Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

10 Struggles of Being an Atheist at Cal Poly

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Lorenzo Nericcio
Gina Escandon
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Poly chapter.

Cal Poly is a secular state university, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a huge Christian presence on campus. I remember once as a freshman an upperclassman that was attempting to convert me to Christianity told me that Cal Poly was an unofficial Christian university. Potential problems with this characterization aside, it is not entirely false–and it’s definitely not a bad thing either. I have a lot of respect for Christians and, really, all systems of faith. That said, I am a pretty hard-nosed atheist. Here are some struggles that my fellow secular students will know all to well:

1. Getting that look when you have to “admit” it to your friends:

We’ve all had a serious, heartfelt conversation get awkward when someone brings up God.

2. Biology class:

Anyone else had a bio class with that kid who insists that evolution is “just a theory”? Yikes! That’s not how science works!

If something has attained the status of a formal theory, it’s survived any attempts to prove it wrong. Evolution is not going anywhere.

3. You never get to go on awesome retreats to Big Sur or Yosemite:


I’ll admit this one is kind of a bummer. Anyone out there want to go camping for nonreligious reasons?

4. Philosophy class:


Look, I’m sorry but the Ontological Argument is just not going to work. I promise people have tried; it’s just deeply flawed.

5. People laugh at your fedora:

I’m sorry but you deserve this one.


Please, please don’t be this guy.

6. Your Christian friends try to sneakily convert you:

Hey, whoa there I’m on to you. I promise I’m not mad at God–I just don’t think there is one.

7. Getting a good grade on a difficult test makes you wonder whether you’re actually wrong about this whole thing:

But you know it doesn’t actually work like that though.

8. People ask where your system of morals comes from:

There’re plenty of secular moral systems! And some data suggest that secular societies are actually safer and more tolerant:

9. You don’t understand why anyone would ever accept a religious system that thinks being gay is morally wrong or rejects a woman’s bodily autonomy:

Come on. LGBTQ+ rights and women’s freedom to choose are just plainly good. How are we still even arguing about this?

10. At the end of the day, you know that as good humanists we should be respectful of people’s freedom to believe what they wish, and that there’s no greater good than being able to connect and be close with your fellow human beings, regardless of differing metaphysical commitments.


Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Lorenzo is a Cal Poly SLO undergraduate Philosophy major and social justice advocate. He enjoys strong black tea and hiking on cold days. Though a student of logical conceptual analysis at heart, his interests also include feminism, social and political equality, applied ethics, and modern cultural theory.
Gina was formerly the Beauty & Culture Editor at Her Campus, where she oversaw content and strategy for the site's key verticals. She was also the person behind @HerCampusBeauty, and all those other glowy selfies you faved. She got her start in digital media as a Campus Correspondent at HC Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she graduated in 2017 with degrees in English and Theater. Now, Gina is an LA-based writer and editor, and you can regularly find her wearing a face mask in bed and scrolling through TikTok.