Preparing for College
by Ted Slater on 08/27/2007 at 9:58 AM
About half of you who visit Boundless and The Line are in college, either undergrad or grad school. And so thousands of you have either made your way back to campus, or are preparing to do so over the coming weeks.
University is an exciting place to learn, to grow friendships, to wrestle with ideas. It can also be dangerous to your faith, as seen by the number of Christians who lose their faith in college.
Don't want to become a statistic? Good. Interested in getting some tips on how to thrive as a Christian in College? We've got just what you need, an article first published in February titled, "How Not to Lose Your Faith in College."
Specific words of advice include "find and join a good church," "choose your friends with biblical criteria in view" and "remain sexually pure." Let me challenge you to spend a few minutes to read the article, to consider these tips and the others offered there. I honestly believe this one article could prove pivotal for you.
Yes, they're only words, but words are wrappers for ideas, and ideas have consequences. It's my sincere prayer that these words produce blessed consequences in your life.
1. Tami said the following at 10:25 AM on Aug 27:
Interesting topic. I think the key is discernment, and truly knowing what you believe. Find the Christlike path between letting everything in, and being so paralyzed with fear at the prospect of being “in the world” that you’re afraid to leave your room for any reason besides class and meals.
A couple of notes from "been there":
1. Not all Christian fellowships are created equal. Be really discerning about which groups you join. Some are awesome, filled with discipleship opportunities. Some are cults. And, sadly, some are just as cliquish, surface-ey, and/or worldly as the dorm behavior you’re trying to avoid.
2. If at all possible, figure out how you can build Christ into your curriculum. I got a degree in history, emphasizing in both recent US and Christian history... at a public university known for its partying ways. And incidentally, that school had way more classes on church history (with Christian profs!) than the Christian college down the road.
3. Sometimes it's actually easier to get stronger in a wild environment. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not advocating purposely putting yourself in harm's way to test or prove your own strength. But sometimes, when you’re in an environment that is either apathetic or antagonistic towards Christianity, and yet you continue to aim to follow Christ, you get even more serious about what you believe. And yet, don’t look for the devil around every corner. Trust God fully; and don’t automatically shun every non-Christian who interacts with you.
2. Denise Morris said the following at 10:27 AM on Aug 27:
Also, make sure to check out TrueU.org, devoted specically to college students!
You can also sign up for our free e-newsletter: http://www.trueu.org/sidewalkchalk/A000000736.cfm
3. NeedACatchyName said the following at 11:00 AM on Aug 27:
Here's some advice that I wish I had followed when I was in college.
For those living away from home for college:
1) Unless you have a good reason, don't go home every weekend in college even if you live close enough to do so (I would define a good reason as an important commitment back home or a "significant other" in your hometown). First, it will teach you how to be self-sufficient, since you won't have your parents running errands for you and doing your laundry. Second, you'll meet more new people and have more new experiences than you would if you went home every weekend. Third, it will enable you to more easily be active in a local church, which transitions nicely into...
2) Find a local church and be active in it. The most important thing to remember here is that campus ministry organizations (such as Campus Crusade) are not churches and should not be viewed as church substitutes. They're excellent ministry opportunities in the right context, but should never take the place of a real church nor should activities with campus ministry organizations ever take precedence over commitments with your church.
And a similar set of advice for those living at home:
1) Even though you're living at home, you should still try and make new friends and participate in on-campus activities. Don't assume that being a commuter student means that on-campus activities aren't for you.
2) Break free from your youth group. Maybe this just happens in my area, but often I see college freshmen and sophomores who live at home still hanging out at youth group activities even though they've graduated from high school. This doesn't mean you can't still be friends with people from your old youth group, but it does mean that you shouldn't participate in youth group activities any more. Try to seek out your church's "college and career" group and find other opportunities to participate in your church besides youth group.
4. Jacob said the following at 12:57 PM on Aug 27:
I would also like to emphasize the importance of committing to a local church. Further, I would challenge you who have found a good church to make it a priority over your studies and "fun." If you honestly think that sleeping in on Sunday moring is better for your spiritual health, you may want to see a "doctor," because it isn't. While four years may not seem all that much, we really must make the most of our time in those four years, and as many here at Boundless have reminded us, your Christian walk is not something you can just put on "hold" until you graduate and find a job.
So, as one who is finished with college, I again encourage those of you who haven't to find a church, and to all of you who have found one, to make it a priority in your life. God will bless you in so many ways.
5. v@v said the following at 1:18 PM on Aug 27:
Way before I went to college one of my youth leaders told me -- "when you go to college, you need to know who you are in Christ. If you don't; you'll be lost." Her words resonated through the years and she was right. By God's grace, because I knew who I was in Christ I was able to stand firm in college, and go to God when I had difficult moments (esp. intellectually). Praise God, I graduated, from a secular university, and still LOVE the Lord.
Remember:
1) Just because you went away to college, doesn't mean you leave God at home.
2) Obedience, is obedience, is obedience wherever you are.
3) God isn't afraid of your questions; draw nigher to him in doubt, rather than further, and He WILL reveal Himself. Just, TRUST.
6. v@v said the following at 1:23 PM on Aug 27:
I should add: at the end of the day, your utmost desire has to be to honor God above all things. That as you "study to show thyself approved unto God," you also strive to "live a life worthy of the call."
It won't always be easy, but it surely is possible. Let college be a stepping stone in your walk with Christ, rather than a stumbling block. :-)
7. Mike Theemling said the following at 3:28 PM on Aug 27:
Might I also recommend a nice short book published by FotF entitled, "As You Leave Home: Parting Thoughts from a Loving Parent". It has a lot of good short tidbits in there.
I especially like the final three chapters. They are entitled (based upon my memory):
"Choose a career wisely"
"Choose friends even more wisely"
"Choose a mate most wisely of all"
8. Leah said the following at 4:35 PM on Aug 27:
Random side issue: As an Australian student, I find Boundless and The Line more helpful and interesting than TrueU (generally). TrueU often seems even more Americanised than Boundless, for some reason.
Also, Australian education years are different to America... I believe America's educational year goes from September to June? Whereas ours is from February to November (with a mid-year and end of year break). As such, we came back from mid-year break 4 weeks ago.
9. Andrew (tlw) said the following at 9:00 PM on Aug 27:
Leah,
I would like to see FOTF (Australia) do an Australian version of boundless online. I'd even put my hand up to be the editor for it. There are cultural differences that make it harder to always relate accurately to what it being said in the US context.
I suspect University culture is somewhat different here. So, some of what we see in Australian unis just doesn't translate to American conditions.
As I mentioned on the pitting singleness blog I think it was, Australian uni students are from a variety of ages. This is itself produces a type of tribalism within classes, for example, between school leavers and mature aged students.