An Introduction...

"How to write a college admissions essay." I remember that being one of the most brutal topics we covered in my senior English class. My teacher made it sound like, no matter how smart or accomplished we thought we were, our essays would never be good enough for the strict college admissions boards who would be reading them. He would, however, be willing to go over them with us, and rip them apart as well as could so we might stand a chance. What a way to give us confidence as we moved on in our education! Already my classmates and I had sweated through the SAT and ACT exams, many of us taking them over and over again until our scores were high enough to qualify for the school of our choice. But now, on top of trying to pass our classes, participating in multiple after-school activities, and figuring out how to complete our National Honor Society volunteer hours by the end of the semester, we had to think about where we wanted to spend the next four years of our life and what we wanted to do there. Our day planners were full of due dates - some for homework, some for university applications, and - of course - there were dozens of scholarships to consider. Sadly, unlike our daily assignments, there would be no peace after these college applications were complete because that only meant it was time to wait and see if we would be accepted or rejected. I had heard that college is supposed to be the best time of your life, but I felt like it had kind of made my life into a living nightmare.

I think high school kids these days are being given a very one-sided view of what getting an education is all about. Because academic excellence is such a determining factor in how much funding a school receives, students are being pressured more than ever to make top marks and apply to prestigious schools. It used to be that applying for college was only discussed in detail when students began preparing to take the SAT and ACT exams at the end of their junior year. But now, orientations for incoming freshman focus more on succeeding in college than they do on succeeding in high school! Right off the bat these boys and girls are lectured about how important it is to choose the right classes and maintain a high GPA so that they will be eligible for a rigorous four year university. Electives and extra curricular programs designed to help students broaden their horizons and discover their talents are being cut from the budget. Recreation, creativity and individual expression are being down-played in favor of traditional scholarship. All the while, these kids are laboring under the weight of this idea (often, though unintentionally, planted by college counselors) that unless they have a perfect report card and get accepted into a "good" school, they will never get the job they want. No wonder applying to college is often more intimidating than exciting!

Most young people I have talked to believe that going to college and getting a degree is something you do purely out of a desire to get a high paying job. While that may be the general idea behind a higher education, I think teens would really benefit from hearing what we college graduates have learned from experience - that college is about so much more than just going to class and earning a degree. Classes and homework only fill so many hours of the day (sometimes too many...). But outside of the world of academia there are countless opportunities to be challenged and encounter things that are altogether new and unexpected and wonderful! Somewhere between learning how to survive on one's own, figuring out how to build meaningful and lasting relationships, and actively pursuing one's dreams, each student gets to define who they are as a person and begin their life anew. I often felt that the most important lessons I learned during my years in college came from outside of the classroom. College is not about learning to be a student, it is about learning to be an adult - and that extends far beyond the career field into every facet of our being. Indeed, most college graduates that I have talked to say that choosing to attend one school over another was crucial - not because it gave them the key to achieving their career goals - but because the experiences they had at that specific institution helped shape them into the people they are today.

This is especially true when it comes to spirituality. Up until this point, most children have lived with whatever spiritual guidance their parents have given them, and may not have given much thought to their religion. However, when they go off to college, their eyes will inevitably be opened to many different ways of thinking and acting. They will then be at a great crossroads in their life: do they choose to live by faith, or do they allow other priorities to consume them? Unless a student takes the initiative to join a church or seek out Christian fellowship, their spiritual life is guaranteed to suffer. Without a strong sense of moral guidance, it is far too easy to slip into all kinds of unhealthy habits that will harm one's studies, personal health, and relationships. I believe that very few young Christians deliberately walk away from the church. It's more likely that their faith simply falls by the wayside as a result of poor social influences or a lack of motivation. (Sleeping in on Sundays is way easier than getting up for church, trust me!)

Therefore, I think it would be a big help for students - especially those who have grown up in the church - to be aware of the many things that they will encounter upon entering the collegiate universe, and to have a source of guidance and encouragement when it comes to making the most of their time. There are all kinds of books out there about learning to survive in college, but I think that is a very low aspiration. This book dives deeper into the emotional and spiritual realms and gives some practical advice about how to really live it up. College can and will be one of the best times in a young person's life if only they will strive to thrive!