RELEVANT U Issue 04

T H E CO L L E G E G U I D E F R O M R E L E VA N T M A G A Z I N E

UNDERGRAD

GRAD

SEMINARY

ARE YOU READY FOR MORE? THE REAL COST OF COLLEGE

HOW STUDENTS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

2 01 2-2 01 3 | I S S U E 0 4 | R E L E VA N T U . CO M

KEYS TO SURVIVING YOUR IMPENDING SPIRITUAL CRISIS

CONTENTS

84 GRAD SCHOOL 101

52 10 THINGS EVERY FRESHMAN NEEDS TO KNOW From being homesick to switching your major, here are the answers to top questions you’re going to ask.

HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR IMPENDING SPIRITUAL CRISIS

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The new environment, social circles, academic demands and exposure of college are sure to take their toll. Here’s how to emerge with your faith intact.

Is grad school the best decision for you right now? Get the skinny on the best questions to ask and what to consider before you take the plunge.

HOW TO HAVE A LIFE IN GRAD SCHOOL

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Grad school is about more than what happens in the classroom— right? Plus, grounding yourself outside your studies may just save your sanity and faith.

100 SEMINARY 101 A lot of thought, prayer and discernment go into the decision to apply to seminary. Here are the essentials to help you find your way through the process.

78 THE COST OF COLLEGE—UNDERSTANDING STUDENT LOANS

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KEEPING YOUR FAITH IN SEMINARY

With student loan debt skyrocketing, you need to stay informed on the real cost of your education and how to manage it well.

Connecting to God in seminary is harder than you’d think.

Practicing three key disciplines can keep your faith sustained while you move toward your call.

UNDERGRAD

GRAD

SEMINARY

SLICES 28

70 Your Guide to Relationships 62 Why College Students Will in College Change the World

88 Get More Than a Degree 92 The Roots of Stress 96 Why Go to Grad School?

106 Reorientation Through Disorientation 108 Online School FAQ 110 Do You Really Need a Seminary Education?

COLLEGE DIRECTORY 60

82 You Won’t Learn Everything 66 What Your Professors in College—and That’s OK Wish You Knew

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SLICES

TECHNOLOGY: A STUDENT’S BEST FRIEND & WORST ENEMY

THE NEW TECH EXPERTS

Research shows college students are increasingly dependent on— or addicted to—technology

Surprising—and unsurprising—stats on the digital state of young adults

students said they could not go 10 minutes without echnology is an inescapable part of checking an electronic device. In the classroom, this a college student’s life. But just how can lead to distraction, a decrease in skills and an connected are today’s young adults— increase in opportunities to cheat or plagiarize. and is it always a good thing?

Beyond academics, technology usage can have A study conducted by the Leadership other side effects. In a University of Maryland Studio revealed that 97 percent of young adults report, students who were asked not to use media have a Facebook page and 70 percent check it for 24 hours experienced symptoms similar to drug daily. Ninety-three percent own cell phones, with 83 and alcohol withdrawal. percent primarily communicating via text message.

Russell Rosenberg of the National Sleep Fifty-seven percent say they spend at least one hour Foundation says, “Unfortunately, cell phones and online each day. computers, which make our lives more productive Much of this wired-in time is productive. A and enjoyable, may be abused to the point that they survey from CourseSmart and Wakefield Research contribute to getting less sleep at night, showed 81 percent of college students leaving millions functioning poorly the use a computer to research papers, 70 next day.” percent to type notes and 65 percent Technology’s merits and dangers are to create presentations for class. When undeniable. As Barna Group president communicating with professors, 91 percent David Kinnaman says, “The Christian of students rely on email. community needs a better, more holistic But this technology dependency can Is technology understanding of how to manage existing sometimes reach unhealthy levels. In always a good and coming technological advances.” that same survey, 38 percent of college thing?

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Teens send and receive an average of 1,500 texts per month.

Thanks to multitasking, 8- to 18-year-olds fit 11 hours of media into 7 and a half hours each day.

75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds already own a cell phone.

27 percent of students say the most important item in their backpack is a laptop.

Almost half of college students say tablets will replace textbooks within five years.

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SLICES

THE DIPLOMAS OF THE 1%

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SABBATH Between classes, projects and trying to make it all fit into your schedule, being intentional about spiritual disciplines requires an added level of intentionality. Yet “remembering the Sabbath” has never been more important. Plan ahead to preserve time off, and decide how you’ll use those precious hours. Here are a few suggestions.

TAKE A DAY TRIP BY YOURSELF

FAST AND FEAST IN COMMUNITY

Every now and then, you may want to sabbath in solitude. Head to the beach, drive out of the city or plan an easy hike. Getting out and alone with God is a guaranteed head-clearer. Just be sure to bring your journal with you when you go.

Gather family and friends to spend the day together, fasting the first two meals. Push past the small talk to catch up and pray for any needs. Then prepare a fresh meal together for dinner and allow time to linger around the table.

PRACTICE WHAT YOU’RE LEARNING

UNPLUG FROM THE EXTRAS

If you’re in seminary, you are most likely learning a lot about spiritual disciplines, doctrine and traditions you haven’t experienced firsthand. Put justice into action at a homeless shelter, try contemplative prayer practices during your down time or explore Scriptures outside your curriculum.

Commit 24 hours to a technological detox—no emails, no phone calls, no social networking.

Take care of any business the night before, and don’t be afraid to let people know you’re observing a sabbath. (It’ll relieve the pressure of wondering who is trying to reach you.) Take notice, too, of how you respond. Is it harder than you expected to unplug?

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In the past year, the Occupy movement brought a lot of attention to the “1 percent.” The protesters also made the rising costs of college education one of their main complaints. But could a well-chosen college major be the only thing standing between the 99 percent and the wealthy 1? The New York Times sorted through the nation’s top earners to see if there is any link between their degrees and their current status. They found the most likely major to propel a student to the 1 percent is pre-med, followed by economics. Other majors that made the list are fairly obvious— political science, biology, international relations. However, if you want a more untraditional route to riches, there’s always animals—zoology somehow made it into the top four.

SLICES

H O W TO TR A VE L M O R E & SP E N D LE S S The great thing about being a student is getting several breaks to travel throughout the year. The bad thing is rarely being able to afford going anywhere. Here are a few tips to get away for a long weekend or summer trip without breaking the bank.

Don’t be hostile to hostels.

Hostelling International (www.hiayh. org) offers reasonable to downright cheap lodging across the world. You’ll meet new people, make new friends and find discounts for activities in the area.

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ARE MILLENNIALS ALL TALK? Jean Twenge, a psychology professor and h e M i l l e n n i a l g e n e ra t i o n — co-author of the study, says materialism and those born between 1981 “extrinsic values,” such as money, fame and and 2000—has developed a image, seem to be the driving forces of this reputation for being mindful of individualistic group, not community. The social issues. They’re prominent increase in volunteering? It’s often a school in political discussion, educate themselves requirement. And even though this generation about the world, push for conservation seems to be at the forefront of and advocate for human rights ... environmental movements, 12 right? According to a study in the percent more Baby Boomers (those Journal of Personality and Social born from 1946 to 1964) also say Psychology, maybe not. creation care is important.

Though Millennials show evidence Looks like there’s still some of “good trends,” like volunteering growing up to do. Let’s hold out and resisting prejudice, their Millennials’ hope that all that do-gooding will underlying motives aren’t always as motives may not change the ones doing it, too. selfless as they seem. be so selfless.

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Travel with friends. Driving together to the airport can save on parking. Renting a small house instead of a hotel room can save on lodging.

Group discounts + friends = a better trip.

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Do your online research. Search your destination’s local Chamber of Commerce to find out about upcoming activities and events. Visit Frommers.com and Fodors.com, or use a road trip app like “MicroTrip.It” to find local restaurants, attractions and must-dos.

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Last-minute deals. These lurk in abundance for the spontaneous, flexible traveler. Sites such as Groupon.com/getaways, LivingSocial.com/ escapes, WeekendWebsavers.com, ChoiceHotels.com and RentalCarGuide.com offer last-minute rates.

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Camp. You don’t need a hotel to go on a road trip. Take your tents and sleeping bags, and map out a trip of campground stops. Bonus: nature!

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SLICES

GRAD SCHOOL SURVIVAL KIT Grad school can be a grind, and it’s OK to step away now and then. Whether you need a five-minute breather or a mini-vacation, we’ve rounded up a few diversions you won’t feel guilty giving into.

PLANT VEGETABLES, MAKE FRIENDS Maybe you don’t have time to cultivate your own plant bed, but there are about 18,000 community gardens in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout North America. Exercise your green thumb and give back to your neighborhood by connecting with the community garden nearest you. www.communitygarden.org

GET LOST IN A BOOK Like a twist on those choose-yourown-adventure books, this interactive notebook presents a mystery only you can solve. Pick up your mission whenever you need to put down your homework. www.kerismith.com/shop

AN INTERNET TREND WE CAN GET BEHIND Let’s be real: Planking is just kind of annoying. Stocking, on the other hand, is hilarious. Take pictures of yourself copying a cheesy stock photo, post them beside the originals, and then gather your diverse colleagues in suits to high-five for a stock well done. www.stockingisthenewplanking.com

CRASH AT A STRANGER’S HOUSE If you want to get out of town (or the country) for a long weekend and don’t want to spend money on a pricey hotel, then browse privately owned and moderately priced listings worldwide at Airbnb. Hosts rent out unique spaces, ranging from treehouses and tugboats to spacious lofts. www.airbnb.com

GOOGLE’S GOT YOUR BACK

EVERYTHING YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU WANTED TO KNOW

Looks like Google’s at it again. With this new (and free!) cloud service, any music you upload automatically appears in your online collection. Take all your songs on the go without taking up space on your phone or iPod. music.google.com

How do airplanes work? How do you survive a shipwreck?

The team at HowStuffWorks answers all your big and small questions. And now you can get their podcasts, articles and videos delivered to you through their iPad and iPhone apps. www.howstuffworks.com

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UNDERGRAD

READY, SET, COLLEGE A new study shows college freshmen think high school didn’t prepare them enough known better what awaited them, 40 percent said they igh school can often become an wanted more math skills, closely followed by 37 percent overachieving scramble to be the most who wanted more job training. Thirty-three percent prepared for college. But when SATs are wanted more science instruction, 29 percent could scored and acceptance letters are read, have used more writing, and 26 percent wished they’d do incoming freshmen find themselves gotten more research practice. equipped for the coursework ahead?

While many felt high school wasn’t enough A recent College Board survey of college freshmen to prepare them for the college classroom, an showed a high school diploma hardly guarantees a overwhelming majority said high school is not person is ready for higher education. One-third of the enough education for today’s world. Ninety percent students surveyed said high school did not do a good job agreed that continuing education is for everybody, preparing them for college. and 86 percent felt a college degree is worth the More than half—54 percent—said college courses time and expense. were harder than expected. Twenty-four percent could Ready or not, freshmen still embark on not adequately handle basic coursework and an academic journey that positively impacts had to resort to remedial courses. In the end, 16 the rest of their life. As College Board percent of students participating in the study president Gaston Caperton says, “This did not finish their first year of college. survey clearly demonstrates that young Who is responsible for this poor preparation— Are incoming Americans value education and understand the instructors or the pupils? Looking back, 44 freshmen percent of students surveyed wished they’d equipped for the that it takes hard work to be successful in college and beyond.” taken different high school courses. Had they road ahead?

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TI PS FOR CHOOSI NG COL L E GE CL A SSE S Visit your academic advisor often. Bring all your paperwork, and ask questions. It’s their job to answer them.

Don’t wait until registration day to decide what courses you want. Create a preliminary schedule, and sign up for classes as soon as registration opens.

Space out your tougher classes.

Try two or three difficult courses each term, adding geneds and electives for variety.

Read faculty evaluations, and ask students which professors are their favorites.

Post your degree audit sheet— listing courses needed for your major—above your desk, crossing off classes as you go.

UNDERGRAD

[BREAKDOWN]

STAYING HEALTHY IN COLLEGE The “freshman 15” isn’t the only health danger of college life. College students are notorious for poor eating, sleeping and exercise habits. Follow these pointers to prioritize healthy habits.

MAKE TIME TO EXERCISE

GET TO THE GYM

With the way class schedules usually round out, you’ll have pockets of free time throughout the day. Rather than spending 45 minutes at the café or catching a quick nap, take a jog around campus.

You probably have a free or discounted gym on campus, so set a time at least three days a week to meet a friend there—someone who isn’t your roommate or a close friend who you’d easily bail on. Meeting at the gym will actually get you there even if he/she doesn’t show.

USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM Ask a close friend or roommate to keep you accountable in the cafeteria when you’re tempted to bypass fruit for french fries. Do your grocery shopping together so you can split healthier snack purchases.

AVOID DRIVING If it’s practical, get to and from classes on foot or bicycle. It’s a healthier—and greener— transportation option. See how long you can go without breaking out your car keys.

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DRINK WATER Though it would seem the axis of college social life is the coffeehouse, view caffeine as a rare reward rather than a daily requirement. Water is cheaper and offers a number of health benefits, from relieving headaches and aiding digestion to improving skin and reducing cancer risk. Start the day with a bottle of water before your usual coffee cup—you may find you don’t need the latter after all.

E N E RG Y D RIN KS Are they worth staying up for?

An energy drink addiction is practically a prerequisite for late nights of study, but did you know most energy drinks contain 200 mg of caffeine—seven times the amount contained in a can of Coca-Cola? One energy drink contains 260 calories or more, and just two servings of Red Bull account for 20 percent of your recommended daily sodium intake— not to mention that energy drinks are often linked to heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. But don’t worry—you can still get that needed boost in healthier ways. Fatigue is often caused by dehydration, so drink plenty of water. Don’t skip breakfast. Keep healthy snacks, like granola, on hand, and take time to actually sit and enjoy lunch. If you really need caffeine, a cup of coffee with skim or soy milk is OK. Of course, the best defense against fatigue won’t be found in the refrigerator but in getting at least seven hours of sleep each night.

UNDERGRAD

INTENTIONAL LIVING: DORM STYLE Yo u ’ r e n o t e n t i r e l y o n y o u r o w n y e t , b u t s o m e s i m p l e l i f e s t y l e c h a n g e s c a n c r e a t e sustainable, considerate and efficient habits that endure post-college

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Save old study guides and class notes instead of throwing them away. See if anyone else who has yet to take the course can use them.

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Invest in energy-efficient bulbs for your lamps and light fixtures. Always turn them off when leaving the room.

GREEN BY NUMBERS Save up to $250 by eliminating individually packaged and disposable food products.

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Opt for e-books when you can, or buy secondhand books and give any you don’t want at the end of the semester to your school library or a used bookstore.

Share food and other supplies with your roommate as much as possible. Go in together on snacks, meals, detergent, soap and even school supplies.

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Buy fewer towels and reuse them a couple times before throwing them in the dirty laundry.

Before the semester is over, sort through your closet and take what you don’t often wear to a shelter, thrift store or Salvation Army.

Did You Know ... ?

Monitors use up to 60 percent of the energy consumed by your computer.

Energy Star–qualified office equipment cuts annual energy bills by 30 percent.

Among students who live within two miles of school, only 2.5 percent ride their bikes to get there.

About 80 percent of the energy used to wash clothes goes toward heating the water.

UNDERGRAD

[INSIDE TRACK]

A CRASH COURSE IN HOLLYWOOD From the small screen to the silver screen, there’s no shortage of college life depicted in Hollywood. However, those fictional campuses usually swarm with stereotypes and drama while touching lightly on true college activities like, say, studying. Here’s how a few well-known shows and movies about undergrads stack up to reality.

FELICITY: Everyone who is anyone either works at or spends all their free time at Dean & Deluca.

REAL LIFE: If you’re a college student living in New York City, you will likely go to Dean & Deluca once—to buy overpriced preserves for your mother.

COMMUNITY:

Any time you need to bribe the dean into letting you pass a class, he’s only a high-pitched yell away.

WAN T TO G O PRO? GO I V Y LEAG UE F I R ST

REAL LIFE: While it’s good to cultivate friendships with faculty, don’t expect to find a dean who would do anything to be accepted by your study group.

GOSSIP GIRL: When you leave your posh loft for dorm life, you can bring all of your huge furniture and extravagant wardrobe with you.

Some of the nation’s best athletes came from its best colleges Jeremy Lin, the first American-born NBA player of Chinese descent and the athlete who spawned “Linsanity,” also holds the distinction of being one of the few Harvard grads to make it in the pro league. However, Lin is in good company; the Ivy Leagues have produced some of the nation’s greatest professional sports legends.

Current Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick also hails from Lin’s alma mater. NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Bradley was once a Rhodes scholar at prestigious Princeton University.

Both the New York Yankees’ Lou Gehrig and Washington Redskins’ George Starke studied at Columbia University.

And once upon a time, NFL running back Calvin Hill was just a student at Yale University, rubbing elbows with fraternity brother George W. Bush.

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REAL LIFE: Get ready for plastic common-room chairs, flourescent lighting and a shared closet that holds 20 items, tops.

SAVED BY THE BELL—THE COLLEGE YEARS:

All of the cool kids and the one lovable nerd you were friends with in high school will stick with you in college.

REAL LIFE: It’s unlikely your high school group of friends will wind up at the same college, especially one so small that you see each other every day.

LEGALLY BLONDE: If you skip a couple sorority parties, you’ll have plenty of study time to ace the LSATS.

REAL LIFE: Going to law school on a whim to follow an ex is neither a good idea nor a likely success.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK: If you sort of steal the idea for a wildly successful website from your classmates and never tell them, it’s possible you’ll be sued for millions of dollars.

REAL LIFE:

Yeah, that’s pretty much how this one is going to work out.

GRAD & SEMINARY

TOP 10

MBA PROGR AMS WITH SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL EMPHASIS

MBA s AREN’T ALWAYS BUSINESS AS USUAL Some schools now prepare students for social stewardship “The financial crisis caused schools to any students pursue post-graduate be more introspective about what they are education with hopes of highteaching,” says Judy Samuelson, Aspen’s paying jobs or bolstered résumés. director of business and society. “They were But with suffering economies criticized for being part of the problem and not around the world, a stronger part of the solution. And that has created an emphasis on social justice, and a growing environment where faculty can innovate and knowledge of environmental needs, many make change.” students now demand degrees preparing them Several schools across the country have to confront these issues—and schools are rising responded to this shift. Duke University has a to meet the demand. few socially minded programs, including one A survey conducted by the Aspen Institute focused on energy and the environment, and Center for Business Education ranks MBA Tulane University sends students to study in programs by social and environmental impact, Latin America to see firsthand the evaluating the availability of courses repercussions of industrialization and containing social, environmental economic policies. and ethical content and how many “The reason we are seeing change courses deal with the intersection of is that the Millennials are demanding social issues in business. Since 2009, Schools are it,” Samuelson says. “[They] want the Aspen Institute has seen a 38 rising to meet business to be seen in the context of percent rise in finance departments demand for the big issues of our day.” requiring such courses. ethical programs.

