Testimonials

My BA in Religion & Culture has allowed me to not only recognize religious/cultural differences when working with others but consider how they affect that person individually and how I might cater to their needs in particular. My degree and my education has helped me understand how other cultures operate and why it is significant to be aware of it.

Today I'm a management consultant at a boutique federal consulting firm in Washington D.C. I love my experience here, and often connect my professional experience to my undergraduate studies in Religion & Culture. For example, RLCL taught me how to think critically in how history shaped modern day: religious traditions from thousands of years ago continue to impact the modern world. The same analysis applies to management consulting -- you have to think beyond the tactical work and evaluate how current processes will effect future outcomes. RLCL also helped me become a stronger writer. You write every day in the working world! Whether your day-to-day writing experience simply consists of emails or creating white papers, writing is often a heavy component in how you're evaluated.

As a future doctor my degree in Religion & Culture set me up to thrive in a career where it is important to see beyond the science. I have already seen the importance of my Religion & Culture degree doing research in a city with a diverse population. I learned directly about the importance of considering culture in medicine in courses such as case studies in religion and culture (RLCL 2004) but I also recognize the importance of simply learning about another’s religion will allow me to be a better doctor (RLCL 1034).

My degree has given me a fantastic base in the humanities that I would not have been able to obtain in other majors. I have been able to adapt to my Master's program in English without any particular difficulties, and I can attribute this to the variety of writing projects in every level of RLCL courses, and the helpful feedback that instructors always provided. Dr. Ni's course in Religion and Literature provided me a project that I'm actually still using and revising for a conference in two weeks.

Studying Religion and Culture at VT gave me a lot of both useful and fascinating knowledge about various religious traditions and cultures from around the world, but what I value the most that I gained from studying with the professors in this department is the ability to think critically and analyze the role that religion plays in society. The variety of courses offered also helped me tailor my undergraduate experience to what I am personally interested in. As someone who did a double major with French, the variety of content and the interdisciplinary nature of the program allowed me to make connections between both fields. While I did my Master's in French literature and am looking to continue my studies by pursuing a PhD in French literature, I have been able to incorporate themes of religion and culture in my research because of my degree in Religion and Culture and look forward to doing so in the future as well. My Master's thesis, which focused on narratives about North African immigrants assimilating to French culture, drew a lot from what I learned in my classes in the Department of Religion & Culture.

Wherever you want to go — business, public service, academia, building a family, traveling the world — your religion and culture degree goes with you. It shaped my mind, making me a clearer, more analytical thinker and a more articulate writer. It also shaped my heart, helping me appreciate perspectives and value systems far different than my own. My degree helped me write about politics and the economy, launch new products, and lead diverse teams. Your religion and culture major is a truly amazing adventure, bringing you into contact with ideas, people (particularly professors) and experiences that you will cherish for the rest of your life. You won’t regret it.