Wednesday, April 04, 2007

What are the top 5 Catholic schools?

The question was raised in a combox and I thought we ought to make it a post:
What do you think are the top 5 Catholic schools out there for Catholics who wish to think with the mind of the Church?
You don't have to limit yourself to the United States or even adhere to the Kreeftian distinction between Jesuit institutions and Catholic institutions.

[Hat tip to Derek]

Update: The score of our little survery as of April 6 is ...
  • Christendom College (7 votes)
  • University of Dallas (6 votes)
  • Thomas Aquinas College (6 votes)
  • Franciscan University of Steubenville (5 votes)
  • Magdalen College (3 votes)
  • University of Notre Dame (3 votes)
  • Benedictine College, Atchison, KS (2 votes)
  • Catholic University of America (2 votes)
  • Thomas More College, Merrimack, NH (2 votes)
  • Wyoming Catholic College (2 votes)
  • Aquinas College, Nashville, TN (1 vote)
  • Benedictine University, Lisle, IL (1 vote)
  • Georgetown University (1 vote)**
  • House of Dominican Studies, Washington, DC (1 vote)
  • John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Washington, DC (1 vote)
  • Loyola Universit(ies) (1 vote)**
  • Maryvale Institute, UK (1 vote)
  • Southern Catholic College (1 vote)
  • Thomas More College, Forth Worth, TX (1 vote)
  • University of South Carolina at Spartanburg (1 vote)*
  • University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX (1 vote)
  • Villanova University (1 vote)**
  • Ave Maria University (1 reference without a vote)
* The person who voted for this school indicated as his reason for doing so, among other things, that it would allow him to keep his daughter near home in order to supervise her socialization and allow her to continue assisting at a Latin Mass.

** This voter is a self-avowed disciple of John Dominic Crossan and fan of the Jesus Seminar. His estimate of "thinking with the mind of the Church" can be expected to radically differ from that of most other voters.

Note: All schools with the same number of votes are arranged alphabetically with no prejudice to institution, unless some reason is indicated. Bear in mind that numerous criteria enter into selecting institutions beyond "thinking with the mind of the Church" (academic quality, location, price, size, etc.), and that the yield of such an exercise as this is exceedingly limited. For fuller evaluations (including criticisms), please refer to the remarks of the voters in the combox. Don't hesitate to add your vote if you haven't weighed in yet.

The listing above reflects the tally as of April 15, 2007.

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