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1. Stanford Graduate School of Business

2. University of Notre Dame

3. Yale School of Management

4. Northwestern University

5. University of Michigan

6. Cornell University

7. University of North Carolina

8. UC Berkeley

9. GWU School of Business

10. Columbia Business School

GRAD & SEMINARY

LAND A GOOD PART-TIME JOB Perhaps you’re fortunate enough to have a full-time job and plan to support yourself when you go back to school. If you’re like most people in grad school or seminary, though, a full course load will prevent you from settling into a career until you have that diploma in hand.

But don’t worry—a number of respectable part-time positions can help you cover expenses.

Here are a few part-time options that can add great experience to your résumé.

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN It will require some training and certification, but as most pharmacies are open all the time, it’s easy to get hours outside of your classes. // Median hourly wage: $13.65

FITNESS INSTRUCTOR You’ll likely only have to work a few hours a couple nights a week, and your workout routine won’t go by the wayside. // Median hourly wage: $14.95

LIBRARY ASSISTANT Jobs that allow time to catch up on class reading? Always a good option. // Median hourly wage: $12.66

CREATIVE FREELANCING You probably need a creative outlet as it is—why not make a little money on your design, photography or writing talents? // Median hourly wage: $14-$26.64

RESEARCH ASSISTANT Check with your university for upcoming research projects that could provide learning experiences and temporary work. // Median hourly wage: $12.41

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W A L L E T - F R I E N D LY BUDGET IDEAS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE SERVICES Your campus may have many free resources, academic and otherwise.

Also, show preference to businesses that offer student discounts.

SHARE CLASS MATERIALS Look for students who don’t mind sharing the cost of books, DVDs, technology or other course materials.

CRAIGSLIST IT UP What gadgets, furniture or instruments can you afford to live without? Price and post them while you have the nerve.

TALK TO YOUR BOSS If you’re already in a stable job you’d like to keep, it never hurts to ask your employer if they might honor your commitment and contribute to the cost of your tuition.

THINK PRACTICAL Gift lists are fun, but let’s be honest: We don’t always ask for what we really need. Put thought into your birthday and holiday gift requests this year, or ask for financial support.

Listening generously.

Counseling across cultures.

Bridging differences.

Questioning assumptions.

Theological education for What’s Next.

Lynn Hasselbarth

800.264.1839 | www.lpts.edu

Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy dual degree Student Schenectady, NY

[GEAR] GRAD & SEMINARY

Once you get your home office together, the next step is finding the right supplies. Here are a few ecofriendly and fair-trade options for your workspace.

IPAD CASE shop.indegoafrica.org Made by women of Rwanda out of banana-leaf weaving and wax cloth.

TEAK WOOD BOOKMARK

HOME-SWEET-HOME OFFICE As a grad or seminary student, you’ve likely forsaken the dorm room by now to live in your own place with roommates or family, making your home your primary classroom. It’s time to set up shop in a way that benefits your study habits and doesn’t detract from your ability to get things done. Browse Craigslist, break out the file cabinets and follow these helpful tips to create a unique and functional space.

YOUR OFFICE SHOULD BE YOUR O N LY O F F I C E Reserve the living room for entertainment, the kitchen for eating, the bedroom for rest and so on. Limiting your work to one room primes you to be productive in that space— and to relax when you leave it. Ask your spouse, children or roommates to respect your office space as well, whether it’s a whole room or just a desk.

GO FOR FUNCTIONAL, NOT JUST FASHIONABLE When setting up your space, place priority on where electric outlets are located, what equipment you’ll use most, where you can hide cables and how natural light will affect your ability to work on screen. Let the decorative aspects follow suit.

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GET ORGANIZED Maybe your normal approach is to jump into your work, setting up a couple junk drawers from the get-go and attempting to tame your mess into submission along the way. Not anymore.

Establish designated drawers, shelves and activity stations right from the start­—and stick to them.

www.planetonegifts.com This fair-trade, hand-engraved bookmark is recycled from wooden houses in Thailand.

RECYCLED PENCILS www.treesmart.com These utensils sharpen better than wood and are made from old newspapers.

INVEST IN GOOD FURNITURE Buying a cheap desk and bookcase might seem like an easy answer—until the shelves start sagging and the chair snaps in half.

Create a workspace you’ll be happy to use for the long haul, even if it costs you more at first. You can also check out antique malls or secondhand stores for good deals, opting for practical with a tinge of vintage classy.

RECYCLED PAPER www.buygreen.com Print assignments on paper that is 100-percent post-consumer waste and processed chlorine-free.

Make no little plans here.

CHRIST’S CHAPEL ON THE CAMPUS OF ORU

Be fully equipped with a world-class, Holy Spirit empowered education to lead your world.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS THEOLOGY & MINISTRY PhD in Ministry MA in Divinity MA in Biblical Literature MA in Theological & Historical Studies MA in Christian Counseling MA in Missions MA in Practical Theology

www.oru.edu

EDUCATION

PhD in Educational Leadership MA in Education

BUSINESS

Masters in Business Administration (MBA) MA in Not for Profit Management

admissions@oru.edu Tulsa, Oklahoma

800.643.7976

GRAD & SEMINARY

A PH.D. IN MEAT? Maybe a traditional post-graduate education just isn’t for you. Maybe your special interests demand something more. Or maybe you just like raising eyebrows when asked about your studies. In any case, here are some of the most unique academic pursuits we could find at the grad-school level.

MASTER OF ARTS IN FOLKLORE The University of California at Berkeley offers courses that “investigate our endless fascination with, attraction to and revulsion at awesome spectacles—displays of the marvelous and monstrous.”

M.S. IN GAMING AND CASINO MANAGEMENT It might seem shady, but the rapidly growing industry actually merits an emphasized hospitality degree at Drexel University.

MASTER’S IN MEAT SCIENCE Vegetarians need not apply. This carnivorous college program is offered in several livestock states.

M.F.A. IN BLACKSMITHING The University of Southern Illinois has been churning out expert metalsmiths since 1968.

GRAD SCHOOL DOs AND DON’Ts When it comes to applying for grad school or seminary, it’s the details that can make or break you. Here are some small but important things to consider as a prospective grad student.

DO • • • • •

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN PACKAGING Who knew boxing, bagging and wrapping were so complex? Dozens of schools offer this degree for professionals in the packing field.

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Start the application process one to one-and-a-half years before you plan to enroll.

Try to submit all application materials at the same time.

Have at least two other people read and proofread your application and essay.

Ask for reference letters at least six months before your deadline.

Keep a copy of everything you submit.

DON’T • • • • •

Leave blank spaces. Always provide an explanation for missing information.

Put off financial aid and scholarship applications until you’re accepted somewhere.

Write in script. Type as much as possible, and handwrite carefully in print.

Apply and let lie. Follow up with admissions after a couple weeks.

Get too creative with personal essays. Be honest, clear and thorough.

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FROM BEING HOMESICK TO SWITCHING YOUR MAJOR, HERE ARE THE ANSWERS TO TOP QUESTIONS YOU’RE GOING TO ASK

BY DENNIS TRITTEN

T

he year was 1972, and I felt just like Dorothy must have when she took those first steps into the Land of Oz. I was entering a new world at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, surrounded by 12,000 complete strangers— and my whole life ahead of me.

I remember having such mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was awestruck by my new surroundings and all the adventures and people that awaited me.

On the other hand, I realized my life would never be the same—my family and friends were far away, and I had so many decisions to make on my own.

Was I up to the challenge?

As you face your freshman year, you’re likely experiencing the same mixed emotions. You’ve just begun a personal adventure called “life in the real world” and are about to experience the most significant time of change, growth, personal discovery, social adjustment and decision-making you’ll likely ever face—all in a compressed time period. Life as you know it will never be the same.

With all this change, you’ll inevitably experience some discouragement and selfdoubt. To guide you through the turbulence, we’ve selected 10 of the most common concerns students face in college—as well as encouragement and practical wisdom to conquer them.

WHAT IF I’M NOT ACCEPTED INTO THE COLLEGE OF MY CHOICE? In today’s globally competitive world, colleges are far more selective than ever in their admissions process. They’re inundated with applications but limited in the number they can accept. The end result is that students—even those with 4.0 GPAs— are increasingly rejected by their “first choice” universities.

The good news is there are many paths to your eventual career and your success is not dependent upon whether you begin at a specific college. Life will always consist of Plan As, Plan Bs and so on, and your college selection is a perfect example. Successful people are flexible and make the most of the opportunities they’ve been given.

They’re forward-looking and not haunted by “what if’s.”

As your career plans develop, they may require transferring to another college if yours doesn’t offer the major and qualifications needed to land a great job in your chosen field. Most colleges accept transfer students who have demonstrated good academics, and this may open up opportunities to reapply to your firstchoice college after your first or second years. That said, most students grow to love their college and find it an excellent choice after landing there.

Finally, it always pays to remember God has a plan for your life. Trusting Him for direction means accepting that your path may look different than you’d hoped (Proverbs 16:9; Jeremiah 29:11). So, who’s to say your first choice was really the best choice after all?

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND A GOOD CHURCH? If you’re relocating to a new area, one of your top priorities will be developing new connections to grow your spiritual life.

This might involve finding a new church, participating in campus faith-based organizations or discipleship groups, or even starting a Bible study or accountability

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WHAT IF I’M HAVING A HARD TIME MAKING NEW FRIENDS?

TOO MUCH INDECISION AND CHANGE WILL EXTEND YOUR COLLEGE CAREER AND MULTIPLY YOUR COSTS. group yourself. A thriving spiritual life involves participating in community with other believers, and there are many avenues waiting for you.

When it comes to finding a new church, remember it may take time for one to grow on you. Pray about it. Talk to friends and the leaders of your campus faith-based organizations about your beliefs and denominational preferences, and try a few of them.

Chances are, it’ll take more than one visit to know if a church is a good fit. See if they offer special evening

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programs specifically for college students and young adults.

A number of college transition organizations and websites are designed to help students find churches in their area. It pays to research these sites before you arrive at college so you have a head start on finding your new worship home.

If you need to, take advantage of the many sermons available on podcasts and websites. Technology is making it easy to stay spiritually nourished, no matter the distance.

But, of course, you’re meant to be in community with other believers, so finding a new worship home should be a top priority.

For most people, the greatest social adjustment comes after leaving high school. After years spent building friendships, now everyone is scattered.

Two things will guide you through this transition and help you make great new friends: the right attitude and the right methods.

Starting with attitude, it’s important to remember that everyone is going through the same adjustment. You are by no means alone, and God is there to guide you. Your current friends appreciate you for your qualities and your shared interests, and new ones will do the same. Remember, it took years to build the friendships you now hold dear.

And besides, all of this takes time.

Some of us are naturally more outgoing than others, but there are methods to gaining friends regardless of personality. First, put yourself out there.

Get plugged into clubs, organizations, groups and recreational activities that fit your interests and values. In time, you’ll find this mega-place feels a lot smaller than it does right now.

Challenge yourself to become more outgoing and proactive. Be positive, fun, inquisitive and a good listener.

See where other people’s values and interests intersect with yours. If nothing surfaces, that’s OK; some people are meant to remain acquaintances.

Finally, be patient and selective.

Enjoy the company of like-minded believers with thriving spiritual lives (2 Timothy 2:22). It takes time to build trust and determine who will become a true friend.

WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND THE RIGHT MAJOR? Selecting your major is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in college, and everyone has a unique timetable. Many enter college with a major in mind, only to change it soon after. In fact, the average student changes his or her major several times in college. Your best bet is to enter college with your ideal major written in pencil.

Because this decision is so important, though, you’ll need to do intensive research to get it right. Your major and your eventual career will determine your livelihood and how

MAKE A DENT LEAVE A MARK DO BIG THINGS GROW IN FAITH EARN COLLEGE CREDIT PURSUE A CAREER EXPERIENCE MINISTRY IMPACT ETERNITY

DOSOMETHINGEPIC.COM

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you spend much of your waking hours. Here are some helpful suggestions to find a major that will fit you like a glove.

Thoroughly examine your interests, skills, and passions. Select a job you’ll excel at and enjoy.

Research career opportunities and job outlooks for the majors you’re considering. Avoid majoring in something that has little career value—college is too expensive for that.

Consider your lifestyle and work-style preferences. Is it a good personal fit?

Assess the training and qualification requirements.

Are they realistic and achievable? There’s a world of difference between becoming a brain surgeon or a clerk, for example.

Talk with professionals in those careers to understand the plusses and minuses. Actively pursue job shadowing and internship opportunities. Learn about the income potential and how people are paid and rewarded.

And remember, you can always change your major, but do so with great care. Too much indecision and change will extend your college career and multiply your costs.

Sooner than you can imagine, you’ll be faced with new social opportunities and activities that could have profound, longterm consequences. College is a bubble full of thousands of young people with newfound freedom and widely diverse values—and don’t think that isn’t the case at Christian colleges, too.

WHAT IF I GET HOMESICK?

The fact is, far too many college students have been derailed (or worse) because they got into destructive situations with destructive people. Bad choices can be made when it comes to sexual relationships, drugs, alcohol and more, and these can have devastating long-term consequences. Choose wisely.

So, how do you stay true to your beliefs and values when presented with potentially harmful situations in college?

Avoid getting yourself into these situations in the first place. There’s no better strategy than risk avoidance.

Honor your values and choices ahead of time so that when invited to participate, it’s easier to say “No, thanks” and leave. Flee from morally compromising situations, and engage in healthy living.

Preserve your reputation and integrity at all costs. You’re the one who has to live with the consequences.

Focus your life on positive opportunities and positive people, and avoid those who pressure you to compromise your values. If you have to

Since leaving for college is one of life’s greatest transitions, there’s a good chance you’ll indeed get homesick. And as you look ahead to a bright future with new adventures, you’ll also realize life will never be the same. There’s a sense of loss in what has passed.

You are now in control of your future, and your support network assumes the role of an advisor. It takes time to adjust to this new normal.

As you develop new friends and deeply engage in college life, your homesickness will subside. College will become your second home. In the meantime, focus your attention on making new friends while keeping in touch with your current friends and family. Visit home during key holidays and breaks, but avoid coming home more than that. Immersing yourself in college life will help you navigate this period of social adjustment that much better.

It’s important to remember this is a major transition time for your parents, too. Their role is changing from “control” to “influence,” just as your role is changing from “reliance” to “independence.” They’ll miss you and will probably struggle with how much contact is too much or too little. Walk through this new transition together, and give them the gift of your understanding.

It will be a tremendous blessing and will help your relationship evolve in a mature and loving manner.

WHAT IF THE COLLEGE SOCIAL SCENE CHALLENGES MY VALUES? If the U.S. military describes its wartime strategy as “shock and awe,” the college social scene can be termed as one of “awe and shock.” Many songs and movies have portrayed the social goings-on at college— and no, they’re not always fictional.

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change who you are to be accepted by someone else, they’re not worth it.

Remember, you are the one responsible for your actions and decisions. Be selective and patient with yourself.

WHAT IF I’M STRUGGLING TO DEVELOP GOOD DISCIPLINES? Gone are the days when you were clothed, fed and shuttled to school and activities by your parents. They aren’t there to bug

THINK OF YOUR LIFE AS A STUDENT LIKE IT IS YOUR JOB. YOU’RE THERE FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE: TO LEARN, EXPLORE AND SET A COURSE FOR YOUR FUTURE CAREER. you about your homework or monitor your grades on a daily basis anymore.

You’re now in the driver’s seat of the rest of your life.

Think of your life as a student like it is your job. You’re there for a specific purpose: to learn, explore and set a course for your future career. You’re investing substantial time and money in this life endeavor, and you’re expecting a future return. Therefore, you need to take your job as a student seriously and be disciplined in how you live during this time.

Many students struggle because they’re presented with so many opportunities and so much new freedom at college that they forget why they came there in the first place. But focusing on the target and prioritizing accordingly means academics come before a social life.

Manage your time as a precious asset.

This involves keeping prioritized to-do lists of key tasks and devoting your time accordingly. It also means blocking your time to allow needed focus and avoid repeat distractions. It means doing the most important things first. It means saying no to fun when the work isn’t done.

Discipline also mean staying healthy, exercising, eating right, sleeping enough and regularly washing your clothes. It isn’t rocket science. More than anything else, it’s a matter of how seriously you’re taking your college mission. In the end, it’s about your priorities and focus.

UNDERGRAD

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY?

RESOURCES FOR NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS

Money, money, money. Oh, the new ways you’ll find to spend it! Money problems are one of the most common reasons students get off track and prematurely end their college careers.

Until you’re in college, it’s hard for you and your parents to truly know how much it will cost. Tuition is one thing, but what about books, fraternity/sorority fees, entertainment costs, student fees for sporting events, furnishing your dorm and so on? It’s a learning process for you and your parents, and you should discuss this together.

Thankfully, you have several options if money gets tight. First, pray for guidance and wisdom. Speak with financial aid counselors. If you can, get a part-time job, work-study position or paid internship, and work during the summer as well. Apply for more scholarships and grants. Create a budget to ensure you’re living within your means. You’ll soon learn the value of frugal living and determining needs versus wants.

Did you notice that taking on credit card debt was not on the list above? Unfortunately, far too many students ruin their college careers by abusing credit cards and treating them like free money. While getting a credit card is a decision to make jointly with your parents, it pays to use debit cards in the early college years. If the time comes for you to get a credit card, commit to paying off the entire balance each month rather than allowing the balance to build. An easy rule of thumb is: Only use a credit card if you would have paid cash for the same item. Don’t let yourself fall into the credit-card trap.

WHAT I WISH I KNEW AT 18

WHAT IF MY FAITH IS TESTED? During your college years, you’ll encounter people of all faiths—and some with none at all. Everyone is on a faith journey (whether they admit it or not), and you’re no different. You’ll inevitably confront people who disagree with your specific beliefs throughout life.

Your college years are a great time to explore and strengthen your faith. This time provides great opportunities to model your faith and respectfully share it with others. Your actions will speak volumes to the unbeliever, and your words should be presented with humility and without harshness.

When challenged, respond with conviction but in a welcoming manner (1 Peter 3:15).

Finally, the courses you’ll take, the people you’ll meet and the experiences you’ll gain will trigger new spiritual questions. Exploring the answers can deepen your faith and expand your understanding of God. Plus, God desires you to ask questions, explore your doubts and get to know Him better.

WHAT IF MY GRADES SUFFER? There’s more at stake with college academics, so the pressure is greater. It doesn’t help that there are fewer grading opportunities and so every exam counts much

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Dennis Trittin offers tips for success in finances, relationships, academics and more.

CHRISTIANCOLLEGE GUIDE.NET Advice on finding a faithbased college, paying for it and everything in between.

THE CENTER FOR PARENT/ YOUTH UNDERSTANDING Check out CPYU.org for insights on bridging the cultural gap between young adults and parents.

TRANSITIONYEAR.ORG This “roadmap to emotional health and wellness” during freshman year could prove invaluable.

more. Midterms and finals are clustered over short periods, demanding excellent advance planning. The competition is that much stronger, and there are tons of distractions.

