Q & A (from: What to Know Before Attending College)

I opened up the option for several people who will be starting college within the next couple of years to ask me questions about what college is like, so here they are along with my attempt to answer them.

Q:  What is dorm life like?

A:  This really depends on where you go.  For me, dorm life was pretty awesome.  I had an amazing RA and met the guys that have become some of my closest friends.  My advice: don’t be shy.  Leave your door open when you’re in the dorm, introduce yourself to people, and hang out with complete strangers.  Just don’t become a hermit that spends all of your free time alone in your dorm.

Q:  What do you wish you did before college and what are you glad that you did?

A:  This is kind of two different questions, but they both have the same answer.  I wish I had spent more time with family and friends from home before I left, and I am glad that I spent the time with them that I did.  You realize how important someone really is in your life when you don’t see them as often as you used to.

Q:  What is there to do outside of school work?

A:  This really depends on your hobbies and the town that your college is in.  I would suggest learning as much about the community around your school as possible.  For me, there is a lot of outdoorsy stuff to do around Cookeville.  I love being outside, so a lot of the free time I have is spent at a park or a waterfall.  Make friends with some locals too so that they can show you around and give you an idea of what there is to do around town.

Q:  How can I make friends and what kind of stuff is there to get involved in?

A:  Be friendly and be outgoing.  Feel free to talk to people before class starts.  Find clubs and organizations that focus on things you like to do.  If you like sports, intramurals are an awesome way to meet new people.  Sororities and fraternities can be a good way to meet people too, but if you’re gonna go that route, find one that isn’t just one big party.  Find a sorority or fraternity that gives back to the community or that focuses on God (those may be hard to find but they do exist).  I mentioned it in the previous post, but get involved with a local church or campus outreach program, or both!  More than just attend it, find a way to volunteer.  Trust me; this will benefit you as much as it does them, if not more.

Q:  How much free time will I have?

A:  This was covered a little in the previous blog also, but I will restate what I said earlier.  This depends on your major, how many credit hours you take, and what you involve yourself with outside of school work.  My first semester I tried taking 18 credit hours and working 32+ hours per week at two different jobs.  I highly recommend NOT doing that.  I had absolutely zero free time and not a whole lot of sleep.  After the first couple of weeks of school, find a good rhythm.  Get into a groove and try to follow somewhat of a schedule with homework, sleep, and food.  Managing your time well will open up a lot of free time.

Q:  Am I going to be in debt forever?

A:  I hope not.  Whatever you want to do after college, find a school that has a good reputation in that field of study and isn’t insanely expensive.  Apply for tons of scholarships!  The school’s financial aid office should be able to help as well.  Just be smart with money both during college and after.

Q:  How do you room with someone that is not a family member, even if you were friends with them beforehand?

A:  Being roommates with someone can be a dangerous situation.  This is where you really, REALLY get to know who the person is that you may have thought you knew beforehand.  You get to see all of their flaws and mistakes, they get to see all of yours, and you both get to get on each other’s nerves.  For me, my situation with my current roommate is pretty awesome.  We were friends before we lived together, and we are some of the only people that I know that actually got closer while living together (instead of the average which is learning to hate the person you used to like).  There has to be a huge level of respect between the two of you.  Spending time with your roommate is a good thing, but you don’t have to spend every waking moment together.  Space is a good thing too.  Respect them and respect their stuff and everything should be fine.

Q:  Is the food averagely good?

A:  This question makes me laugh, especially knowing who it came from and their love of food.  At Tennessee Tech, it’s okay.  Some days are better than others.  The only other college that I have eaten at was Christian Brothers University in Memphis, and it has been the same as TTU, so I assume all the others are the same.  You might get bored of it after a while, but it’s not horrible.

What to Know Before Attending College

Before I say anything, I want you to read this verse.

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (ESV)

Don’t let college make you anxious!  Okay, now for the fun stuff.

Find A Local Church

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (ESV)

Even if school is only 45 minutes away, this can be a critical step, and needs to be a priority.  Every person I talked to that went through college before me said the same thing, and I’m about to say it: Find somewhere to get plugged in.  If you do not “plug in” (meaning find a club or organization, sport, etc. to get heavily involved with) you are setting yourself up for severe homesickness and failure.  I want to agree with that statement and take it a step further: Find a CHURCH to get plugged in!  Whatever else you get involved in, use that to reach people who are hurting, but don’t allow darkness around you to keep you from shining your light.  Be a light into the darkness!

