What a beautiful campus. If you can't get a tour, at least drive-thru and enjoy the beauty. Did you know that Principia College has found a Mammoth and a Mastodon on their campus. That's a great opportunity for an archeology class, to experience hands on digging and discovery. Be sure to check out the remains in the science building. The architecture is mind blowing. The buildings designed by Bernard R. Maybeck are breath taking. His creative style of designing buildings, should be studied by today's architects. Maybeck designed for Principia between 1924 and 1940 and you'd never think his buildings were build during that time in history. I liked how they don't call the student housing, dorms. They call them, houses and I can tell you that they look more like a house than a dormitory. The "living room" on the main level was spectacular. Even the furniture was overstuffed and out of an Architectural Digest. I was impressed with the size of rooms the students had. They were bigger than someone's bedrooms. The historical Chapel is a beauty to behold, so be sure to check it out. It's close to a bluff, so the view is spectacular in the fall, but also good for the other seasons, as well. A notable graduate and a favorite actor of mine, the Oscar winning, Robert Duvall graduated in 1953 with a degree in drama. Next time you're heading up to Grafton for fun, stop by Elsah and check out the only Christian Science College in the world. read more

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This is my second time out to this college for my son's annual track meet. I must say this location definitely has it's pros and cons. Pros first: thank you for opening up your facility for athletes of all ages to show they talent and compete in an competition full of kids considering they could be doing activities that would lead them down the wrong path. It's a beautiful thing to see all our children compete and enjoy it and leave with recognition and sense of worth. This facility is very nice, clean and fit all families comfortably. Cons : the service of cellphones is nonexistent. It's like once you get inside the facilities your connection to the outside world is gone. That is terrible that no Wi-Fi was available for an all day event . No heat was available as well. We had to sit with coats on for 8 hrs and with that coldness comes headaches and sniffles. My son is a senior so I don't have to deal with this any longer but for future events please think of these small cons and try to address them asap. read more

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First class all the way. High quality people and one of the most beautiful campus you'll ever see!

Beautiful campus! And everyone is so welcoming and committed to making the world a better place. The review from ten years ago (forbidding medicine) is not factual. It is a dry campus but people know that and most appreciate that (or else they wouldn't choose to attend Principia). Over the last ten years, Principia has expanded into an inclusive college that welcomes people from different faith backgrounds, has a dynamic international population, and supports people where they are. read more

I am definitely a fan of Principia College. My step-mom, two of my brothers and I all graduated from there. One of my brothers is currently a student there. I love the architecture. Bernard Maybeck is one of the finest architects in the country. Imagine living in a dorm that was designed by Bernard Maybeck. And going to chapel a few times a week, in a chapel designed my Maybeck. I could write for 20 minutes how amazing the chapel is alone. The campus sits on the bluffs of the Mississippi. There are acres and acres and acres. The school is small. A small student body. The entire student body, when I was there, was smaller than the graduating class of my high school. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone says "hi!" to each other on campus. When I was a student there, I didn't take advantage of the social aspect, and I made too few friends. Thanks to Facebook these days, I am now friending those people and learning who they are. It's a small community. Everywhere we go, it's nice to run into Principians. They are generally very nice people. Well educated. Good thinkers. Generally eloquent. There are definitely students there who are spoiled by their parents, and don't really have a choice of where to go to college. Their parents basically tell them, "you're going to Principia." I find those few students on campus do not sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to them. And that's such a shame. Like any human institution, there are definitely challenges and frustrations. But in my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad at Principia. The Administration may not always know what to do in difficult situations. It's not like students and situations come with a "How To" manual. But they do their best. And the Administration asks for feedback, "how could we have handled this better?" And it's up to the people who were in the situation to lovingly share how something could have been handled better. I have had the wonderful blessing to stay at The Guest House on campus for numerous occasions since I have graduated. (Part of this is because my brothers have been students there and I wanted to visit them.) I was there recently. And before last week, I would have definitely said "The Chapel" is my favorite building on campus. I love The Chapel! But now, I feel that The Guest House is my favorite building on campus. It's so clean, home-like, friendly, calm. I love the view from every window (endless trees, or endless trees+Mississippi River overlook!). The furniture and quilts in every room were donated with love. The love is palpable. The Science Building (which was re-done after I was a student there -- a Chemistry major, in fact), is amazing. It's a Green building. So much love and care was put into this building. There is also a wonderful telescope. And the Solar Car team (despite a lack of engineering program on campus) is award winning across the globe. The solar car team is held in high regard by the likes of Michigan State's solar car team. And also Principia's Solar Car Team ranks higher than MIT's Solar Car Team. The spiritual stories our team shares are inspiring to many who have never set foot on the campus. Principia must be doing "something right." I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be a student there, and now an alumnus, and a guest, and a sibling of students there. One day, one or both of my children may attend. I look forward to all of my future visits on campus. read more