It’s no surprise, then, that even the most successful high school students struggle in college. If that happens to you, here are some helpful hints to get you on track.

Determine the source of the problem.

Are you studying enough? Attending classes and taking sufficient notes?

Reading the assignments? Understanding the material? Taking enough time to prepare for exams? Avoiding all-nighters and parties the night before?

Be sure to study the lecture notes.

Different professors focus on different things when testing.

Take each class seriously. Inevitably, you’ll be bored with some classes, and the tendency will be to study less for those.

Give each class your best.

Develop a strong study discipline, and plan ahead before exam time. Complete all assigned readings at least four days before the exam date so you have ample time for review. This will help you enter the exam with confidence that you’re well-prepared for whatever comes.

Don’t hesitate to discuss your situation with your professor. He or she might give you some helpful study pointers for performing well in the course.

Be sure to take advantage of tutors who are available in your dorm and elsewhere.

Finally, cut yourself a little slack in the beginning. Remember, your academic life is going through a major transition. But do what you can to enter your exam fully prepared. That’ll reduce your stress and build your confidence.

While this is a time of major personal transition, it’s also filled with excitement and opportunity. You’ll discover ways to use your unique gifts and talents in a career suited just for you. You’ll meet amazing people and develop a new network of friends and contacts. You’ll experience the diversity of ideas and cultures like never before, which will give you new perspectives on life. And you’ll learn to trust the Lord in deeper ways as He guides and prepares you for your future.

YOUTH TRANSITION NETWORK YTN.org provides resources that help young adults make this critical transition.

Dennis Tritten is a retired investment executive and now an author, educator and mentor committed to helping young people succeed in life. He can be found at www. dennistritten.com.

STAY CONNECTED

AT THE ALL-NEW

RELEVANTU.COM Check out RELEVANTU.com for your guide to finding your best college fit—and thriving once you’re there. You’ll find new articles each week, expert Q&As, a college directory and more!

COLLEGE DIRECTORY

GET MORE INFO ON THE SCHOOLS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

UNDERGRADUATE Olivet Nazarene University (p. 21)

SOUTH

olivet.edu | Bourbonnais, IL

Anderson University (pp. 114-115)

Spring Arbor University (p. 31)

andersonuniversity.edu | Anderson, SC

arbor.edu | Spring Arbor, MI

Asbury University (pp. 118-119) Sterling College (p. 3)

asbury.edu | Wilmore, KY

sterling.edu | Sterling, KS

John Brown University (p. 57) jbu.edu | Siloam Springs, AR

Trinity Christian College (p. 15) trnty.edu | Palos Heights, IL

Milligan College (p. 11) milligan.edu | Milligan College, TN

Valley Family Church—EPIC Commission (p. 55) valleyfamilychurch.org/epic-commission Kalamazoo, MI

Oklahoma Christian University (p. 1) oc.edu | Edmond, OK

Wheaton College (p. 9) wheaton.edu | Wheaton, IL

Oral Roberts University (p. 10) oru.edu | Tulsa, OK

EAST

Palm Beach Atlantic (p. 35)

Liberty University (pp. 37 & 112)

pba.edu | West Palm Beach, FL

liberty.edu | Lynchburg, VA

Samford University (p. 73)

Messiah College (p. 65)

samford.edu | Birmingham, AL

messiah.edu | Mechanicsburg, PA

WEST

MIDWEST

Biola University (p. 27)

Calvin College (p. 43)

biola.edu | La Mirada, CA

calvin.edu | Grand Rapids, MI

Multnomah University (p. 97)

Cedarville University (pp. 120-121)

multnomah.edu | Portland, OR

cedarville.edu | Cedarville, OH

Northwest University (p. 41)

Greenville College (p. 33)

northwestu.edu | Kirkland, WA

greenville.edu | Greenville, IL

IHOP University (pp. 116-117) ihopu.org | Kansas City, MO

Northwestern College (p. 24) nwc.edu | Saint Paul, MN

GRADUATE SOUTH Oral Roberts University (p. 49)

Oak Hills Christian College (p. 14) oakhills.edu | Bemidji, MN

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oru.edu | Tulsa, OK

MIDWEST

MIDWEST Trinity International University (p. 22)

Ashland Seminary (p. 6)

tiu.edu | Deerfield, IL

seminary.ashland.edu | Ashland, OH

University of Dubuque (p. 29)

Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (p. 7)

dbq.edu | Dubuque, IA

ambs.edu | Elkhart, IN

Wheaton College (p. 111) Bethel Seminary (p. 103)

wheaton.edu | Wheaton, IL

seminary.bethel.edu | St. Paul, MN

EAST Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (p. 16)

Liberty University (pp. 112-113)

cornerstone.edu/grts | Grand Rapids, MI

liberty.edu | Lynchburg, VA

McCormick Theological Seminary (pp. 8 & 17)

NYACK College (p. 25)

mccormick.edu | Chicago, IL

nyackcollege.edu | Nyack, NY

Nazarene Theological Seminary (p. 107)

Regent University (p. 45)

nts.edu | Kansas City, MO

regent.edu | Virginia Beach, VA

WEST

Northern Seminary (p. 12) seminary.edu | Lombard, IL

Northwest University (p. 51) northwestu.edu | Kirkland, WA

EAST Seattle University (p. 77)

Eastern University/Palmer Theological Seminary (pp. 18-19)

seattleu.edu | Seattle, WA

palmerseminary.edu | Wynnewood, PA

INTERNATIONAL Regent College (Canada) (p. 69)

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (back cover)

regent-college.edu | Vancouver, BC

gordonconwell.edu | South Hamilton, MA

Liberty University (p. 13)

SEMINARY

liberty.edu | Lynchburg, VA

SOUTH

Wesley Theological Seminary (p. 95) wesleyseminary.edu | Washington, DC

Asbury Theological Seminary (p. 98) asburyseminary.edu | Wilmore, KY

WEST Denver Seminary (pp. 83 & 99)

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (p. 81)

denverseminary.edu | Littleton, CO

austinseminary.edu | Austin, TX

Fuller Theological Seminary (p. 23) fuller.edu | Pasadena, CA

Baylor Univ./Truett (inside cover) baylor.edu/truett | Waco, TX

SOUTH

Dallas Theological Seminary (p. 20) dts.edu | Dallas, TX

Louisville Seminary (p. 47) lpts.edu | Louisville, KY

Seattle School of Theology & Psychology (p. 39) theseattleschool.edu | Seattle, WA

INTERNATIONAL Carey Theological College (Canada) (p. 87) carey-edu.ca | Vancouver, BC

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WHY STUDENTS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD FOUR NONPROFIT LEADERS TELL HOW COLLEGE STUDENTS CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE

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W

alk around a college campus today, and you will likely find students wearing T-shirts and bracelets for their favorite causes, discussing social issues in the dormitories, planning missions trips and applying for nonprofit internships. College campuses have quickly become a breeding ground for awareness, advocacy and action on behalf of almost every major justice movement today. When young adults enter the classroom, many are considering how the tools and lessons their education offers can be used to alleviate poverty, prevent illness, improve the environment or lobby for human rights.

This age group seems to exhibit a renewed interest in global needs—and a confidence that they can meet them.

Why are undergraduates so uniquely poised to make a difference? We talked to leaders from several organizations to learn about the power of today’s college students.

mobilize action in their local communities.

We have over 160 chapters globally helping us to bring the stories of the North Korean people to communities around the world that haven’t yet heard. Our chapters also raise funds to help rescue North Korean refugees from hiding in China. Students can also become nomads or interns. Every spring and fall, LiNK sends “nomads,” or traveling representatives, across the United States and Canada to spread awareness about one of the least-talked-about issues of our day—the North Korea crisis. LiNK internships provide an opportunity to work with us at headquarters in different departments, ranging from media, design, refugee resettlement, chapters, internal operations and more.

Bryson Vogeltanz: The Passion Conferences are for everybody, and over time our resources and movement have impacted people of all ages. Yet our focus and our gatherings are specifically for those within what we call the “university window.” We are

What are some opportunities you offer for college students?

Holly Hallum: To Write Love on Her Arms offers college students the opportunity to bring the mission and vision of TWLOHA to their campus through university chapters.

Through organized meetings and events, each chapter serves as a voice of hope, inspiration and support on college campuses across the country. It is estimated that approximately 1,100 college students die by suicide every year. We believe the stories of hope and help that our chapters share with their communities will lead to students choosing to continue living their story and helping those around them do the same.

Justin Zoradi: Connecting with college students in the States is always fun because we get to rally around the idea of college students partnering with other college students. When you break it down, students have a lot in common, no matter what country they’re from. We have a lot of info on our website to host an event, join us in Portland for an internship, contribute art and graphic design skills, buy merchandise, partner with us on Facebook and Twitter, and join our weekly Advocate Community email that gives up-to-date information from on the ground in Africa.

Justin Wheeler: There are tangible ways students can get involved with LiNK. LiNK chapters exist to raise awareness and

THE PANEL

HOLLY HALLUM, director of UChapters for To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and investing in the treatment and recovery of people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

JUSTIN ZORADI, founder of These Numbers Have Faces, an international educational nonprofit providing full college scholarships for students from disadvantaged communities in an effort to reduce poverty and empower young people to change their countries.

JUSTIN WHEELER, vice president of global awareness for LiNK (Liberty in North Korea), an organization that is redefining the North Korea crisis through creative storytelling while providing emergency relief to North Korean refugees and pursuing an end to the human rights crisis.

BRYSON VOGELTANZ, chief steward for Passion Conferences, a movement changing the spiritual climate of America’s college campuses .

trying to reach 18- to 25-year-olds because we believe this university moment is the place where trajectory and values are forged, setting students on a path for the next few decades of life. What’s more, there are tons of events focusing on teens and other demographics yet few that are really seeking to serve the collegiate generation. We believe in these critical years and want to be standing at this crossroads.

Why do you partner with college students and see them as an asset?

Hallum: I believe TWLOHA’s mission resonates with college-aged students because the topics we address are theirs.

We are talking about things that hit close to home. They are experiencing these issues or know someone who is struggling. They understand pain, and they understand hope. It’s easy to stand behind a project that you understand and have an intimate relationship with.

“WE HAVE LEARNED TO NEVER COUNT OUT THIS GENERATION.” —BRYSON VOGELTANZ

Wheeler: LiNK was founded by a group of students in 2004. These students acted on their conviction to do something about the injustices in North Korea. If they would have failed to respond, LiNK would not exist. We are one of the many student-founded organizations today, and we are all examples of why students play an important role in issues of social justice. As a cause-based organization, we need focused passion and tenacious commitment to the impossible.

Passion made headlines this year when the conference raised more than $3 million to end slavery. Did you expect such an overwhelming response?

Vogeltanz: Our goal was to raise $1 million for freedom, but the people of Passion 2012 far surpassed that goal, giving more than $3.3 million. We were grateful but not shocked—because we have learned to never count out this generation. What happened at Passion 2012 was not just about a

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number; it was about hearts engaging with Jesus. When that happens, anything is possible.

Why do you think today’s college students have become so invaluable and eager when it comes to supporting causes?

Hallum: I think the future for college students has become uncertain. With unemployment being so high in a shaky economy, students are faced with the possibility of graduating without a job. I think that reality pushes young people to find things they can do and get involved in that mean more than the economy, jobs, money or independence. Volunteering, supporting causes and investing their voice has become a way for college students to ensure their talents and passions are recognized and utilized to their full potential. It’s about coming together to make a difference. It’s about helping to create a more certain future in a different way. It’s about giving back and supporting a project that means something to them.

Wheeler: Technology has removed barriers of time, distance and space that used to exist and has brought us closer together as a truly global community. Social justice for students today looks different from even two decades ago, when suffering and injustice were further removed from the average person because of such barriers. Now we can “friend” someone on the other side of the world by clicking a button, and we can also

“THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE THAT COLLEGE STUDENTS NEED TO HEAR IS THAT THEY ARE CAPABLE. BUT THE QUESTION IS, ARE THEY WILLING?” —JUSTIN WHEELER

watch history unfold on YouTube as revolutions happen in the Middle East. These platforms have connected us directly to these issues and have made them personal enough to mobilize students today more so than any other time in our history.

Students are invaluable because they have the power to globalize injustice through every share, like and retweet. Some refer to this as slacktivism, but I think of it as one of many tools for activists living in the 21st century. Students have identified what they are passionate about and what they are willing to do; they have adapted to new trends and created some of their own, and they have learned how to harness

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technology and tools to accomplish their goals. They are innovative, and they are problem-solvers.

Because of the skills and education our students receive, their children are now 50 percent more likely to attend college because they have.

Zoradi: Young people are also realizing not just their potential, but also their responsibility in all of this. We don’t need more rock stars, celebrities and media moguls doubling as humanitarians.

Instead, we need ordinary people empowered to confront the most pressing challenges of our time. Students get this.

They understand that they are the ones called to be change agents in these troubling times.

What do you want college students to know about their potential?

As an organization that provides scholarships for individuals who otherwise would not have the chance to go to college, how has These Numbers Have Faces seen a college education change a person?

Zoradi: I started TNHF after meeting a handful of talented young people in South Africa.

They desperately wanted to succeed, but because their families were poor, they found themselves sitting at home, mixed up in crime or working low-paying part-time jobs after high school. There was so much talent and potential being wasted.

Since starting TNHF, the first thing we see is the hope that radiates from our students.

They have something huge to live and work for, and that’s really fun to see. We see the identities of our students grow and evolve. The college years are so important for personal development. It’s during these years that young people really decide what it is they believe in, what they’re passionate about and what type of life they will lead.

We also see education change the fate of entire families. For many of our students, they are the ones who will lift their families out of poverty for the first time ever. Our fight is against generational poverty.

Hallum: Your story is important—not only the story you have already experienced, but also the one you are living now and investing in for the future. Your experience, talents, passions and dreams are capable of making a huge impact in our society. You matter. We’re seeing young people channel their energy and passions into creating organizations and nonprofits that touch other people’s hearts and change people’s minds. They are building online communities that change the way we interact with the world. They are recognizing they have a voice and that their voice and their words have importance and meaning.

Zoradi: I think some people take their education for granted by doing just enough to graduate. College is really a time to expand your ideas, challenge your worldview and figure out what it is you believe in. I finally understood this in my senior year but honestly felt like I just coasted through for the three years prior. I regret that. What I love to see with our students in Africa is how much they value their college education.

They fully understand that they have been given a spectacular gift and are excited to pass that gift on to another student after they graduate.

Vogeltanz: Together we are a force for good! We believe this with everything in our core. We have seen this. Since 2007, when we started putting specific causes before the students of Passion, they have given over $9.5 million to the last and least of these around the world. No college student could come close to that on their own. But when they unite together with one heart, one mind and one purpose, anything is possible.

Wheeler: I don’t believe it’s about potential because we are all capable of making the world better. The most important message that college students need to hear is that they are capable. But the question is, Are they willing? Students constantly remind me of their influence and power. We may be young, but our age doesn’t dictate the level of impact we can make. And that’s a proven fact.

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KEY ADVICE FROM THE OTHER SIDE

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M uch of the college experience can’t be prepared for. Most of it requires you to learn as you go. But why not learn from the ones who have already gone? Here, five professors share pieces of wisdom they’d most like to impart to their students.

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE DEGREE

by Jeff Cook If you are going to college simply to get a degree, you are wasting your money and your time.

A degree itself is a worthless target that can be convincingly forged for $50 or so. But college is the unique, once-in-a lifetime opportunity that only 1 percent of the earth’s population gets to enjoy. College is your opportunity to engage the greatest minds in the history of our planet.

College is perhaps the only period in life when you can spend large swaths of time asking the most important questions about yourself and your future: “What is a good human being?” “How should I live?” “What is good for my soul?” “Where is the world in pain?” These are the kinds of questions that—when answered wisely—are the only worthy foundations for choosing what you should spend your best energies doing with your one and only life.

As a teacher, I want students who love to discuss, love to learn and love to ask difficult questions of the texts we read, of themselves and of the confused, often illogical world around them. I want students who find the beauty and transformative power in the material we discuss, who use their encounters with great ideas to become exceptional human personalities.

Above all, I want to surround myself with those who are awake. “Let others complain that the age is wicked,” said Kierkegaard.

“My complaint is that it is wretched—for it lacks passion.”

Sloth would love to crush the value of your upcoming years with irrelevant classes, irrelevant conversation and irrelevant hours spent drinking too much, video-gaming too much and simply hanging around too much, as though that were a worthy use of the debt you’ll acquire. Do not let that happen to you.

Instead, own your education. Demand people teach you, and if they don’t, find courses that will. The purpose of an education is not to make you financially stable; the purpose of an education is to equip you to serve other people in the name of Christ, under the direction and power of His Holy Spirit, that the new creation may be ushered forth in the name of our heavenly Father. Do not fail in gaining such tools. The world suffers without them.

YOU’RE NEVER DONE READING

by Karen Swallow Prior I wish my students knew how to read.

Oh, sure, most students come to college able to read words on a page. But I want my students to practice a kind of reading that goes beyond mere words on a page to the practice of critical reading, or reading as an act of interpretation.

One of the first textbooks I ever used to teach college writing described this critical reading as reading on three levels:

• Reading for literal meaning (reading on the lines) • Reading for understanding (reading between the lines) • Reading for evaluation (reading beyond the lines) ABOUT THE AUTHORS

JEFF COOK is a professor of philosophy at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR is a professor of English and modern languages at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. BRYAN T. CALVIN is an assistant professor of government at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas.

TODD BROWNING is an instructor of advertising and graphic design at the Art Institute of Tennessee—Nashville.

DR. RICKEY COTTON is a professor of English at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.

The first level of reading seems so obvious that one might think it doesn’t need to be stated. But it does. A reader has to have a correct understanding of what a text literally says before moving on to the higher levels of reading.

Once, a student in my introductory literature class asked me why Miss Emily Grierson in William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” bought her fiancé a toilet seat for an engagement gift. She didn’t. It was a toilet set—oh, the difference a letter makes. (And since toilet sets have largely gone the way of horse-drawn buggies, it would probably behoove a reader, once reading the term correctly, to look it up.)

This is reading on the lines.

Reading between the lines involves drawing inferences from what is written in order to understand what is implied but not stated. For example, Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” doesn’t say a word about segregation, civil rights or racism, but the poem’s images, which are centered on “a dream deferred,” flesh out the idea of the inevitable and destructive effects of the rampant social and political injustices of Hughes’ lifetime—and any time.

Once a reader understands a text and its implications, he or she can evaluate the significance of that text for the real world.

This is reading beyond the lines. For the Christian, this means bringing a Christian worldview to bear on a text, whether it be literary, historical, sociological, theological, scientific, philosophical or simply entertaining. Reading beyond the lines allows a Christian to follow the exhortation of St. Augustine in De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine) to take truth, wherever it is found, and put it in the service of the Lord.

It’s not only English majors who need to read well, for these three levels of reading books can be applied to reading life, too.

The skills are essentially the same: We must attend, interpret and evaluate all that comes our way. The book of life requires us to read well in order to live well.

