I visited JFK University today to check out their Integral Psychology program. The campus is in an unremarkable suburban corporate park and although JFK is primarily a school for working adults, there were many students going about their business when I arrived at 3:30 in the afternoon.

My appointment was with a professor in the Holistic Studies Department. I immediately felt at ease with him and he was able to answer all of my questions. He confirmed that there had been a feud of sorts between Ken Wilber and CIIS, though the details were a bit over my head. It sounds like CIIS is a bit more “touchy-feely” than JFK, more hippie-ish, perhaps best seen in the difference of locations: suburban corporate park vs. San Francisco. If that impression proves accurate, I will probably lean towards JFK. I like structure.

Another big plus for JFK is the new Global Action emphasis that I learned about. Apparently each semester there is a trip abroad; the last trip was to Peru, the next will be to Istanbul(!). I wasn’t entirely clear on what they do on these trips, but frankly, that’s kind of a secondary concern. I will be emailing the professor in charge soon.

Overall, I’m very excited about JFK. I already knew I was interested in the course offerings, so this visit was for getting a feel for the school and the faculty. I got a really good feeling about the professor I met with. He was very candid and seemed like a generally cool guy. I felt like we really connected. I even got a parting gift: Disc 1 of Ken Wilber’s Kosmic Consciousness series. My main reservation about JFK is that I will be indoctrinated with Wilberism so I plan to study up and see if that might not be so bad after all.

My appointment at CIIS is on Friday, but the experience at JFK will be hard to top.