I'm giving you the honest truth about this college. This is going to be long...so please sit down. I would NEVER recommend this college to ANYONE. Everyone lives in a bubble here, well not everyone but the vast majority do. I went here with the positive idea that I would be here to share similar views on religion and life. I knew this was a dry campus (no drugs, alcohol, sex allowed) well...even no medicine of any kind is allowed. My first quarter I fell down a flight of stairs and they all wanted me to pray about it, I thought this was nice but I really wanted to seek medical help. They took me to the campus 'medical center' and they just put a gauze bandage around my knee and said I should seek the help of a practitioner. The kids that attend this college are usually white upper middle to upper class of society. I fit in this category but did not like the fact that it seemed to be really segregated. There are a lot of African (from Africa) students who attend this school for FREE...whereas the rest of the campus has to pay the huge fees to attend the college. All in all I received a great education and met a few people that I really liked. But, their views on religion were so extreme that I eventually (meaning my 3rd year there) began to not believe anything they said and kept to the studies. I moved out of the dorms because the house parents were horrible...wouldn't help you/talk with you/guide you in any way. I had issues with all roommates I had, one changed her feminine products in the room and kept them in a trash bag hanging from her closet...another would sleep in my bed when I was gone on weekends, and the best was a roommate that would eat in the room and leave moldy food all over her side of the room. I explained this to the house mother and she did nothing...said that I need to work with them on the issues I was having (um I did...but I'm not about to clean up after slobs...thats not why I'm there). So I eventually moved in with a family member, which I had to write letters and have it approved so I could do this...and eventually it was approved. Please don't think this is a great school because Robert Duvall went here...or that Val Kelmer often comes to visit...they are there for 2 hours and that's it. This is a whacky school filled with whacky people... read more

Principia College - Elementary Schools Near Me - Elsah, Illinois

Principia College is a very unique place. It challenges your thought and can definitely bring out the best in you. The opportunities in this gorgeous, breath-taking environment (3,000 acres of beautiful land overlooking the Mississippi bluffs) are many--from the inspiring speakers program (Barack Obama, Thomas Friedman of New York Times, Coretta Scott King, Elie Wiesel, Colin Powell, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Maya Angelou, etc.) to the small class sizes, pristine facilities, and friendly attitude that surround you--one feels inspired, energetically challenged, and ever so gently transformed. The professors are incredibly dedicated to their students. You feel safe there, while exploring deep issues and rolling up your sleeves to understand challenges in the world on a small and large scale. You feel part of something that can really make a difference. The gorgeous campus, the gentle people, the lack of cynicism, is refreshing. The environment recharges you and the excellent education style gives you something of value to take out to the rest of the world--critical thinking, insight, hope, confidence, and inner strength. Being such a small campus, you do not get lost in the mix, but are given the attention, encouragement, and opportunity to stretch and to shine. I met so many amazing people at Prin that have enriched my life. The international outreach of the college provides one opportunities to rub elbows with students from different parts of the world like parts of Africa and South America--individuals that I would never have had a chance to meet and get to know elsewhere on such an intimate scale. The general warmth and acceptance of all permeates the environment. This is not much of a party school, if what is meant by that term is binge-drinking parties ad nauseam. But I felt surrounded by, soul, humor, stimulating talent, and camaraderie. To be with so many brilliant, humble, and spiritually minded students and professors on a daily basis had a profound effect on me. Principia is a place that educates and inspires individuals to go out and change the world in big and small ways. You really feel cared for while there and when you graduate, you leave with an incredible foundation and support system. Try this link for a great example of an amazing program spawned at Principia College: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eChDWnxu5CA&list=PL0FEE2CBB7FD8B753&index=9&feature=plpp_video read more