INTERNSHIPS AREN’T OPTIONAL

by Bryan T. Calvin Even if you are just starting your undergraduate career, it’s important to stay focused on what happens after graduation.

And one of the best ways to set yourself apart is to have an internship or two on your résumé.

More and more employers are telling colleges they want to hire graduates with

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at least a modest level of work experience.

An internship allows you to enter your industry and get that much-desired onthe-job training. It’s also a great way to set yourself apart from other applicants.

Most people who apply for jobs will have graduated with a decent GPA and will have probably taken a similar set of majorspecific classes. With an internship, you can see the real-world application of the knowledge you gain in the classroom— something other applicants may not be able to do.

Additionally, getting work experience in your field helps you test the waters to see if it’s really what you want to do. If you take an internship and find you love what

PROFESSORS ARE JUST LIKE YOU—ONLY WITH MORE EXPERIENCE

by Todd Browning Before you go to college, you may wonder what the instructors will be like. Will they mirror some of the same attributes you have toward your major or profession of choice? Will they have similar attitudes and beliefs? Much depends on the type of institution you attend and the degree you’re pursuing, but you’re sure to see commonalities as you work through classes that emphasize your major.

For most of my art and design students, the accolades began early. Family, friends, teachers—most everyone recognized their creative talents. Their artwork was posted

“COLLEGE IS PERHAPS THE ONLY PERIOD IN LIFE WHEN YOU CAN SPEND LARGE SWATHS OF TIME ASKING THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR FUTURE.” —JEFF COOK

you’re doing, you know you’re on the right track. However, if you find you don’t enjoy the profession or that it’s not at all like you imagined, it won’t be too late to change your major or determine another career path.

Internships allow you to test out a career with little to no penalty.

An internship will also provide opportunities to network and develop contacts with professionals. Letters of recommendation from professors are great, and we are usually happy to provide them, but one or two references from industry professionals can go a long way. Getting a career off the ground is as much about who you know as it is what you know.

Some internships will be paid—but most will not be. Fortunately, most internships can earn you college credit, and many can be used as classes for financial aid purposes. Make sure you contact your advisor to get the necessary credit for your work experience.

College should be enlightening and challenging—a time of discovery—but it should also be a time to begin your professional career. Start now.

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everywhere, and not a week went by when the family refrigerator wasn’t a personal art showcase.

OK, so maybe not every artistic soul planning to attend an arts college or design school has shared the same background. But many have. And many—if not most—of the instructors have too. Surprised? Don’t be.

Like their students, art instructors respect color. They adore shapes and textures and have an obsessive admiration for type.

They have a fervent passion for art and design—especially the art and design of their students—that impacts someone’s world.

I often hear students comment to their professors, “Wow! You’re just like us. You just have more experience.” You’ll probably be echoing the same sentiments within a semester or two.

The point is this: Don’t be timid. Get in there and take advantage of every occasion to learn from your instructors’ experience and knowledge—regardless of your major or professional pursuits. Your instructors have poured years—some, a lifetime—into being successful and teaching success.

Remember, it’s your instructors’ working

experience and practical understanding of the world of art and design, physics, literature or accounting that you’re paying for. Don’t let an ounce of it go to waste. And may your accolades continue.

COLLEGE IS A CALLING

by Dr. Rickey Cotton Students often arrive in my college classroom full of excitement and enthusiasm, for which I am very grateful.

But I’m aching for their ability to see attending my classes in particular—and college in general—as a calling from God. A sense of calling is a deep sense of the presence and action of God in the depths of the spirit. This is more than feelings; it is a commitment. Specifically, the call to be a college student means being called to be a learner and a critical thinker—not about learning for its own sake but learning for the sake of God and service to others. Being an educated Christian involves curiosity and listening and reading and understanding the questions of those we encounter daily.

Too often the educational system that got students through their early teen years emphasized grades over engagement. It’s not that grades aren’t important, because they are. But thinking critically is crucial.

I have multiple proverbs that former students tell me ring in their ears long after they leave. Perhaps the one that challenges and serves them best is, “Have a critical mind but not a critical spirit.”

The spirit in which knowledge should be sought is the spirit of love. Students should view learning and being part of a learning community as a spiritual activity and ought to understand academics as an aspect of what God seeks to do in and through their lives.

A sense of calling to higher learning will help sustain young college students in the ups and downs of college life and will help them make sense of both the delights and the disappointments of being a college student. It provides an organizing and stabilizing center.

Daily life as a college student is still daily life. It will certainly involve times of inspiration and affirmation, but it will also involve frustrations and trials—yes, even that great bane of young adult life: boredom.

But knowing you are called by God to be a college student, developing a deep sense of the presence and action of God can trump all else and make the years of being a college student an exciting, dynamic and essential part of the spiritual journey.

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THE FIELD GUIDE TO

UNDERGRAD FRIENDSHIPS

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ROOMMATES, PROFESSORS, CRUSHES AND FAMILY BACK HOME

1 . Friendship is a process. The Bible talks about quality friendships being like silver and gold (Proverbs 22:1). And just like digging and exploring for silver and gold, friendships require a lot of searching—and being disappointed at times when a potentially exciting relationship turns out not to be the real thing. Good friendships do not happen overnight. Time, shared experiences and a commitment to one another builds trust. True friendships are precious and rare—and therefore costly and not easily obtained.

2 . Great friendships are usually found and formed in great environments. Usually, those who come away with great friends

BY JOHN BRYSON

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ne of the things that shocked me during my first month on a college campus was learning how lonely I could feel. Living in the midst of thousands of people only exacerbated the problem. I felt strangely and amazingly disconnected. So many people in my age range and on the same campus reaching for the same goal—yet I was miserably lonely. One month into the experience, I was making no new friends, had not met a professor and could not relate at all to my roommate.

SOUND FAMILIAR? When you head off to college, you are starting from scratch in so many areas—including relationships. Even if you know a few people from high school who are now at your college, your relationship with them will change as you enter a new setting and meet new people. For most incoming freshmen, college is the first time they’ve really had to work at starting up a friendship—let alone connect with a professor or learn to live with an oh-so-different-from-them roommate.

For most people, relationships are created easily during the first 18 years of life. For better or worse, friendships just seem to happen naturally with kids in the neighborhood or in homeroom, algebra class, basketball practice or band camp. You simply respond to who is there.

Responding to a fixed group of people gathered around you during the teenage years creates a bit of relational passivity.

Many of us never really had to learn the skill of searching for, finding, pursuing and building quality relationships. But that is not what God intended, nor is it ultimately good for our lives.

College creates incredible relational opportunities. Possibilities are not fixed but wide open. That being the case, you will either learn new relationship skills or find yourself lonely or with the wrong crowd.

For the first time, you get to choose your own relational network.

That relational network shapes the very essence of who you are and who you are becoming in more ways than you likely realize.

in college are those who have learned to plant themselves in environments that most often attract high-caliber people.

Personally, I spent my fair share of time in clubs, in bars and at parties when I was in college. These were what I would later call less-than-ideal friendship environments. I met some pretty fun people, but those were not the friends I wanted to lock arms and do life with—and they were not who I wanted shaping the core of who I am.

When I got involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and with the college group of a church near campus, I began to find incredible people I did want shaping me: men and women who were alive spiritually, who were living for the right things— and who were tons of fun.

3. Don’t be afraid to initiate. Step out and invite others to join you in various activities. Finding close friends is hard work, and there will be some misfires along the way. But creating special opportunities for fun helps you get to know people, and they, you.

Organize a road trip, a movie night, a round of golf or a trip to a conference. Play offense, not just defense, in building relationships.

WITH PROFESSORS It is wise to have the perspective that your first day on campus is the first day of your professional life. How you perform academically will either launch you into your early 20s with options or dig you into a professional hole that severely limits your future. A big secret to excelling academically is connecting well with your professors.

1 . Introduce yourself. As simple as that sounds, it’s a brilliant move. Every professor has office hours. As soon as possible, make an appointment, go meet your professor, open up that line of communication and declare your desire to learn as much as you can.

2 . Check in. Over the course of the semester, make it a point to reengage your professor, ask for clarity on lectures or assignments that are confusing, and see if there’s any extra work that can be done to ensure the best grade possible. You want professors to know who you are when recommendations are needed in the future for graduate school or job applications.

3. Utilize tutors. Though not directly linked to professors, tutors are available at almost every school and in almost every department. Whenever you do not understand a lecture, assignment or requirement, make it a point to invest time in tutoring labs. These are one of the best-kept secrets and most under-utilized advantages of a college campus.

FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU WILL GET TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN RELATIONAL NETWORK.

WITH PEERS I remember being told by an older, wiser mentor that I would always treasure my friends from high school but that chances were, most of my lifelong friendships would form in college. In my experience, truer words have never been spoken.

But new friendships are not always easy. Here are some things to keep in mind as you form peer relationships in college.

WITH ROMANTIC INTERESTS Dating should be fun for you in college, but it will also become more challenging as you move through these next four years.

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TRUE FRIENDSHIPS ARE PRECIOUS AND RARE—AND THEREFORE COSTLY AND NOT EASILY OBTAINED.

Engaging the opposite sex can be a thrill, a frustration, a minefield and a mystery—sometimes all at the same time.

Not everyone—maybe not even most—will meet their future spouse in college, but one thing is sure: The decisions you make these next four years when engaging the opposite sex will either prepare you well or set you back in marriage later on.

Many in the current dating scene make the mistakes of being attracted to the wrong people, thinking flippantly about dating, crossing physical boundaries never meant to be crossed this side of marriage or rushing to exclusivity. Here are a few wiser moves.

1 . Change your frame of mind. In college, dating is more about preparation than recreation. Sure, dating can be fun, but it’s important to recognize its preparatory nature. The dating decisions you make in college set the stage for how you date, relate to, love and serve your future spouse.

2 . Build—and look for—good character. I’m often asked, “How do you marry a great spouse?” My response is always the same: “Become the type of person great people tend to marry.” That is always built on character. Become a person of honesty, integrity and selflessness.

Likewise, look for such qualities, especially spiritual character, in those you date. Physical looks and personality are often necessary for initial attraction, but character is far more lasting and important.

3. Fight for purity. It would be good for you to decide beforehand the physical boundaries you intend to draw in a dating relationship.

Become accountable to a friend, and give him or her permission to ask you how you’re doing.

It’s also important to fight for purity in other areas that can impact dating. Stay away from subscribing to any explicit movie channels on your cable TV package. Get an effective software package for your computer that allows others to see where you have been. Avoid any books, magazines or movies you know

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would feed lust (emotional or physical). In this over-sexualized, over-romanticized culture, you must go to war with impurity.

WITH THOSE BACK HOME Relationships with family and friends back home will change just as you will, but it’s important to be intentional about how you reframe those relationships. Family will always be a part of your life.

Hometown friendships can also be long-term—but some will fade away. Below are keys for prioritizing the ones that remain.

1 . Embrace adulthood. When you return home, return as an adult in the beginning stages of a new, mature relationship with your parents. Engage your parents, communicate well and act like the adult you now are.

2 . Close the high school chapter of your life. Resist the urge to return home to the old high school crowd on weekends. During your freshman year, intentionally stay on campus most weekends to build new friendships. Don’t be “that guy” or “that girl” still hanging around at your high school football games on Friday night or glued to Facebook, reading status updates from old friends.

3. Invest where you are. Be present where you are, and start the hard work of creating new friendships. Take the initiative, and look for opportunities on and around campus to meet new people.

College can be some of the greatest years of your life, and navigating relationships is a big part of the experience. By wisely choosing friends now, you can greatly enhance the life you’ll lead in the years that follow.

John Bryson invested 15 years on a college campus and 11 years as a college pastor in Texas. He is the author of College Ready, a DVD curriculum (www.collegeready.com) designed to prepare students to maximize their college years. John currently serves as a cofounder and pastor at Fellowship Memphis in Tennessee.

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BY DR. WILLIAM E. BROW N

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CULTIVATING A FAITH THAT CAN WITHSTAND THE CHALLENGES OF COLLEGE

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ver the past few years, studies have recorded a growing number of young Christians who are “leaving church and rethinking their faith,” as David Kinnaman puts it in his book You Lost Me. Kinnaman points out that about 8 million teenagers who are active in church will drop out during their twenties.

Many times the blame falls on college campuses for what is perceived as an inhospitable attitude toward Christianity. But the true picture, according to the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, is that college students maintain faith commitments at a higher rate than their contemporaries.

Most Christian students who go away to college will experience one of three outcomes. Some will take a dive—they’ll walk away from their faith and no longer profess to be Christians. Others may withdraw to survive—they’ll learn to compartmentalize their faith as a personal choice while struggling though the complexities of the college experience. Still others will strengthen and thrive—they’ll grow and strengthen their faith through the challenges of the college experience.

These spiritual challenges confront college students at a crucial time, when decisions can alter the trajectory of their future. An important step in preparing for college, then, is knowing what to expect—and who knows today’s college environment better than the students themselves? Based on the answers of hundreds of students asked to describe the challenges they faced in their own college experience, the following are the top 10 faith obstacles students are likely to encounter.

THE FAITH CHALLENGE Many college freshmen claim they struggle with their faith identity. “Is this my faith or my parents’ faith?

What do I believe? Why do I believe it?” In high school, faith was often associated with familiar places and people, so the new college environment makes faith seem out of place.

A number of students say they have serious questions about their faith before going to college, actually wondering if they had been brainwashed during childhood.

“In college, the stakes are much higher,” student Eimile Townsend* says. “I didn’t want to commit my life to following Christ if I was not absolutely sure it was something I would die for.”

Some criticize their own “dysfunctional faith” and its inability to sustain them through their struggles. They have “the wrong view of God,” as one student phrases it. “Yes, He provides; yes, He comforts; yes, He brings peace and many other amazing gifts. But they still feel like they don’t ‘get enough out of God.’ He’s not a Redbox.”

THE FREEDOM CHALLENGE Out from under parental guidance and restrictions, students experience a newfound freedom that causes their priorities to change. With parental supervision

no longer a factor, it’s tempting to act impulsively and be guided by whatever is most convenient or feels good.

This freedom can be exhilarating but also paralyzing. Tim Bryson* says he was unprepared for “the greater level of responsibility without accountability” that college involves. “You end up going along with what everybody else is doing or go to your room and play video games or stare at Facebook,” he says.

THE DIVERSITY CHALLENGE College provides not only ethnic diversity, but also an inescapable confrontation with different beliefs, worldviews and moral choices. Most feel ill-equipped to answer challenges raised by alternative views in the dorm room and classroom.

Katie Wells* admits she felt overwhelmed by the different views she encountered. “It was hard to figure out the truth by myself,” she says.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR PERSONAL CHOICES AND YOUR FAITH. Other students admit they were so overwhelmed, they spiritually shut down, while many resort to apathy.

THE TIME CHALLENGE The unrelenting schedule and stress of studies, relationships and social events become temporal black holes, as all of these seem to provide quicker payoffs than time spent in spiritual growth.

“Stress can warp your perspective,” says Josh Henderson.* This warped perspective causes priorities to shift dramatically in a short period of time. The idea that college is a time to contemplate the crucial questions of life seems unreal to most students. There is little time to think and discuss important issues outside the classroom. The good students may take too many courses for there to be time to reflect; other students may fill their time with parties and social events.

THE SOCIAL CHALLENGE The rarified air of the college social life causes many students to engage in activities they normally would avoid— because who doesn’t want to fit in? Plus, the social expanse of college provides

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anonymity, which can feel like a free pass to let loose.

“Alcohol and sex: that’s why you go to college, man,” one student put it.

This social environment can be an oppressive weight. Michayla Williams* certainly felt the reality of this, saying, “Peer pressure is intense in high school, but at least you can go home and leave it at the football game or by the lockers. It’s a whole different ball game when you’re faced with peers 24/7, living lives that reflect a style you don’t agree with.”

THE RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGE The dating scene as a freshman is wild and wicked.

Freshmen girls talk about upperclassmen who troll for new conquests, and emotional attachments frequently dominate the college experience.

While many students say they don’t want to date in college, over 70 percent have used an online dating service. Most say it takes two to six months to develop a relationship, and the emotional energy invested during that time can reorient priorities and even longheld commitments. Many students even admit they gave up their faith when they established a romantic relationship; love conquered all—and not in a good way.

THE COMMUNITY CHALLENGE The effort required to find a supportive community for faith is often too much for a college student, and a lack of regular and substantive Christian fellowship is a reason many begin to wander away from their faith.

Kristen Francis* says of her experience of arriving at college, “My entire support system was ripped from underneath my feet.” The result was a sense of loneliness that belied the crowded halls and classrooms.

And crises only serve to magnify this feeling.

Student Ian James* had a friend back home commit suicide. “It completely destroyed me,” he says. “I felt completely alone and depressed. It caused me to question everything I believed.”

THE INPUT CHALLENGE In talking with a number of students, many seemed to have likable and intelligent professors who “refused to tolerate students’ beliefs as viable” and therefore actively sought to change their convictions. Outside of Christian colleges, most college professors are focused on teaching their subjects, not dwelling on religion or the philosophies of life.

The absence of God-talk may imply religion is irrelevant. A general social survey conducted by sociologist Philip Schwadel found that when religion is discussed positively in college, it veers away from traditional views of God, the Bible, salvation and the role of religion in culture. This lack of commensurate input of spiritual truth can take its toll on a student’s faith commitment.

THE OUTPUT CHALLENGE Faith is not measured solely by Bible study and fellowship. The need to engage in service to others

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is a key factor in experiencing Christ, too.

Many students surveyed still talk about the ministry and service activities that were a part of their lives in high school. But in college, while opportunities for service are provided by local churches and parachurch organizations, involvement becomes difficult due to schedule conflicts and communication problems.

THE COMMITMENT CHALLENGE Finally, a key factor in faith degradation is so often the missing element of preemptive commitment. In other words, too many college freshmen do not make the move to decide who they are and who they want to become before they begin their college careers.

One student admits, “I really needed accountability. I wish I could go back and start over.”

PREPARATION AND PREEMPTION So, how can the prospective college student prepare for what’s sure to be a spiritually challenging transition?

First, accept the fact that your faith will be tested.

You can prepare by knowing what to expect in the college environment. Ask older friends and adults about their college challenges and how they handled them.

Second, take time to understand what you believe.

Christianity is not a lame faith.

Many of the greatest scientists, philosophers and thinkers in history were (and are!) devoted followers of Christ.

Don’t be fooled by attacks that claim Christianity is antiintellectual. Know where to go and who to ask when your faith is challenged. As the writer of Hebrews cautioned his readers, “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1).

FAST FACTS

You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving the Church ... and Rethinking Faith (Baker, 2011)

by David Kinnaman An insightful look at the stats behind the young-adult church exodus.

The Abandoned Generation: Rethinking Higher Education (Eerdmans, 1995)

by William H. Willimon and Thomas H. Naylor An evaluation of the nation’s undergraduate educational system.

Ask Me Anything: Provocative Answers for College Students (NavPress, 2004, 2008)

by J. Budziszewski Two volumes dedicated to the lifedefining questions college presents.

Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith and Get Ready for the Real World (Tyndale, 2011)

by Alex Chediak A comprehensive guide to avoiding the common mistakes of college students.

Third, take responsibility for your personal choices and your faith. Plan ahead for accountability with people back home, and agree to contact them regularly to communicate what you are thinking and doing. Don’t be afraid to let them know they can ask the hard questions about your faith and behavior— and answer them honestly.

Finally, and most importantly, make a radical preemptive strike now about your future. College can be an exhilarating experience, but strengthening and growing your faith will not happen by default. If you do not decide how you will respond to the challenges of college life, you have already determined the outcome.

Not to decide is to decide. * Last names changed for privacy.

Dr. William E. Brown is president of Cedarville University and equips students to boldly share the hope of Christ in the professional world. He speaks internationally on worldview, culture and biblical integration.

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THE COST OF COLLEGE

BY MAGGIE SHAFER

STUDENT LOAN DEBT HAS SURPASSED CREDIT CARD DEBT. HERE’S HOW TO NAVIGATE THE FINANCIAL OPTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

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ridget Barrow is a self-described homebody. Attached to her family, her California home and her life in Murrieta, she was encouraged by her parents and peers to go out of state for college. It’d be a great experience for her, they said.

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She’d gain confidence, independence, maturity.

What they didn’t tell her—what they couldn’t have known—is that it would end up costing her $100,000.

That’s an unforgivable and nearly impossible sum to pay off as a human development and family studies major. It’s a backpack of bricks she’ll have to carry long after graduation.

ALL DEGREED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO If Barrow feels singled out, picked on or uniquely mistreated by the system, she would be wrong. In the current job market, the majority of

new grads have found themselves with short straws, working the same job they took to get through school. Pumping gas, serving pizza and babysitting are jobs no longer reserved for the uneducated.

But unlike their colleagues who never made it past high school, this new class of baristas with bachelor’s carry thousands and thousands of dollars of debt.

Barrow’s case is a particularly unfortunate one. Tuition more than doubled on out-of-state students from the time she entered Colorado State University as a freshman to the time she graduated just four years later. While she considered taking her tuition dollars elsewhere, fear of losing credits in the process—not to mention uprooting all over again—kept her at CSU. Instead, Barrow currently works fulltime as a nanny—the best-paying job she could find with her degree and no previous experience.

More than 70 percent of her paycheck goes toward her student loan bill, currently $850 a month. Paying rent on her own is nearly impossible—which is why she was forced to move back in with her parents after graduation. At least before school, she was a homebody by choice.

Total student loan debt in the U.S. has, for the first time, surpassed credit card debt and shows no sign of letting up, predicted to hit the trillion-dollar mark this year. It’s a staggering figure but perhaps not so surprising when one considers that a year in an Ivy League facility can set a student back $50k—a popular statistic painted on Occupy Wall Street signs last fall.

And unfortunately for most new graduates, the dreams they followed to that shiny university and posh dorm room where everything was possible are still just that: dreams.

The reasons behind the rising debt levels and job crisis are many and muchdebated. Fingers point in all directions, from the government to the students to the deep-pocketed universities and everyone in between. This hasn’t changed the fact that the freshman class of 2012 will pay and borrow more for their education than any previous class—and with no promise of a job waiting for them on the other side.

And regardless of who’s culpable, when the time comes to pay it all back, at least for now, the student is the one left holding the bag.

THE BRAINS RACE In 2009, more than 70 percent of high school graduates enrolled in college—nearly twice as many as in 1960, according to NPR. The National Center for Education Statistics reported that between fall 2000 and fall 2011, expected U.S. college attendance rose by 4.4 million—a record level of enrollment.

So, more people are going to college and more people are getting educated. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Enter what economists call “unintended consequences.”

As the job market has become increasingly saturated with college degrees, a degree, like monetary inflation, has become less valuable. What once hardly required a high school diploma now requires a B.A., and the best jobs are

expensive degree is actually worth less today—at least in terms of employability.

The ever-increasing price of a degree coupled with the depressing job market might make skipping college appear a viable option. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. The only thing worse than the new college grad’s unemployment and underemployment statistics are the high school graduate’s.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for high school graduates with no college experience in January 2012 was 8.4 percent—double that of those with a bachelor’s.

And then there’s the money. Over the course of a lifetime, according to FinAid founder Mark Kantrowitz’s research, the average college graduate earns over a million dollars more than their high-school-educated peers—which should more than pay for any education costs accrued in the process.

And, of course, it’s not just about the money. The college educated are more likely to be healthier and to volunteer, vote, stay out of jail and pay more income tax—which, in turn, according to Kantrowitz, makes student loans cost effective for the federal government and the nation as a whole.

“We’re no longer in an arms race, but in a brains race,” Kantrowitz says. “And I’m afraid we’re falling behind.”

THIS NEW CLASS OF BARISTAS WITH BACHELOR’S ARE CARRYING AROUND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF DEBT.

reserved for master’s and Ph.D. grads. Future restaurant owners study management, park rangers study ecology, and journalists study, well, journalism—but they all still work in coffee shops.

In the meantime, the cost of higher education has taken the inflation cake. According to FinAid.org, tuition has risen an average of 8 percent per year since 1970 (about twice the general inflation rate), doubling every nine years.

Let’s break this down. An education that cost $4,000 (adjusted for inflation) in 1980 cost 2010 graduates $21,000, according to NCES. Yet that more-than-five-times-as-

CHEAPER WAYS TO DISCOVER YOURSELF Raised in a low-income household in New York, Taja Lindley had long dreamed of going to NYU. She wanted to work for economic justice to empower women of color. She wanted to get the best education she could. So when she got into NYU in 2003, it was less about whether she would go and more about how.

The answer to that was a financial aid concoction of grants, scholarships and federal and private loans.

“When starting school, I did not have a realistic expectation,” Lindley says. “The starting salary in the nonprofit world is only $30k. I didn’t have a fully developed concept of money.”

Lindley finished her degree in four years, graduating in 2007 with honors and $70,000 in student loan debt.

But she got what she paid for: an education at one of the most renowned institutions in the U.S. and full-on immersion in academia. Could the long-term value of a great education justify her financial expense?

“No one held a gun to their head to go to school, but keep in mind that they’ve been indoctrinated

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since birth that they have to go to college to get to middle class and become successful,” says Robert Applebaum, founder of ForgiveStudentLoanDebt. com. “But we’ve shifted the burden of funding that education from the public to the individual.”

Since Applebaum started Forgive Student Loan Debt in 2009, the organization has become the voice of hundreds of thousands of students stuck between a loan and a decimated job market. And despite his belief that the educational system is inherently flawed, Applebaum still advocates for higher education as a worthwhile endeavor—depending on the student’s reasoning for it.

“There are cheaper ways of discovering yourself than going to a high-priced school,” Applebaum says.

“Maybe certain schools are not financially responsible.”

like FinAid.org, we believe students could be more diligent in becoming better informed about their financial aid options.”

Like Lentz says, there is no shortage of information out there. But there are guidelines that Stemper, Kantrowitz and Applebaum all recommend every student should consider before taking out a loan.

Consider community/instate schools first. Not many have their life figured out at 18, and, as Applebaum says, there

LOAN MONEY SPENT NOW WILL HAVE TO BE PAID BACK, WITH INTEREST, LONG AFTER THAT BURRITO WAS EATEN AND THAT FOREVER 21 SHIRT FELL APART.

KNOW BEFORE YOU OWE Diane Stemper, director of student financial aid in the office of enrollment services for Ohio State University, has dedicated her career to higher education and making it universally accessible. She’s a fountain of advice for incoming students—the problem, she says, is getting them to listen.

“When you’re entering college, you’re worried about where you’ll be living, what you’ll major in, but you’re not really thinking about repaying your loans in the future,” she says. “We can’t tell our students what to do or deny them admission, but we want them to understand the long-term. Defaulting on a loan has lifelong implications.”

Like many schools, OSU’s financial services department is working to make loan information more available, intelligible and relevant to the student, which includes opening a financial wellness center and designing an app for loan information.

Barrow, the CSU graduate, says she never thought to access the school’s financial services because she never knew they existed. This is exactly what Stemper is trying to avoid.

“We are not financial advisors, so it is not our place to advise families whether the financial investment is right for them,” says Philip Lentz, the director of public affairs at NYU. “Although there is an exceptional amount of information on the Department of Education’s website and through sites

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are much more affordable ways for a young adult to find their calling than by taking on outof-state tuition. Community colleges and in-state schools offer a more affordable way to take classes and fine-tune a career plan without putting school off entirely.

Look up a career’s earning potential before borrowing.

Engineering, science and math graduates statistically will make more than liberal arts majors. That doesn’t mean history isn’t valuable, but it’s probably not worth $100k of debt. Kantrowitz recommends comparing the total out-ofpocket expense for school with average first-year earnings. If the education cost is greater, then it’s time to look at more affordable schools or alternative areas of study.

Fill out financial aid applications. On time. One of the most common ways students miss aid opportunities

is by failing to get the paperwork in on time. The solution is simple: To maximize grants and scholarships, pay attention to due dates.

Federal loans first. “Private loans are evil and toxic and should not ever be taken out,” Applebaum says. While not everyone was as adamant, every source emphasized avoiding private loans whenever possible.

Federal loans have a fixed, hard-to-beat interest rate and a much lower default rate. But no student loan should be taken without caution. Neither public nor private student loans can be written off—not even in bankruptcy.

Educate yourself. Regardless of whether one’s high school includes it in the curriculum, personal finance is a subject worth studying. Take the time to go over all terms and conditions of offered loans, learn about the different types of interest rates or consult a trusted financial advisor.

Minimize debt, but don’t avoid it.

Over two-thirds of bachelor’s degree recipients have to borrow to complete school. The trick is to make the amount you do borrow as low as possible. As a rule of thumb, Kantrowitz recommends students avoid borrowing more than $7,500 a year (keeping them out of the top half of borrowers).

Stemper encourages students to live frugally in the areas they have control over, like food, housing and transportation expenses. Loan money spent now will have to be paid back, with interest, long after that burrito was eaten and that Forever 21 shirt fell apart.

Neither Lindley nor Barrow could say without hesitation that they would take back their college choice—but they also couldn’t say without hesitation that they’d do it all over again. CSU was where Barrow matured, became more independent and met her husband.

Lindley got the educational experience of a lifetime, had access to some of the country’s best professors and resources, and was able to design her own major.

But when will they be out of debt?

Neither of them knew the answer to that question, either.

Maggie Shafer is a freelance finance reporter and copy editor for Northern Colorado Business Report living in Fort Collins, Colo. Follow her online at www. maggieshafer.com.

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COLLEGE DOESN’T TEACH YOU EVERYTHING —AND THAT’S OK

BY NANCY ORTBERG

hey sure didn’t teach me this in college.”

When you graduate college and go into your chosen field to work, one of the first things you will realize is that your college education was woefully inadequate to prepare you for the job you have in front of you.

But you aren’t supposed to learn it all in school. You don’t go to college to learn—you go to college to learn how to learn. There is an enormous difference.

Unless you go on to graduate school, you will never again be in a place in your life where such an intersection of so many ideas and relationships occurs. Over the next four years, you will be in a place where you are exposed to business concepts, to Scripture, to educational training, to sports, to literature. They are woven together in a tapestry to teach you how to ask questions, how to listen, how to think with a critical mind without a critical spirit—to learn how to

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learn. That is a gift. There are not many who get the opportunity to be exposed to that, so treasure that more than anything else as you move forward, and bring it with you to whatever it is that you do.

Thomas Merton said this of education: “Contemplation is the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive ... a vivid realization of the fact that this life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant Source.”

The awareness of the reality of that source should be a journey you are on for the rest of your life. If you bring that spirit of questioning and wonder to all you do in college and beyond, you will begin to understand why it will take us eternity to fully plumb the depths of who God is. Such an awareness requires an intentional connection between the internal and external life.

In Isaiah 29, God is mad at the people, so He tells Isaiah, “Here’s what I want you to tell my people: My complaint against them is this: You come near to me with your mouth and you honor me with your lips— but your hearts are far from me.” (God gets pretty ramped up about the dissonance between inside and outside.) But then, in what may be one of the most fascinating verses in the Old Testament, God gives His prescription for curing a people whose insides and outsides don’t match: “Therefore, once more, I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder.”

Part of your job going forth is to infuse

your life with the same wonder you have when you leave a class in science and are moved by the works of God; when you are inspired by a poem in your literature class; when a business principle awakens in you that sense of wonder.

Returning to the Old Testament, in Zechariah 4, we find this reminder: “Do not despise the day of small things.” In your path to purpose and your pursuit to honor Jesus in your life, don’t ever overlook the small ways in which God will ask you to start—even as a freshman. God is teaching us that He is always starting new and fresh things in very small ways.

Never let anyone take away from you the intersection of ideas and the transcendence and the wonder of God. A French priest once said this: “If only we knew how to look at life the way God sees it, we would realize that nothing is secular in this world.”

Everything in the world is infused with God, and there is not a nook or cranny in His universe where you can go that He has not already been there before you.

You may not learn all that much in college, but you will learn a more valuable thing—and that is to learn for the rest of your life.

Nancy Ortberg currently serves as a leader for Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, Calif. This piece was adapted from a commencement speech shared at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla.

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GRAD SCHOOL WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

BY LORI MANN

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o go to grad school, or not to go to grad school? Determining if further education is in your future—and which school is the best fit for you—may seem overwhelming. The key, though, is to ask several questions that will guide you in your decision.

As you weigh your options, you need to consider everything, from your own motives to the success of graduates and from your schools of choice to the timeline for applying. Asking the right questions now will help you decide if grad school is right for you, narrow down your school choices and simplify the application process.

Here are some questions to help guide you as you go.

EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES Grad school is a substantial investment of time and money—so be sure it is absolutely necessary for your future plans before you sign up. It may not be a good solution if you have emerged from college with a degree in hand but no idea what to do next. Nor is it a good idea if your primary motivation is to boast that you have a master’s degree or a Ph.D. Be honest with yourself, and spend time in prayer as you think through the following questions.

Ask yourself, “Why do I want to go?”

There are right and wrong answers to this question. If you simply don’t know what else to do, it’s probably not a good idea. If you want to go because you love learning, then it might be an option. Remember, it’s possible to learn outside of a university, and grad school is not the only way to stimulate your brain. Entering grad school because the job market looks bleak and it seems safer to hide out in academia for a few years is also not the best idea—the job market could be just as rough after you graduate, when you’re a little older and a lot more in debt.

“Is it necessary for my desired career path?” Some professional occupations require post-baccalaureate study and certification. For others, the direction is less clear. If further schooling will better prepare you for your career, then grad school is likely a good decision.

In some cases, it might be a good idea to get work experience first. An MBA, for example, is important in the business world. Most MBA programs, however, require a certain amount of real-world job experience first. Talk to people who have been in your field for five or 10 years as a good way of gauging if grad school is necessary for you.

SEEK COUNSEL Ask friends and family, “Does this seem like an appropriate step for where I am in life?” If you are married, this is a decision you and your spouse need to make together because it will affect your family. If your family seems hesitant, you may want to reconsider and discuss their reasons.

Ask current grad students and professors, “What is grad school really like?” Talking to them will give you a realistic picture of the experience. Many people grow nostalgic about their undergraduate experience and imagine grad school to be a continuation of the same thing. But grad programs require focused, hard work and offer an entirely different experience. Talk to current students and your professors about their experiences. Remember, though, that some professors entered graduate school a few decades ago and may not reflect the current reality. Asking the right questions of those who know you and those who have experience will shape your knowledge and facilitate a better decision.

LOOK AT POTENTIAL SCHOOLS Determining which grad school to attend is not an exact science. It depends on your program of interest as well as your personal taste. Thoroughly investigating schools that interest you is of the utmost importance.

Dig deep into their websites and published materials, talk to students and faculty and visit the campus if possible. You will spend years there; see what it is like first. How are you treated? What are the facilities like?

Make it a priority to meet faculty as well.

Ask, “Is there a faculty member who could supervise my project or thesis?” This is one of the most important questions to ask when picking a school. Many people focus on the institution they want to attend without investigating the faculty. This is a mistake, as it is the faculty who have the most impact on your experience. Look at their interests, read their publications and research their interests to determine if they fit what you specifically desire to study.

“What are this school’s alumni doing today?” A key marker of a program’s effectiveness is what its alumni are doing. Do they seem prepared for their careers or

ministries? How connected are they with their alma mater?

These questions reflect on the school’s effectiveness, as well as the quality of the alumni’s experience. Try to talk to alumni if possible, in order to hear their firsthand perspectives.

“Is the location of this school suitable for my needs?”

This question addresses everything from your program needs (such as a marine biology program at a school on the coast) to your personal needs. Will your spouse be able to find work? Does the school and surrounding area offer the resources you need to do advanced-level study? What is the cost of living?

THINK ABOUT YOUR FINANCES Finances can be one of the largest factors in deciding if grad school is a good idea, and also for helping you decide which grad schools you should pursue. Asking the right questions now could help you avoid pitfalls later.

Ask yourself, “How will I pay for it?” First, look into what financial aid the potential schools offer, and pursue any options they have available.

The financial aid staff is a great resource, so be sure to meet with them. Then seriously consider how you will pay for school if no sources of aid work out. Will you have to work fulltime while going to school?

Will you have to take out loans, possibly adding to debt from your undergrad education?

Think about these questions and decide if the time and money are worth pursuing further education.

“Is attending grad school worth the debt I will accrue?”

In some fields, attending a tier-one school will give you a leg up on the job market

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GRAD after graduation, as well as professional connections. This might be worth the extra expense. Think about the (realistic) future earnings potential of your career and if you can pay off any debt in a reasonable time frame. What about your family?

Will education debt delay purchasing a home, affect sending your kids to school, necessitate a job for your spouse or otherwise impact your lifestyle goals?

“What other options do I have for making it more affordable?” Attending school half-time and working full-time could make grad school financially feasible, although it will take longer to complete your degree. Is that trade-off worth it to you? Options such as online or hybrid classes may be less expensive and enable you to continue working while attending school.

PREPARE YOUR APPLICATION PACKET When you have decided which schools might be a good fit, the next step is to prepare your application packet. Take your time and be thorough. Pay careful attention to deadlines, and start your application well ahead of time. Your personal statement is probably the most important piece of your application, so give yourself plenty of time to write and rewrite this portion. Have others who know you well review your personal

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THE COST OF APPLYING Just applying to graduate school can get expensive. Here are some fees you may not have considered.

When asking for recommendation letters, offer to cover postage.

Some professors may want small compensation for their reference, as well.

Most schools have a substantial application fee. Be prepared to hand over $35-$50 for each application you send in.

Your undergraduate school will likely charge you for each transcript copy you request. Expect to spend $15-$20

statement too. Planning ahead and being meticulous is key to an effective and impactful application.

If possible, speak with an admissions representative to make sure your questions are answered. Find out which, if any, test scores are required. This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in applying to grad school. Most tests, such as the GRE, require additional time after you take the test before they report the scores to your prospective institutions.

