United We Stand

I spent the afternoon yesterday at a fab winter wedding. The priest, during his homily, touched on what makes Catholics different from other Christians- unity in the Eucharist. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the faith, while all Christians believe Jesus is their savior- only Catholics believe they receive his body and blood (NOT a symbol, his ACTUAL body and blood) through the holy eucharist at weekly mass. That got me to thinking- what makes the Catholic Ivy League schools different from other schools? All colleges are founded to educate their students, but what makes a Catholic school different from a public, private, or another Christian institution? Here's what I've come up with:

1. Jesuits educate their students to be "men and women for others". Social awareness is a cornerstone of a Catholic education- for what's the point of a fancy education if you're not going to make the world a better place?

2. Catholic schools require students to take a form of theology in the core curriculum. Contrary to popular belief, these classes are focused on Bible scripture and basic fundamentals of theology as a concept- these courses are NOT designed to make you "turn Catholic" nor are they a sophisticated form of Sunday School.

3. Catholic schools always have TWO spring breaks- one for a week in March, and a smaller one for Easter (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday are typically days given off).

What else makes a Catholic school different from another college? Is it more of a personal thing or can it be explained by pointing to specific rules and traditions of each institution? Why enroll in the Catholic Ivy League- what makes it worth it?

Yours truly, St. Claire