Exceeding My Expectations: Being an Atheist at a Christian College.

I hope this rant does not petulant or ill-informed, but I would like to get a few things off my chest since I have few people to talk about this issue to. I have been an atheist since I was about 17 years old and I am currently 20. I am currently attending a private Christian school in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Calvin College. For years my parents had been telling me they would only pay for a "Christian" school, which severely limited my options. This would be defined as one that has an openly Christian affiliation and academics (schools that lost their affiliations to become secular don't count). I didn't think very much of this until I realized I was an agnostic, told my parents, and later told them I was an atheist once I made that transition. They still would not budge even after arguing relentlessly to the point of tears (for both parties) that I would feel incredibly isolated and uncomfortable. They eventually, rather conveniently, changed their minds after talking to their pastor and after I had already been accepted to school and my options for application elsewhere were very limited. My family is too wealthy for me to receive decent financial aid to a secular school if I was paying myself, and I was not financially prepared to take on paying for 4 years of school myself. I resolved to go where I was accepted and see what happens. I came in with an attitude that was optimistic, but realistic about what my experience could be and since they were paying for school I tried to keep my mouth shut. I realized after a week that I would not enjoy my time here. The religious subtext is one that permeates almost every aspect of student life, and thus is alienating to those that are either agnostics, atheists, or even people who don't know where they stand. I've been told on multiple occasions that there are people here in my same situation, but I've had poor luck finding any since the culture keeps most non-believers like me in the closet. The hypocrisy of the school in terms of providing a welcoming, "diverse," and safe environment for all students is infuriating, especially when it comes to the issue of gay people. The ways in which I've heard students talk about this issue is incredibly frustrating and makes me dislike the school and its culture even more. One could argue that those I’m hearing are just the most vocal, but since the school has a negative stance and there aren’t loud voices speaking out, it might as well not matter that there are LGBT-friendly or even atheist friendly people here. I have not run into anyone who has been hateful towards me after finding out my beliefs, but I have not found myself being greeted with open arms upon my confession, with the exception of one person who left because of a similar predicament. The assumption that everyone here is a Christian, in a way, creates a monolith of a school that attracts the kind of person that is exactly what I am not, and thus finding people I could see myself befriending seems almost impossible. I have met many people over the course of my stay, but I have discovered that my personality and worldview is one that is not welcome at this establishment, which is why I have decided to leave next semester. I have already applied to a few different schools, and have been accepted to two, so I’m currently counting the days until I can vacate this trap. I had read that this is one of the most liberal Christian colleges in the United States, but that label turned out to be more false than I could have imagined, so I am leaving as soon as I can so I can finally find a group of like-minded friends that will give me a social life I could not have here, or at any other college with a Christian label. I felt alone enough at a secular high school, so this experience is one that I would be happy to forget as soon as I can. Those in similar shoes should heed my advice by getting out while they can or applying to secular schools if they are still in high school. I apologize for the wall of text, but I was in need of a good venting.