Ideally, you should factor in time for the scores to be reported, as well as time to retake the test if you do not pass the first time or are unhappy with your scores. Ask the institutions the average test scores of accepted students to gauge whether retaking the test is necessary.

Ask yourself, “Which professors should I ask for recommendations?”

You want to choose professors who have seen your work as a student firsthand. A professor who gave you a “B” but saw how hard you worked to understand a tough subject is a better option than a professor who gave you an “A” but only vaguely remembers you.

Also, ask for recommendations from faculty members who are in your desired field, if possible. They will be able to speak about your readiness for grad school with greater weight because they know the field. Some schools require personal or employer references in lieu of or in addition to faculty recommendations, and the same idea applies here.

“What extracurricular activities, leadership skills or work experience should I present in my application?”

Include activities and experiences that demonstrate your well-rounded interests and your ability to be involved outside the classroom, as well as how they have prepared you for grad school.

Grad school requires a substantial investment of time and money, and you want to spend both of those wisely. Ask the right questions, and you’ll be better prepared with the right answer.

per copy.

Does your college of choice ask for a GRE or other standardized test? You’ll want to set aside $150-$200 before signing up.

Lori Mann is the manager of graduate admissions marketing at Biola University. She has a B.A. and M.A. from California State University, Fullerton, in Communications.

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GET MORE THAN A DEGREE 5 WAYS TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM OTHER GRADUATES ENTERING THE WORK FORCE

BY ADAM RICO

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our résumé probably looks great.

Good college, impressive degree, high GPA and president of a campus club. However, it looks the same as the thousands of other students graduating with the same degree you’re receiving.

After reviewing thousands of résumés every year as a career consultant, I can tell you that in this competitive job market, you need to do something to make your way to the front of the pack in order to land the job. Just having a graduate degree is no longer a golden ticket. So, how do you set yourself apart when you don’t have extensive work experience?

The answer begins with a basic question: Which field do you want to work in? Once you have identified what you want to do when you receive your newly minted degree, you can create a plan to set yourself apart and land a great job. Here are five creative ways to separate yourself from the pack.

WORK IN YOUR FIELD Between studying, writing reports and meeting with professors, you can give yourself an edge by getting experience before you graduate. This can take different forms.

The most common is a summer internship, which is a great way to get experience and sometimes summer cash. The downside is it will likely be a short-term assignment, and you will only have time to work on a handful of projects and tasks.

A better strategy is to work part-time— or even full-time—in a job that gives you an understanding of how a specific industry works. In addition, you’ll learn how you can best provide value to an organization after you graduate. You may have to do work that is not exactly your dream job, but the experience and understanding you gain at the bottom of the corporate ladder will give you an edge that 90 percent of other job applicants won’t have. For example, if you want to get a job in public relations, you can

work as an administrative assistant for the public relations department of a company.

It’s not glamorous, but you’ll learn the ins and outs of a corporate public relations department and potentially position yourself for a job when you graduate.

If you don’t want to commit to working a job while you’re in school, try temping in your field of interest. Similar to the internship, the downside is you will likely only work on a small number of projects and tasks, thus limiting your experience.

However, working contract temporary jobs is a great way to get some experience while gaining the flexibility to work only when it aligns with your schedule.

latte today. You need to gear them toward a more professional audience. Also, remember that everything you share or tweet can and will be held against you when it comes time to make a hiring decision.

Although social media is always changing, LinkedIn is currently the best place to connect with other professionals online. Be sure to join the LinkedIn groups associated with your field of interest, and get to know people that way. The key to LinkedIn, and all social media for that matter, is to be as helpful as you can be to others. Then, when the time comes to ask a favor, you have already built a positive relationship with an individual or group.

website. As a recruiter, how many hardcopy paper résumés do you think I receive every year? Answer: About four. When you snail-mail your résumé, you have effectively cut out 99 percent of all your competition who chose to apply through the company’s typical application process and have done no further follow-up. You still need to apply online, but the key is to also mail a hardcopy résumé to a specific person (i.e., the recruiter or hiring manager) and follow up with a phone call to that person.

It’s not always easy to determine to whom you should send your résumé, but with a little creativity and some strategic LinkedIn searches, you’ll find

JOIN A PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION By joining the professional organization of a specific field, you will be able to get a lot of information about that area, the latest developments and the most significant challenges the field is facing. In addition, most professional organizations have yearly conferences, which are valuable events for you to attend. Almost all professional organizations allow students to join at a discounted rate, and some even have student chapters. Visit Weddles.com/ associations to see a comprehensive list of available professional organizations.

However, just joining the organization is not enough—you also need to network with the members of it. Attend local chapter meetings, and get to know the professionals in your area. Get involved with whatever that particular chapter is doing. Volunteer to be on the board of the organization. If the chapter gets involved with communityservice events, like canned-food drives, be sure to help. You want to make yourself known to the professionals in your area so that when they hear of a job opportunity for a recent graduate, you are the first one who comes to mind.

UPGRADE YOUR INTERNET PRESENCE Start a blog focused on your field of interest. Become a resource for people in your chosen field, then guest-post on other blogs focused on the area. You may ask, “What do I know about this field?” Take a look at other blogs focused on the realm you want to break into, read books about your chosen field and fake it till you make it.

Along with your blog, you will need a strong social media presence. All of your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ accounts need a makeover so they are no longer just about where you bought your

RATHER THAN BEMOAN YOUR UNLUCKY TIMING, TRY REFRAMING YOUR SITUATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATIVELY SHOWCASE YOUR ABILITIES TO FUTURE EMPLOYERS. START YOUR OWN BUSINESS If you can’t get work experience in your field prior to graduation, create your own.

You may wonder how it’s possible to start a business and go to school at the same time, but you wouldn’t be the first to do it. Just Ask Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page or Bill Gates. When you want something enough, you’ll find the time.

Thanks to the Internet, you can start a business with minimal up-front costs and very little overhead. Whether you start a dog-walking business or an online store, you can create your own work experience.

The key is to use your experience as leverage to prove you can add value to an organization when you graduate. You may also decide your business is much more fun and profitable than getting a 9-5 realworld job.

Starting and running a business along with going to school will be time-consuming, so you need to have a good business plan and be able to manage your time effectively.

A great resource to help you navigate the start-up process is MyOwnBusiness.org.

GET CREATIVE IN YOUR APPLICATION PROCESS How does everyone apply for jobs today?

On the Internet, through a company’s

the right person to target. Also, even if the job posting says no phone calls, you should still follow up with a phone call.

Companies put that on their postings because they don’t want to answer tons of calls about a job. Fortunately for you, most people will follow the rules and not call. However, if you want the job, you need to follow up with a phone call.

There’s a chance it might irritate the recruiter or hiring manager temporarily, but it will show them you are serious about getting the job.

Today’s job market for new college graduates is the toughest we’ve seen in a generation. Rather than bemoan your unlucky timing, try reframing your situation as an opportunity to creatively showcase your abilities. Today, the jobs no longer go only to the most technically qualified. Instead, they go to those who are technically qualified and creative in marketing their value. So stay positive, think creatively and be bold in differentiating yourself.

Adam Rico is a corporate recruiter and career coach. Check out his blog at WorkYouEnjoy.com.

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HOW TO HAVE A LIFE IN GRAD SCHOOL T H E K E Y S TO T H R I V I N G I N S I D E A N D O U T S I D E T H E C L A S S R O O M

BY JEFF COOK

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wo things happened when I went to grad school: I moved away from all my friends, and I stopped believing in God. Looking back, it’s clear those two things went together and that I lacked wise rhythms and a community to help in the places I struggled most.

When God told Solomon He would give the new king whatever he wished, Solomon asked for wisdom—once a person has wisdom, there is nothing valuable they will fail to possess. Ask a wise person what the treasures of life are, and they will most likely list things like character, friendship, family, healthy rhythms, good conversation and virtue—these are the treasures the wise pursue.

Wisdom is the primary attribute of a life well lived, but it is elusive. In the transitions of life (as grad school is), wisdom is often gained on the backside of failure—which is why it’s so critical to have strong relationships and surround yourself with people who will speak truth into your life.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE There is a big difference between those who are single, single-and-dating, married, married-with-children-under-3, marriedwith-children–over-3, married-with-anempty-nest or single parents. Placing yourself on this spectrum and finding out

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how people flourish in your stage of life is key.

What does it look like to live well right here, right now? Your eyes cannot be constantly on the future, the next season or the next experience—nor should they be on the past and what could have been. To live well, you must focus here.

If you are single, you’ll have more spare time to not only study but invest in friendships.

This is the time to pursue those experiences you won’t be able to pursue once you have a full-time career or family—like traveling, meeting professionals in your field and accepting low-paying internships. Minimizing debt is important, but do your best to figure out how to grab the opportunities in front of you.

Once you enter a relationship, one friend above all others will get your best energy and exclusive attention.

That attention will only heighten if you get married, but other things change as well. Now you must have a real vocation that helps provide a worthy home

life for your beloved. For most, the amount of energy poured into work increases dramatically after marriage.

But nothing will shape and change you more than having a baby. Imagine having your daily energy and work time cut in half, and then subtract 95 percent of your play time. If you have a spouse and a child as a grad student, your life will look a lot different than some of your peers. It’s not impossible—just different.

Soul health requires understanding how best to live well where you are, and that means having real talks with friends at your same stage of life, as well as hunting down those who have just finished.

ENGAGE WITH OTHER PEOPLE Academics are naturally introverted (you have to have a little introvert in you to do a dissertation), but if your trajectory is always inward, you will cocoon yourself in ways that are unhealthy.

Many scholars hit a wall when they realize nobody “gets” them. Few non-academics are able to converse with grad students about the topics with which they are wrestling. And if grad students don’t find peers or drop constantly talking about their studies, they will find themselves quite alone.

The solution to both the problems of life stage and isolation is to pursue community—and hard—whether

that’s through the many churches that will be near your university or by investing in relationships with older students in your field who love Christ. Of course, you’ll feel you have no time for others, but make it anyway. Find someone else your same gender, preferably a bit older, and pursue them. This will be easy for some, difficult and seemingly impossible for others, but it’s essential to your mental stability. The best thing to remember is that everyone has to sit down daily to eat. Share meals with them.

Most important to me would have been finding someone intelligent who still loved Jesus and could speak at a graduate level about faith. I did not find that person, and I stopped being a Christian. It took stumbling onto some podcasts a few years later to draw me back toward belief, but grad studies can be ruthless on an honest faith. In the sciences, liberal arts, business and even theology and pastoring, when you move into the realm of theory—of high-level critique and observation—many of those beliefs you held for years will be torn down.

Many of the ideas that once pulled you

THE SOLUTION TO BOTH THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE STAGE AND ISOLATION IS TO PURSUE COMMUNITY—HARD. through bad times, helped you manage tragedy, and because of which you first worshiped God will be shown to be false and altogether foolish.

My time at grad school suddenly became an altar upon which all my inadequate thinking about myself and my God went to die. In retrospect, some of those ideas were not very good and should have been discarded. Some of them were apt and could have been defended, but I lacked the skills. Core beliefs about myself, relationships and how the world operated were in flux.

Do not be deceived going in.

God is real, but the picture of God you first believed in will almost certainly morph into something else by the time you are done with your graduate studies. That is great, but it can be painful.

I wish I had known going in that I could have set some of my beliefs aside and said, “I don’t know how to wrestle with that right now, and that’s OK.” More than anything, I wish I’d known a person two years older than me who studied in my field and whom I saw as praiseworthy. Again, it comes back to community being indispensable. Just knowing someone else survived and is enjoying the kind of life you desire is a real treasure.

Wisdom knows the best life is not lived alone—that even if you have a wonderful romantic partner, it’s friendship that makes life a joy. We all need those who will journey with us shoulder to shoulder, not just face to face, and we ought to pursue fellow travelers, even if the distance we travel with them is short. Friendship, said C.S. Lewis, “is a main course in life’s banquet.”

When entering this next season, do not choose to fast.

EXPECT THE GROWTH OF YOUR SOUL I went to a state university to study philosophy. I had read everything about apologetics and communicating the faith in the face of secular thought. When I stepped into courses taught by professors with Ph.D.s from Oxford and Yale and tried to pick a fight with them, I quickly learned that such men love to destroy average thinking with agility and classy condescension when given the opportunity.

Jeff Cook teaches philosophy at the University of Northern Colorado and is the author of Everything New: One Philosopher’s Search for a God Worth Believing In (Subversive 2012). Connect with him at www.everythingnew.org.

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THE 3 WAYS ANXIETY INVADES YOUR LIFE—AND HOW TO STOP IT

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STRESS IS LIKE A WEED, SPROUTING UNINVITED IN THE SOIL OF YOUR WORLD. B Y D E B R A K . F I L E TA

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You’ve been up all night working on two papers that are due in just four hours, and then there’s the 9 a.m. seminar you’ve only barely prepared for.

You’re mentally drained and physically exhausted, and you’re pretty sure that if even one more thing gets added to your plate, your head is going to explode.

It’s during the 4 a.m. hour that the doubts start to creep in: Is grad school really worth it? How am I supposed to juggle my studies, a full-time job and my family?

Can I really make it through the rest of this program when I can barely make it through the night?

You’re not alone. In a recent Barna study, a staggering 43 percent of grad students indicated that the stress levels accompanying the earning of their graduate degrees were more than they could handle.

Indeed, grad school will eat up your free time, your finances and your emotions.

It has all the components for the perfect storm of stress.

But that doesn’t have to be your reality.

When stress hits, it’s important to be able to identify it. Recognizing stressors in your life is the key to overcoming stress and being able to make the most of the time you’re devoting to your studies.

Stress comes in all shapes and sizes and affects your physical, mental and emotional world. It manifests in racing thoughts, concentration blocks, irritability, pessimism and negativity, and a general sense of unease and overwhelm. It can affect your body’s ability to sleep and eat, and it can cause physical aches and pains, nausea, dizziness, rapid heartbeat and even chest pain. It can cause changes in your behavior by leading to

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increased tendencies toward isolation and procrastination.

Stress is pervasive. It’s like a weed, sprouting uninvited in the soil of your world, and its roots can make their home in three particular parts of your life—physical, mental and spiritual.

These three components to stress are intertwined, and changing even one of them will, in turn, impact the others. So if you find your grad school days shaping up to be more stressful than educational, take a look at these three areas of life to identify where the stress is sprouting from—and what you can do to get rid of it for good.

Physical.

Stress is your body’s way of protecting you—it sends chemicals to your body to keep you alert, aware and focused in times of danger and need. You may have heard of this phenomenon before, commonly called the “fight or flight” response, and it means stress isn’t all bad.

A healthy level of stress is good—protecting us, keeping us functioning and giving us the energy we need to cope with our daily responsibilities.

For instance, staying awake and alert while driving, studying into the late-night hours and briskly walking back to your car after an evening appointment—all of these are important activities we can readily engage when our bodies are motivated by the chemical response of stress. But the physical danger of stress arises when it hits a level beyond your control, overwhelming you rather than helping you function.

Because so much of the stress you experience is your body’s response to stimuli, it’s important to reverse its effects by taking a look at your behavior. In other words, what you do truly impacts how you feel. And there are so many small details in your daily routine that can easily get overlooked while having a profound impact on your felt experience of stress.

For instance, getting a proper amount of sleep (eight to nine hours per night is best— so pulling that all-nighter really isn’t worth it), eating a healthy and balanced diet, exercising daily and practicing controlled

breathing exercises are all physical components that can counter the effects of too much negative stress.

Find something you love to do, and make sure you work time into your schedule to do it. It’s tough to balance grad school, a job and your family all at once, but locating an hour in the week to fit in a yoga class, a bike ride or a good book could make the difference between achieving balance and falling apart at the seams.

Mental.

As a professional counselor, I find the mental roots of stress to be a very important part of the stress equation. One approach to lowering stress levels that’s frequently used in therapy is a system based entirely on monitoring—and then changing—your patterns of thinking.

Think about it. Your brain is the control center of your body, and you have up to 70,000 thoughts a day. Those thousands of thoughts can’t help but create an insurmountable impact on your felt level of stress each day. In short, your brain can either exacerbate or inhibit your experience of stress.

Negative thoughts are interpreted by your body like a false alarm, causing a rush of stress chemicals that begin to interfere with everyday life. But the great thing about patterns of thought is that you can learn to control them. By being deliberate in monitoring your thoughts and then working on changing the negative ones into ideas that edify and strengthen you (Philippians 4:8), you can reverse the patterns of negativity in your life and control the effect those patterns have on your emotional state.

To begin this process, one approach is to start journaling as a way to recognize consistent patterns and triggers of negative thoughts. Start a journal, separate from the one you use for Bible studies and Scripture notes, and consistently make a note of any time you have pessimistic thoughts, make negative comments, or focus on your problems rather than their solutions. Jot down thoughts of feeling helpless or hopeless, and pay attention for words that are

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YOUR BRAIN IS THE CONTROL CENTER THAT EITHER EXACERBATES OR INHIBITS STRESS. categorical or extreme—never, always and any other black-and-white phrases.

I had a particular client who really benefited from this process. Kate (not her real name) was a young woman in her 20s—fun-loving and lighthearted, and from the outside looking in, probably the least likely person anyone would consider “stressed.” But stress is nondiscriminatory and knows no limits of persons. Kate came into counseling with chronic stress that bubbled over into anxiety, and she was unsure where it came from.

When Kate started journaling, she immediately identified patterns in her negative thoughts that seemed centered on people and relationships. She constantly worried about what others would think, how they would react to her actions and whether or not they would like her. Through her journal entries, Kate was able to face these harmful thoughts that had become subconscious and natural to her over the years. And once she recognized their social aspect, she could begin to address the real concern of her worry. Over time, her anxiety followed suit and diminished.

Awareness is one of the most important tools you have when it comes to battling your stress. Take time to monitor your thoughts, know your triggers and recognize your harmful patterns so you can replace that which is negative with that which is uplifting.

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Spiritual. The last root to snip when dealing with stress has a lot to do with your spiritual world. I’ve heard it said, “Do your best and God will do the rest.” It’s a nice sentiment for trusting God—but practically speaking, there’s a lot you can actually do to counter stress just by adjusting behaviors and habits.

Time management, organization, preparation and planning are definite musthaves for any grad student trying to avoid unnecessary stress. But even when it feels like you’ve got it all together, there are times when stress will still catch you off-guard.

The Bible talks a lot about dealing with worry and stress. Not only is worry specifically addressed, but it is brought up time and time again. God knows our tendency to worry, and He made sure to repeat His instructions for this multiple times just in case we forgot.

The basic message of God’s command concerning our anxiety comes down to these two words: Don’t worry. God reminds us time and time again: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?” (Luke 12:25).

Human nature is geared toward taking responsibility and control. We want to do things our way, in our time and with our skills. And a sense of responsibility is good and biblical—there are a number of things you can do that will make a difference in your overall quality of life, such as studying instead of winging it,

paying attention to your priorities instead of distracting yourself, getting good sleep instead of pulling all-nighters, and filling your mind with healthy thoughts and your life with positive people. A healthy sense of responsibility is necessary to propel yourself forward in life.