If you're a Christian Scientist in high school thinking about college, this place will support your growth and study. It has changed my life for the better, and could change yours too. Principia College may be the most beautiful place in the world. As a current student, I have been given numerous opportunities to learn and grow. Through academics, athletics, and leadership opportunities, there are endless possibilities. The campus rests high upon the bluffs in IL and it overlooks the Mississippi River. The buildings are constructed by a famous American architect, Bernard Maybeck, but what's even more impressive, is that the people are honest, loving, and sincere. Each student is given the gift of being surrounded in a place with other like-minded thinkers, who study and practice Christian Science. Through reliance on God, the community has been able to overcome obstacles and challenges through grace and Love. This campus is unique because class sizes are intimate ranging from about 5 to 20. The small classroom size has enabled me to dive deeper into texts and learn more about the subject than being in a lecture hall, where I professor may not be able to match my name with my face. The professors actually partake in supporting student events and have even been willing to teach independent courses, for me to further my studies for my specific interests. Principia is a liberal arts school, meaning, students join clubs, are varsity athletes, are involved in the arts, and can even double or triple major. We have the ability to dip our toes in every activity we want to experience. I've been challenged and have been pushed to strive for excellence. I would highly recommend this college to "honest seekers for Truth." read more

Principia College - The Chapel - Elementary Schools Near Me - Elsah, Illinois

Principia College taught me how to think, how to make good decisions, and how to work hard towards a goal. As my life has progressed I appreciate it more and more. I attended 2 years, and then transferred to Stanford University. Both are excellent schools. The foundation for my academic pursuits was laid at Principia. It provided me the most intimate education. A true education. I was encouraged to study the finest literature, to delve deeply into history, to experience geology first hand, to learn about cultures and people and trends of thought. I had the opportunity to serve on Student Council, and was active on my house board. Both were very enriching experiences, and I have served on many many boards and councils in the public sector in my adult life. The opportunity to travel and study abroad, to see masterpieces in person and to be led by knowledgeable Principia faculty was priceless and invaluable to me. Whiile abroad with Prin I visited friends at Stanford's Clivedon House, their campus in England. There was no comparison to the experience they had and to mine. I had a personal mentor interested in my writings and research, and we traveled to sites pertinent to my interests, growth, and development together. It was fantastic. I truly appreciate that Principia provides a hand-wrought education. My needs and desires as a scholar were met and exceeded. When I was accepted to Stanford as a transfer student I was excited and felt I must go. While there my life experience was broadened, however with undergraduate education at Stanford you are pretty much on your own. I had large lecture classes on Shakespeare and Economics. While the lecturers were well known and even entertaining the personal experience I was used to of working one on one with someone who cared about my writing and thoughts was absent. At Stanford English was a second language for professors in a couple of classes, and truly it was difficult to understand what they were saying. I was able to take a seminar class with a renowned professor. He had us write an essay on what it means to be truly civilized. He gave me an A+. I also was in honors classes in my major and was highly successful. But most of my observations and the clarity with which I presented them were learned at Principia. I especially love Principia because it provided an environment where I was cherished and nourished and taught to fly as a student, and as a person. I highly recommend Principia for the person who is truly involved with learning and who thinks deeply. read more