Crazy Preachers

There are plenty of false prophets that wander around from campus to campus, some worse than others.  You may see them with bullhorns, big banners twisting scripture around to fit their agenda, or just yelling somewhere on campus.  There are a lot of different reasons that these people come to campus and the best way to deal with them is to ignore them.  A lot of them are actually distorting God’s word on purpose, hoping that someone who knows the truth will engage in an argument with them and they can try to engage in a physical fight.  The “preachers” (I use that term very loosely, they’re really just scum) that do this sort of thing are only on campus in hopes to be hit so they can sue the school.  As much as you may want to, don’t give them that privilege.

Destructive Down Time Vs. Relaxing Free Time

Down time is very important to rest your body and mind, but it can be very destructive as well.  The amount of free time you have can depend on the amount of hours you take, homework, your job if you work, any sports you may play, club events, alumni dinners, the list goes on.  The problem is, even very little down time at all can be just enough time to pick up bad habits.  Free time will happen; it’s how you use that time that will affect you.

A friend of mine put it this way.  Sure there are the big bad temptations that everyone knows you should try to stay away from if you want to live a Godly life (alcohol, drugs, sex, so much more. And yes these things are everywhere).  But where it can be easier to trip up, and you don’t even know you’re doing anything wrong, is when you find yourself eating because you’re bored, or watching too much TV, or surfing through the internet looking for something to entertain you.  While all of these things can be innocent and may not necessarily be sins, what are you gaining from them?  There are so many things (seriously, an unlimited amount of things) that can start to take place of your school work or time with the Lord.  That’s where these things become destructive. 

Stay On Top Of Homework

Homework in college can build up pretty quickly, and after just missing a few days you can suddenly feel swamped and completely overwhelmed.  Adding this kind of stress is unnecessary and can be very discouraging.  I have personally let homework go until I reached the point that I felt hopeless and like the semester was a lost cause.  Don’t let it get to that point.  Take care of homework sooner rather than later, and you can save yourself a lot of stress.

Dealing With Strong Temptations

Temptations are everywhere in college.  The question is not if you will be tempted, it’s where, when, and how you will deal with it.  It is so much easier to resist temptations if you make a decision before you are ever tempted about what you will and will not allow yourself to do.  That was pointed out to me by a friend, and once he mentioned it, I realized how right he was in saying it.

Spend Time With God

This may be the last thing mentioned, but it is by far the most important thing to do.

Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (ESV)

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (ESV)

Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (ESV)

I can tell you from personal experience: time with God does not make any of the struggles or stress (and there will be of both of those in college) go away.  What it does do for you, is give an unexplainable peace of mind, the power to push through hard times, and the clarity to think through whatever situation you may be in.  Not to mention, is an amazing way to spend the down time that I mentioned earlier.  A phrase I try to live by is this:

                Read daily, pray hourly, love every second.

These seven words are super loaded and I will explain them in further detail in another blog.  But for now, here’s a condensed explanation.  Your Bible is one of the ways God communicates with you.  He has so much advice that is far better than mine and it is all written down begging to be read.  Keep an open line of communication with God.  He wants to hear from you!  Finally, let love radiate from you. 

Heart and Lungs

Rhythmic steps; breathe in, then out; heart beating strong as blood and air flow throughout my body on a beautiful spring day. I’m feeling alive and strong. I’m running, when God decides to capture my attention for a moment and remind me of how I exist physically and how he hopes for me to exist spiritually.

Genesis 2:7- then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (ESV)

I was reminded that day that when I run, I experience an expansion of lung capacity. The more I run, the more easily I am able to move air. Likewise, my heart is a muscle which is strengthened by this exercise making it possible for life giving blood to flow through my body at a healthy rate due to a strong heart muscle at work.

What does my spiritual heart beat for? What breath are my spiritual lungs pushing? The Bible refers to God as the giver of life and the breath of life. Does my heart beat for Him? Do my lungs push His life giving breath to others around me? I must exercise my spiritual heart and lungs. He desires for me to experience a strong heart rhythm that beats with a sole purpose of bringing all of His children back in relationship with Him. He desires for me to have the capability of pushing so much of His air through my spiritual lungs that others around me will experience life because of His breath.

Father, I pray that my heart beats in perfect rhythm with yours; a heart that cries out for your lost children and rejoices when they find their way back home. I pray that your life giving breath flows through me and out to those around me that they may too feel so alive.

They’re just words…    until His breath flows through you!