But sometimes responsibility goes overboard, especially when you try to take charge of your life in the areas where you truly have no control. A myriad of things in life are ultimately out of our control, and stress can be an exclamatory reminder of our need to trust in God. In order to snip the spiritual roots of stress, then, be deliberate to remind yourself of these important truths. Spend time in God’s Word. Surround yourself with godly people. Worship God throughout the day. Invest quality time in prayer. These are all important ways to keep yourself from worry and ground yourself in peace.

You can spend time focusing on the problem or you can spend it focused on the resolution—Christ. He reminds us that nothing is beyond His scope—not the undergrad courses you teach, the papers you write or the proctored exams you must pass. He’ll give you what you need every day so that stress has no room to take over your life—even at 4 a.m.

Debra K. Fileta is a licensed professional counselor who lives in Hershey, Penn., with her husband and their daughter.

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WHY GO TO GRAD SCHOOL? B Y D A N I E L WA L K E R

hen I became a Christian, I was either going to give it my all—or nothing. If God could be known and loved, then I wanted to know and love Him the best I could.

I’d always wanted to be a police officer or a soldier, so when I joined “God’s army,” I decided to take the Special Forces route.

That is why I went to grad school.

I initially saw grad school as a way to hone my skills and gain necessary knowledge to be a better fighter, a more consistent disciple and a more fully alive human being. While these things certainly occurred, I also matured in ways I could never have foreseen.

I learned to value my heritage, culture and worldview while learning to engage with and understand new and very unfamiliar ones. I was forced to persevere through some course material and fieldwork I did not enjoy and would never have chosen, only to find in hindsight it was often at those times I grew and developed the most.

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I was initially very clear about how God was going to use my particular course of study, and I worked hard to ensure I completed the coursework to the necessary standard to do just that—which is why I was confused and somewhat crestfallen when, in spite of my degree, the doors to the path I had chosen remained closed. What had I gotten wrong?

After graduating with a master’s degree in Third World development, I fully expected doors to open to all manner of opportunities in the developing world with relief and development organizations. I was confident my newfound knowledge and skills would be quickly put to good use by helping others escape the cycle of poverty and desperation.

However, I was soon to learn the development ethos was moving away from sending Westerners to the Third World, instead empowering locals on the ground.

This made sense, as they already knew the language and the culture and often had a better idea of what the real problems were and how best to solve them.

But when one door after another closed before me, I became increasingly despondent. Ultimately, I decided either God had made a mistake or I had gotten my wires crossed. Since I still had my childhood dream of becoming a police officer, I decided to pursue that instead.

I joined the New Zealand police, got married and began to accept my life as it was, devoid of any opportunity to utilize my graduate studies and experience. Indeed, if

I was honest, there were times I wondered if grad school had been a complete waste of time.

About 11 years later, though, a friend handed me an article about an organization utilizing law enforcement and criminal investigators to travel to the developing world to rescue women and children from slavery. Suddenly, my graduate degree made sense.

But it was only some years later that I could see the master plan at work. The skills, education and depth I gained during that time were able to sustain me and propel me into a very different pathway, one that did not even exist when I first enrolled in grad school and one I would never have dreamed possible all those years before.

Rescuing women and children from sex trafficking required all of me. I was stretched and broken in ways I cannot describe. But it was truly exhilarating to feel as if every ounce of who I was and everything I had learned was being used to set people free from this most horrific form of modern-day slavery.

I am reminded that in a world where evil permeates our fallen creation, there is no “secular” divide as far as God is concerned, and every course of study—be it science, medicine, law or sociology—can be used to set captives free from whatever sucks the life out of them and threatens to enslave them.

The Bible says the Kingdom of God is advancing and the gates of evil cannot stand against it. For me, grad school was and is about being proactive and taking the offensive. It is about doing those things that make us come alive—pursuing those courses of study that interest and excite us, and ultimately participating in those adventures that we feel called to from our core.

Grad school was a defining point in my life. The person I became was able to do and be much more than I could imagine.

Grad school allowed me to expand my limited horizons, to go deeper into life and to suck the marrow out of it. And for this I will always be thankful.

Daniel Walker is the author of God in a Brothel: An Undercover Journey Into Sex Trafficking and Rescue. He holds a master’s degree in Third World economic development from Eastern University in Philadelphia.

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BY TOM NELSON

SEMINARY 101 WH AT YOU NEED TO KNOW

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Seminary will give you deep, detailed equipping for service, but the basics are probably already evident in your life.

Third, do mature believers express that perhaps God is calling you to ministry? It’s not unusual that godly men and women around you will see this before you do.

Now, for those who didn’t complete their undergraduate degree with the highest of GPAs, you can still continue to pursue seminary. Admissions departments look at sense of call and previous ministry experience as well as past academic achievement.

Or maybe you completed your bachelor’s degree a few years ago and have always hoped—or perhaps now for the first time hope—to attend seminary. It’s never too late. The wisdom you’ve acquired over the years will translate into good study habits, and your presence will surely be a blessing to your younger fellow students.

ASSESS YOUR CALLING

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hristians are called to be witnesses for the Gospel, to live according to God’s Word and to be ready to share about their faith. But for some believers, their calling is also a recognition or understanding that God has planned some specific direction or area of ministry for their life.

In Romans 10:14-15, the Apostle Paul asks: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?” (ESV).

These words have inspired men and women to answer God’s call to ministry ever since. Perhaps you are now considering how you are to respond to God’s call on your life.

Here are a few steps to help you get on the path to pursuing your call.

DISCERN YOUR CALL I often hear the question, “How do I know I’m called to ministry?” First, do you sense a passion for a burning issue to be addressed by the Gospel? For what problem in this world do you sense a burden? Effective ministry is always accompanied by zeal to serve.

Second, have you already noticed a gifting in your life for that burden? Does sharing your faith, defending Scripture or the ability to manage and direct a group or an organization come easily to you?

Once you have a sense of call, it’s your Kingdom duty to consider where you might look for help to get started. That may mean additional preparation beyond a bachelor’s degree. So, after determining where God has called you to ministry, there’s a second question: “What seminaries should I consider attending?”

If you’re called to become a pastor, the Master of Divinity degree is preparation that’s ideally designed for you and is required by most denominations. You should also look for an M.Div. that includes study in the original languages, Hebrew and Greek. If you seek to become a counselor, a Master of Arts in counseling will likely be required for licensure. Some seminaries offer master’s degrees in general areas, such as biblical studies or theological studies, or in specific fields like missions, urban ministry, youth ministry or church planting.

Ask your pastor or other ministry leaders you know if there are any seminaries they recommend. Pore over the school’s website, paying special attention to the faculty list. Arrange a visit to their campus, or attend the seminary’s preview day. Meet with the seminary representative when they visit your college or your church.

Another great way to get to know the seminary is to listen to the school’s classes, seminars and chapel messages on their website or on iTunes. Like them on Facebook. Subscribe to their Twitter feed. Watch their videos on YouTube. There are plenty of opportunities to find information on seminaries today, and you should take the time to get to know the schools as much as possible.

MAKE A COMMITMENT Once you’ve taken the time to consider the options available regarding seminaries, it’s time to take the next step: Contact the school and let them know you’re interested in pursuing a degree. A counselor or an advisor from the school will contact you (hopefully right away), and you and your counselor can begin the

dialogue. Ask your counselor specific questions, such as:

• How much is tuition per credit hour?

• How many hours does my degree program of choice require?

• Does the school have proper accreditation?

• How successful are graduates in finding a position in their desired field?

The financing of a seminary degree is, above all, a trusting in and a reliance on God’s provision. Students finance their studies through their personal resources, the support of their home church, family and friends, and the seminary’s financial aid opportunities.

If you are worried about how you’ll pay for seminary, remember God has called you to this, and with this calling you must also trust He will provide what you need. Seminaries are collections of hundreds of stories of how God blesses His children as they seek to carry out His will.

At this point, you’re likely ready to begin the application process.

Most seminaries now use an online application process, and most applications for admission will ask you to provide an essay that includes an account of your personal relationship with Christ, any previous ministry experience you have and an articulation of your sense of call and your future ministry plans.

The people who approve admissions applications really do read these, as they want to hear your story. They will also use it to assess your academic preparation for graduatelevel study, as well as an initial determination about your spiritual maturity and whether your theological views generally line up with the seminary’s theological foundation and framework.

This last point cannot be stressed enough. You will

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Does your pastor affirm your sense of call?

If yes, then you’re on your way. If the answer is no, you have to find out why. Listen and carefully consider any recommendations.

Perhaps you’re not sufficiently articulating a vision for ministry. Perhaps your pastor sees gifting in you that might be better suited for something you haven’t thought about. Or perhaps your pastor has concern about your spiritual maturity or the impact pursuing the call will have on your health, your finances or your family. God will most likely use your pastor as a source of wisdom and discernment.

ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

definitely be much more content during your time at seminary and more likely to complete the degree if you and the seminary are in general agreement with particular points of theology. Most seminaries provide instruction that derives from a particular theological point of view, while some choose to offer a very broad view of theology. While schools that fall in the latter category are passionate about their approach, I would hold there is a case to be made for those in the former category. Seminary is a time for training that is very specific. Think of your commitment to a seminary as following a particular discipline, much like an athlete or an artist learns the craft under a particular tutelage or by a particular method.

The application will also usually ask for three references: a pastoral reference, an academic reference and a general reference. Again, admission committees really do read these, too.

Seminaries rely heavily on the pastoral reference, as your pastor should be able to give a clear picture of your spiritual maturity and seminary readiness. In fact, make sure you keep your pastor in the loop throughout the entire process. Let your pastor and other trusted leaders know from the beginning about your sense of call. Keep them informed on your progress and ask for their opinions. Here’s the big question:

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THE MANY DESTINATIONS OF SEMINARY Seminary isn’t just for church leaders. Here are a few out-of-the-box occupations that can benefit from a seminary background.

Media: From publishing to news, many religious groups or media companies look for a theologically trained voice.

Health care: Consider being a hospital chaplain, becoming a mental health counselor or bringing a spiritual weight to health and fitness training.

Nonprofit: There are many advocacy, community service or counseling jobs with interfaith and intercultural NPOs. Law: A seminary degree can be a great foundation for attorneys who specialize in religious freedom, human rights and justice issues.

There are two other important elements in the seminary application process. They’re not really stages, since you should do these all through the process. First, make the process of considering seminary a regular matter of prayer. Seminary is not just graduate school. You are not just making choices here—you are seeking to know God’s will for your life. This cannot be decided by the flip of a coin or by choosing the school with the flashiest website or the seminary with the lowest cost per credit hour. You are preparing for service in the Kingdom of God, and you will likely be engaged in this work for the rest of your life. Make it a habit to articulate to God your thoughts, your fears, your needs and your trust in Him, and listen for God to reveal His will by His Spirit.

Second, begin a regular practice of Bible reading now. If you haven’t done so yet, read the Bible all the way from Genesis 1 through Revelation 22. And start looking for recurring themes: Kingdom, covenant, Trinity, redemption, grace. This kind of serious Bible study will deliver you to the steps of your seminary well prepared and in the meantime will bless you in immeasurable ways.

Your time at seminary will be some of the best years of your life. Along with your studies, you will make friendships with professors and fellow students that will last a lifetime and will create a network of relationships that can be a source of encouragement, comfort and ideas throughout your ministry.

Tom Nelson is the director of admissions at Reformed Theological Seminary in Oviedo, Fla. He is also a ruling elder at River Oaks Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Lake Mary, Fla. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children.

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HOW TO KEEP YOUR FAITH IN SEMINARY 3 SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES EVERY SEMINARIAN SHOULD PRACTICE

BY TREVOR MCMAKEN

he beginning of my time in seminary was filled with excitement and discovery as I focused my energy on being equipped for ministry in the Church. But as I continued, a subtle danger crept in: Spiritual things ceased being devotional and became merely occupational. What was once invigorating and fresh became the required content of a syllabus and the correct answer on an exam. As seminary students engage Christianity intellectually, it becomes vital that they also engage with God on a spiritual, physical and emotional level.

J.I. Packer explains it like this: “Knowing God is more than knowing about Him … the width of our knowledge about Him is no gauge of our knowledge of Him.” The most important thing you can do in seminary is to become someone who hungers and thirsts for the life-changing presence of God. So here are three devotional disciplines to help you grow in knowledge of God. These are not just a few more good things to add to your to-do list. Rather, they are foundational for your life with Christ and future ministry.

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PRAYER During seminary, there is always another book to read, Greek passage to translate and paper to write. I faced the temptation to think of my studies as my time with the Lord. But those studies often lacked knowledge of God and were simply knowledge about God. Do something that breathes life into your soul when it comes to devotions. Something creative or concrete may help balance your more abstract classwork.

I found direction from a 17th-century Carmelite monk named Brother Lawrence. He said, “The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer.” That might sound impossible, but Brother Lawrence says there’s a way in which we can live in conversation with God no matter what else we’re doing—what Paul calls praying without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Lawrence suggests starting with short, repetitive prayers as often as we can remember throughout the day to practice God’s presence with us. Try using names of God (“Jesus,” “Emmanuel”), a fragment of a psalm (“Be still and know that I am God”), a piece

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of liturgy (“Oh Lord, have mercy”) or part of a hymn (“Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it”). You can also pray longer forms, like the Lord’s Prayer, whole psalms or scriptural services from a prayer book, to help you not only read the Bible but pray it.

The Church has used the basic rhythms of the day to remind us to practice God’s presence. Let the first and last moments of the day and meal times remind you to open yourself up to the Lord and live your days with Him.

CHURCH The pastor’s job description is in some ways very simple: Love and serve the Church, Jesus’ bride (Ephesians 5:25-27). How do you stay connected to the bride you’re supposed to be learning to love and serve?

The discipline of church is not always easy—logistically or emotionally. There will be difficult people, needy people, selfish people, disagreeable people and even mean people. But the discipline of church is to keep going back, to let the church family be the thing that defines you. The amazing thing is that God uses this family, with all of its strange aunts and uncles, to transform His

We don’t feast for any other reason than to enjoy the feast and its host.

But how can Christians, in the face of a broken world, do nothing? Sabbath is a reminder that the mission into which Jesus calls His people in Matthew 28:19-20 is His mission. Pastor and professor William Willimon writes, “Sabbath keeping is a publicly enacted sign of our trust that God keeps the world, therefore we do not have to.”

Can you really be expected to “waste” a whole day when you have so much to do? Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel says to rest as if your work is done, not because it is.

So, answer God’s invitation and don’t work. Use your Sabbath to be with the Lord, with family and with friends.

Do things you love that don’t improve your GPA. And do all these things in God’s presence, the Lord of the Sabbath, who wants to feast with you.

people into the image of Jesus and to make the world a better place.

The discipline of church is about belonging to a family, but it’s also about being a body.

You don’t just show up to church—you have a job (see 1 Corinthians 12). The purpose of seminary is to make you a better body part than you are now. So don’t just read about what the shoulder does—start swinging your arms around in the worship and mission of the church and learn by practice.

Part of being the body of Christ is being that body in the world, the hands and feet of Christ to those around you who don’t know Him and who are in need. I struggled with this in seminary and still struggle with it as a pastor. Who can you be praying for and serving? What intentional choices can you make to be Jesus to the lost and the least?

Even in seminary, it’s critical to stay connected to a local church and to serve a local community.

SABBATH While I was a full-time seminary student, I was married and working full-time at a church. Then we had a baby. And then

THERE IS A TIME WHEN EVEN THE GOOD WORK OF GOD CEASES. THOSE SIX DAYS OF WORK POINT TOWARD THIS REALITY: WE WERE MADE FOR SABBATH. another. I was burning out fast, and my family and ministry were suffering.

There is a time when even the good work of God ceases. Those six days of work point toward this reality: We were made for Sabbath. And how does God describe that day? As a feast. The discipline of Sabbath is the weekly practice of joining God at His table (Deuteronomy 12:7; Revelation 19:9).

But to keep the Sabbath, you have to do something quite un-American: You have to be unproductive. Resting in the Lord is not about performing better at work or school.

WITH GOD You can appear successful in the Christian life and even as a pastor without this sort of devotional practice—at least for a while.

Seminary is merely the first test of many having to do with ordering your priorities to avoid the too-common pitfall of trying to lead people to God when you no longer know the way to Him yourself. On the other side of seminary, you may graduate with more knowledge, but will you also be more like Jesus because you practiced His presence? Will you be more in love with the Church? Will you be ready to enter God’s work because you learned how to enter into His rest?

Use your time at seminary to build these practices into the rhythms of your being—not to add another skill to your toolkit but because you so desperately want to be with God that you will not let anything get in the way, even really good things like seminary.

Trevor McMaken lives with his wife, Bonnie, and two children in Wheaton, Ill., where he is a pastor at Church of the Resurrection.

He has an M.Div. from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary.

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REORIENTATION THROUGH DISORIENTATION

BY SCOT MCKNIGHT

eminary was a time of profound disorientation that I later came to see as redemptive and, ultimately, as a time of profound reorientation for my faith.

I grew up in American fundamentalism and attended a school that was then part of that fundamentalism. (I am a proud graduate of Cornerstone University, and am even prouder for what it has become.)

I was shocked by what I learned from professors, pastors and anyone who might chat with me about theology. While I never did surrender the essence of my Christian faith, brick after brick fell down and shook the foundation itself. When I left college, I left my fundamentalist past. Still, I had deconstructed my heritage, but I had not yet constructed a faith that could sustain me. I had become a quester for truth and didn’t care where I might find it.

Seminary, for me, was a time of reconstruction, which meant I was reading the Bible and listening to theology, hoping to hear something that would provide a faith that could guide and sustain me, my

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wife, Kris, and our growing family. But that disorientation meant sometimes I sat in classrooms thinking to myself, “No, I don’t believe that” or “Now, that’s something that gets to the heart of things.” I became a critical-thinking student because reconstruction had become so important.

A friend recognized my seminary disorientation and asked me to write down what I now believed—but all I could do was deconstruct. I realized I knew what I didn’t believe but not what I did believe. I am grateful for patient seminary professors and a wife who was with me as I pondered the Bible anew.

The single most influential factor that led to a reconstructive phase in my faith was a summer I spent examining the Sermon on the Mount—all alone with the Bible, some concordances and a commentary or two. My goal was not to map what the Church had thought but to listen to the text as closely as I could. I was working at UPS, and when I got home from my shifts, I spent the day studying the Sermon, asking myself, “What does

Jesus want of me?” and “What does Christianity look like?”

Total immersion in the Bible and in the words in the Bible led me to “chew the cud” hour after hour, pondering the words and electric vision of Jesus. I had landed on firm ground with Jesus’ Kingdom vision, and it gave me eyes for the rest of the New Testament and Bible.

That summer’s study compelled me to deepen my faith, so when I went to the University of Nottingham for my doctoral work, I was emerging from a period of deconstruction and starting the fresh work of reconstruction. My faith was beginning to be personal and real all over again. Over the next decade, God renewed my faith, gave me more solid foundations on which to stand and breathed on me an anointed enthusiasm for Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.

