friends with cars. As a first year, unless you live super far away, you aren't allowed to have a car on campus, so it's best to make friends with sophomores and upperclassmen who do have cars. There's no other way to get in those late-night diner or frozen yogurt runs, so unless you just drove across America, I recommend mooching rides as much as you can.
A Bible. It's a Christian college, so at some point or another you'll be talking about it.
Movies. There's not usually a lot of partying going on around here, but movie nights and movie marathons are always a weekend/lazy night favorite. While you're at it, bring your best popcorn.
A smile. I'm a small campus with only 3,000 students, so chances are you'll become a familiar face fairly quickly. A friendly smile can make you seem approachable to the people you kind-of know (trust me, there's no shortage of those).
As much Messiah gear as you can find. I don't have cheerleaders, but my super-excited student cheering section in the soccer stands more than makes up for that. Buy a t-shirt as soon as you arrive on campus.

If you live in central Pennsylvania. You might meet some international students and out-of-staters on campus, but truth be told, the majority of my population is made up of Pennsylvania people.
If you're a soccer player. Or a soccer fan. If you have any emotional reaction to when the little black and white ball finds a spot in the goal, you've probably heard my name before.
The Covered Bridge is an insanely popular site for photo shoots. Weddings, senior pictures, Christmas cards...if the name "Messiah" sounds familiar, you've seen this red bridge somewhere.
The Yellow Breeches. The beautiful creek in my backyard is a prime spot for summer lazy river rides. You may have floated right by me while you were enjoying the scenery.

Watching movies. Whether it's on the big screen, out on the lawn, or from the comfort of your dorm or apartment, I love a good flick.
Concerts. I'm a bit of a hipster, so I like almost everybody before they're big and famous. I have weekly concerts every Wednesday at the student union...plus one or two big ones every semester.
At Sheetz—which, if you didn't know already, is a gas station. Pennsylvanians have a rather unique affinity for gas station food. One bite of a nice, greasy Sheetz pretzel, and you'll understand why.
Skiing or snowboarding. About ten minutes from campus, there's a little mountain called Roundtop. It's not exactly the Alps, but it should satisfy your skiing fix.

Café Diem/the library. Coffee, books, couches. What more could you want for your studious self?
The Student Union. Open and serving coffee late into the night. Also known as people-watching central.
Baker's serves the best chocolate chip pancakes you'll ever have, any time of day or night.
Midtown Scholar. If you're coming in single, it's likely that this could be the destination for your first date. If you don't fall in love with your date right then and there, you'll at least fall in love with the cute little old bookstore he or she took you to.

Bible classes are required to graduate. You can skip church almost as much as you want (you do have to go to church a certain number of times), but there's no getting around that one.
Community outreach and engagement are priorities for me. At some point or another, you'll be required to participate in some community outreach or service activity. It's required for graduation, but you'd do it even if you didn't have to, right? Right.
I have a few buildings with the same name. Take a quick glance at a campus map and don't be that kid who shows up at the indoor track looking for his dorm room.
Incoming first years have to sign a "Community Covenant," a.k.a. an official kiss goodbye to the frat party life. My campus is dry and there's no Greek life. If you want an immediate close-knit friend group, join a sports team. It's basically the same thing.

Chris Heisey, the Major League Baseball player
Ernest L. Boyer, American scholar. You'll get to know this name in time. He held over 140 honorary doctorates. We named a building after him.
Chris Boyles, the decathlete
Kai Kasiguran, a professional American soccer player. Surprise, surprise.
Vanessa Alfano, NYC news anchor and reporter
Peter Enns, the biblical scholar and theologian