It was at times a painful process, involving prayer and journaling, depressive conversations and uplifting discussions, all while growing in marriage, nurturing two small children and participating in intense debates about theology and faith. Through this time, the ordinary faithfulness of a godly and loving wife, some honest friends and the influence of students and peers provided parameters within which the Christian faith became more foundational to my life.

That experience with disorientation shaped me to be a teacher who delights in the disorienting experience my students encounter, but I aim also to provide parameters so they can find their way into a faith that transcends their heritage and can sustain them as they journey in faith.

This means we say in class, “Is that what the Bible says?” and “Is that what the Christian faith teaches?” Sometimes we learn what we grew up with is not what the Bible says and not what the Christian faith is all about, and that can lead students into profound disorientation.

But disorientation can lead to reorientation, which can lead to a new orientation that sustains. The goal of disorientation is not skepticism, cynicism or criticism but clearing away the rubble to find the sure and common ground God reveals as we seek to be faithful today.

Scot McKnight is the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park in Chicago, Ill., and the author of several books.

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SEMINARY

THE INS AND OUTS OF DOING SCHOOL ONLINE Online grad schools and seminaries are becoming more popular—but is distance learning right for you and your goals? We spoke to representatives from a seminary and a grad school about the difference between traditional classrooms and online classes and how to figure out which one is best for you.

DR. JACK PAINTER // ONLINE PROFESSOR, A.W. TOZER SEMINARY What are the main differences between traditional and online courses, and how do you reconcile them?

What I really see is that in the traditional classroom, you can create a type of community within that classroom that develops over the semester. Online, you have to use some different strategies. One of those is consistent feedback between professor and student.

One of the real advantages I’ve seen over my years teaching online is these students are generally taking the course from within their ministry context. So we’ll have pastors, we may have laypeople, but because they are taking these within their context, they bring current issues to the table. Even though the topic at hand might be something in the New Testament, when they are doing a class exercise, they’re bringing what’s happening on the ground in their ministry to that.

What concerns have you heard from students in regard to taking seminary classes online?

The primary concern has to do with the students’ ability to be disciplined. You have to discipline yourself to stay consistent throughout that term. I [employ] very definite due dates to keep them in that mode, but I’ve had students who have not completed the class because they simply were not able to create the space to complete the course in the midst of the other things happening in their life.

[Online courses are] the attempt to truly create a classroom that is not physical. From beginning to end, students are in a cohort situation, and they really are learning from each other through doing what they’re doing, and then through feedback from the professor.

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How do you approach teaching practical seminary courses when you’re not physically present with your students?

From day one, my intent in every one of my courses is that they are constantly asking every day, “How does this apply in my context?” So I want them to bring those questions to the forum. They may be going through some sort of biblical exercise, but at the end of the day I want them to be thinking, “So what?” I want them to always be thinking, “OK, yes, I’m studying the biblical text, but so what?” The “so what?” question is always there.

For a student who may be considering online seminary versus regular seminary, what questions would you suggest they ask to help determine that?

I would ask the question, “Is the seminary fully online?” In the case of Tozer, we have different types of delivery, so online is only one component of our delivery; I think a third of our degree is online. If it’s a fully online degree, students simply have to ask, “Do I have the ability to work independently through this entire degree without a face-to-face component?” If it’s a partial, then they do have the opportunity to interact with other students and professors, so there’s at least this knowledge they’ll get to connect. I would say that’s the big question. [Students should also check if] resources are available [and] if the school is set up well in terms of a library online. That’s a question students would need to ask. Otherwise, they’re going to be buying a lot of books. If a person is highly social and needs to think out loud and they’re considering an online course, they can do it, but they

They’re the same courses but with a different delivery mode. The instructor is the most critical issue of the quality of an online course.

We want students to be able to interact with the faculty member.

We want students to be able to interact with other students. A very positive feature of online courses is the use of interactive media—media for teaching purposes, learning purposes—that are incorporated into these online courses but aren’t as easily incorporated into face-toface courses.

Are there extra community-building activities that are offered to students outside of the online classroom?

There is encouragement to work collaboratively, but it would be through a web-based model. Definitely a well-designed online course will have elements in it which engage the students in many, many different ways, in terms of interacting with the faculty member and interacting with their peers.

probably need to find someone local who would be willing to sit down with them and be a partner. But there are some people who have a real problem with that. They feel isolated and have a problem getting into the course because they don’t have the face-to-face in the classroom.

If someone were to come to you asking for your argument on online classes, what’s your bottom line in presenting that to people as an option?

Flexibility, ability to work within the ministry context, the opportunity to take a class with others who are in the trenches with you—those are the three things I would see.

BLAKE WITHALL // DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC SERVICES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA What are the reservations instructors have heard from students in taking online courses?

The main issue is the quality of the instructor. It’s really not the delivery mode. The same is true for an on-campus course. If you’ve got a good instructor who is attentive, who is engaging, who is responsive to the students, then the students consider it a good course—the same issues arise for online courses. If the instructor is engaging, the course material is interesting and presented in an innovative manner, then there really are no complaints about the online courses, per se.

What should students consider when deciding between online grad school versus physical grad school?

Are you self-motivated? Are you able to do your coursework with much less guidance and oversight, in terms of taking initiative to do the work? Another factor is whether their schedule prevents them from coming to campus for a face-to-face course. We do not say online courses are the way to go and the classroom is not a good format. Classrooms are great. Classrooms can provide the support [and] the community just by the fact that they are classroom-based and you are engaging with other people in the flesh. Online courses are created so they have elements that can incorporate that type of interaction into the courses. You can have discussions in online courses, but there is that barrier. For many people, online is the perfect answer to being able to work full-time, being able to move forward with their education, and, if courses are developed properly, then you’re not going to get less of a course.

Is there a difference between the material for classes taught online and those taught in a classroom?

Many students and faculty will say the online delivery method actually is a more demanding environment than the face-to-face classroom environment. If you’re in the class and you’re required to participate in that class, it is clear whether or not you’re participating in that course. When you’re sitting in a large classroom, you may be able to be in that class and not really participate to the extent that you are required to participate as an online student. It’s very, very clear whether or not you are participating online.

Do employers seem to respect online grad degrees as much as traditional grad degrees?

I think it has more to do with the institution compared to whether it’s online or not. In other words, although the public, for-profit schools are slowly becoming more acceptable to employers, there is still somewhat of a stigma attached to those programs. With regards to USF and other reputable schools, there isn’t a distinction in terms of the transcript, in terms of the quality of the courses—we don’t say, “Oh, this is an online master’s degree in higher education.” It’s a degree in higher education from the University of South Florida.

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SEMINARY

“WHY GO TO SEMINARY WHEN I CAN JUST ORDER THE BOOKS FROM AMAZON?”

BY KARA POWELL

his question from a young church leader caught me off-guard. But it’s appropriate—especially now, when information is so readily available at any time.

As a leader juggling ministry and family, I value information that is accessible on my terms as much as anyone. But with 20 years of experience behind me since seminary, I look in the rearview mirror and appreciate how the path I have taken has been formed in large part by seminary. And I’m grateful the road ahead will be also.

After all, seminary offers a unique community that’s meant to stretch and challenge us under the attentive leadership of trained experts with the goal of Kingdom transformation.

First, seminary offers us a unique community. God intends that we live in relationship with others who understand us and our calling. One of my most

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influential friendships was formed in seminary. In the midst of sharing classes, Dena and I realized we also shared a love for ice cream. So, a highlight of our class break every week was our quest to make it to and from the ice cream store before our professor resumed class.

Given our ice cream bond, it was natural that Dena and I would become roommates.

From there, we became close friends.

Years later, Dena moved away, but she was still the friend I trusted the most. When I had a personal struggle that required authentic accountability, I turned to Dena.

Seminary also invites us to cross paths with those different from us. In an era in which cross-cultural skills and communication are essential, seminary classrooms allow Southern Baptists from Kentucky to ask honest questions of African-American Pentecostals from Seattle, which are then reflected upon by Kenyans who have made great personal sacrifices to study in seminary. Seminary gives leaders a foretaste of the diverse Kingdom God intends—a foretaste we can turn around and share with others.

Second, seminary offers us a unique community that stretches us. In my first seminary class, I felt like a theological neophyte. My fellow students were asking questions and rattling off names of theologians and theological movements that I couldn’t spell, let alone define. I took out a piece of paper and started writing

down the names and philosophies my peers were mentioning so I could study them later at home.

While I loved some of the books I read in seminary, what was more impactful was being in a community with sharp fellow learners who pushed themselves—and me— to wrestle with what we were learning until we pinned down answers. Both through their insights and questions, seminary was “seminal” (the root word of “seminary”) in my life and ministry formation.

Third, seminary offers us a unique community that stretches us under the attentive leadership of trained experts.

If I have a minor medical problem, I might check WebMD. If I have a major problem, I’m going to see a trusted doctor.

Churches today have major problems that require the expertise of ministry leaders and thought leaders who have devoted their lives to studying systematic theology, church history and ministry.

I recently referenced an old seminary textbook in preparation for a presentation at a conference forum. More important than the notes I had scribbled during my reading of it, though, were the sentences that had come from the professor who taught it.

Finally, seminary offers us a unique community that stretches us under the attentive leadership of trained experts with the goal of Kingdom transformation.

The best seminaries gear their assignments toward transformation, both for the student and for those the student will impact. The papers and presentations I completed in seminary helped me escape the shallow end of life and plunge into deeper waters. They invited me to reinterpret my experiences and ministry goals in light of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

Leaders moving toward Kingdom transformation tend to embody the view of leadership well described by C.S. Lewis: “Think of me as a fellow patient in the same hospital who, having been admitted a little earlier, could give some advice.”

More than any other non-biblical text about leadership, that phrase has shaped me and the communities I have led over the years.

I learned that quote at seminary.

Kara Powell is the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary.

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A D M I S S UNIVERSITY IONS Average GPA: 3.3 RALEIGH, Average SAT score: 1030 NORTH Average ACT score: 22 CAROLINA Essay Required: Yes Application Fee: $40

GR ADUATE JOB PLACEMENT FOX News, Discovery Channel, World Help, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, National Geographic Magazine, North American Mission Board, The Dr. Oz Show, Nebraska Congress, Billy Graham Evangelical Association

COSTS & ESTIMATIONS Graduate In-State Tuition: $18,562/yr Graduate Out-of-State Tuition: $18,562/yr Room & Board: $7,050-$8,380/yr Avg. Additional Fee: $1,406 Scholarships: Yes Grants: Yes

CONTACT 1971 University Blvd.

Lynchburg, VA 24502 800-543-5317 admissions@liberty.edu

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY Liberty University, the world’s largest Christian university, has remained dedicated to training champions for Christ since 1971. Liberty is committed to providing its students with a well-balanced, high-quality educational experience in a distinctly Christian environment. Over 250 unique programs of study are available at certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels and in residential and online formats.

MISSION Training champions for Christ is Liberty University’s mission, responsibility and privilege. Our students engage their academic dreams, actively seek out God’s wisdom and establish friendships that will last far beyond their college experience.

FINANCIAL AID Liberty aims to provide students with the best education available. Offering more than $100 million in institutional aid to online and residential students, Liberty affords students budget-friendly payment plans and scholarships. Plus, Liberty’s tuition rates are among the lowest in the nation; 96 percent of our residential students receive financial aid.

STUDENT LIFE Perform before a stadium of your peers; get together with friends at the Block Party; or compete as part

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of the Liberty Flames NCAA Division I athletics program. Your calendar will be full at Liberty as you engage and make friendships that will last a lifetime!

FACULTY With a student-to-professor ratio of 25:1, academic success is fostered through dedicated faculty and personalized instruction by teachers who view their role as a calling and not just a job.

ACADEMICS Liberty offers over 200 residential programs of study, ranging from undergraduate to the postgraduate level.

The depth and breadth of the programs reflect a commitment to provide training in the areas that today’s market demands most, delivered in innovative ways to an ever-increasing audience.

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ADMISSIONS

RALEIGH,

Average GPA: 3.47 NORTH Average SAT score: 1080 CAROLINA Average ACT score: 23 Essay Required: No Application Fee: $25

GR ADUATE JOB PLACEMENT NewSpring Church, Elevation Church, Michelin, Bank of America, SYNNEX, Cartoon Network, ScanSource, Pfizer, CNN, Walt Disney World, Miami Dolphins, US Marshall Service

ANDERSON UNIVERSITY

COSTS & ESTIMATIONS

OUR MISSION

OUR FACULTY

Undergrad In-State Tuition: $20,020/yr Undergrad Out-of-State Tuition: $20,020/yr Room & Board: $8,184/yr Avg. Additional Fee: $1,710 Scholarships: Yes Grants: Yes

Anderson University is a Christ-centered academic community providing a challenging education grounded in the liberal arts, enhanced by professional and graduate programs and a cocurricular focus on the development of character, servant leadership and cultural engagement.

At Anderson, your professors are part of your education, but they’re a part of your life, too. They reach out to you as an individual. They respect you as a learner.

Eighty-two percent of Anderson faculty hold the highest degree in their field.

OUR AFFORDABILITY CONTACT 316 Boulevard, Anderson, SC 29621 864-328-1835 | 800-542-3594 admission@andersonuniversity.edu

We are committed to offering the most generous scholarships and grants we can provide to all qualified students. U.S. News & World Report ranked Anderson University in the top 11 colleges and universities in the South (public and private) whose graduates leave with the least amount of educational debt.

OUR PEOPLE The entire campus community is devoted to the high ideals of Christian higher education in an intellectually stimulating environment. Anderson averages 150 campus events each semester and more than 350 worship, discipleship and outreach opportunities per year.

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OUR PROGRAMS Grounded in a Christian perspective, Anderson University offers more than 50 undergraduate liberal arts and professional programs, as well as graduate and doctoral programs of study. Additionally, Anderson has been recognized as a leading university in the incorporation of mobile technology in the classroom. All incoming freshmen receive the latest iPad, which is used in specially designed courses.

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A D M I S S UNIVERSITY IONS Average GPA: Not required RALEIGH, Average SAT score: Not required NORTH Average ACT score: Not required CAROLINA Essay Required: Personal testimony Application Fee: $50

GR ADUATE JOB PLACEMENT Graduates of IHOPU are highly sought after by many ministries, missions, churches and prayer ministries worldwide.

COSTS & ESTIMATIONS TUITION PER SEMESTER Ministry School: $2,375 Music School: $2,875 Media School: $2,875 Room & Board: Arranged by student; no student housing available Avg. Additional Fee: $175 Scholarships: No student loans or government aid available; scholarships possible after freshman year Grants: None

CONTACT 12901 S. US Highway 71 Grandview, MO 64030 816-763-0200 admissions@ihopu.org

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PRAYER UNIVERSITY The body of Christ needs leaders who are filled with power but also are pure of heart and radically obedient to Jesus. At IHOPU, we form not only minds but also character to sustain students for a life of anointed service in the Kingdom. As part of the International House of Prayer, our Bible school is built around the centrality of the Word and continual prayer with worship.

SCHOOL OF MINISTRY, SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND SCHOOL OF MEDIA We offer affordable training in ministry, music and media, which prepares you for a life of preaching the Word, healing the sick, serving the poor, planting churches and prayer ministries and proclaiming the return of Jesus.

IHOPU.ORG

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A D M I S S UNIVERSITY IONS Average GPA: 3.62 RALEIGH, Average SAT score: 1130 NORTH Average ACT score: 24 CAROLINA Essay: Strongly encouraged Application Fee: None

GR ADUATE JOB PLACEMENT National Geographic, 20th Century Fox Studios, ESPN, Google, The Dave Ramsey Show, United States District Court

COSTS & ESTIMATIONS Undergrad In-State Tuition: $25,140/yr Undergrad Out-of-State Tuition: $25,140/yr Room & Board: $5,574/yr Avg. Additional Fee: $171/yr Scholarships: Merit, Talent and Multicultural Scholarships Grants: Yes

ASBURY UNIVERSITY With a commitment to academic excellence and spiritual vitality, Asbury University prepares more than 1,600 students through undergraduate, degree-completion and online programs. Primarily a four-year, multi-denominational institution, the university has been at the heart of spiritual movements throughout its history. Our more than 20,000 living alumni surround the globe, leading and serving in all 50 states and more than 80 nations in the areas of business, education, social justice, communications, the sciences and the arts.

MISSION At Asbury, “academic excellence and spiritual vitality” isn’t just a motto, it’s a promise. As a Christian liberal arts university, our goal is to equip men and women for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service to engage their cultures and advance the cause of Christ around the world.

STUDENT LIFE CONTACT 1 Macklem Dr., Wilmore, KY 40390 859-858-3511 | 800-888-1818 www.asbury.edu

When many college campuses are moving away from the residential life experience, we embrace it and find it’s one of the main reasons students choose Asbury University. Clubs, athletic teams, music ensembles and residence hall activities only scratch the surface of all the ways students live, serve, lead and laugh together.

ACADEMICS The liberal arts education at Asbury means you take a lot of courses outside your major to help enrich your background.

We don’t just prepare you for a specific career; we will prepare you for a lifetime of leadership and service. National and international internships, study

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abroad programs, mission trips, service opportunities and leadership development courses are yours for the taking.

FINANCIAL AID A private Christian college education is an investment in your future. More than 90 percent of our student body receives some type of financial aid, and the average financial aid package for students demonstrating need is $17,941, making Asbury University as affordable as many public universities.

FACULTY At Asbury, your academic experience extends beyond the classroom. Classes are taught by experienced scholars, 75 percent of whom hold terminal degrees in their field of study. Our faculty members have traveled the world, written innumerable books and articles and are considered some of the best and brightest in their fields.

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A D M I S S UNIVERSITY IONS Average GPA: 3.6 RALEIGH, Average SAT score: 1179 NORTH Average ACT score: 26 CAROLINA Essay Required: Yes Application Fee: $30

GR ADUATE JOB PLACEMENT Ball Aerospace & Technologies, HewlettPackard, International Schools of China, Kettering Medical Center Network, Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo Financial

CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY

Of 2011 graduates, 93.8 percent are working or in graduate school.

Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University attracts 3,300 undergraduate, graduate and online students to more than 100 areas of study. Cedarville is a Christcentered learning community recognized nationally for rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings.

COSTS & ESTIMATIONS Undergrad In-State Tuition: $25,496/yr Undergrad Out-of-State Tuition: $25,496/yr Room & Board: $5,540/yr Avg. Additional Fee: N/A

CONTACT 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 1-800-CEDARVILLE admissions@cedarville.edu

MISSION

FACULTY

Cedarville University is a Christcentered learning community equipping students for lifelong leadership and service through an education marked by excellence and grounded in biblical truth.

Attend Cedarville University and be transformed by professors are experts in their fields and invest their lives at Cedarville to mentor and guide students toward success. Our faculty inspire achievement.

FINANCIAL AID We understand the life-changing value of a world-class, Christ-centered education. But we also know paying for that experience can seem complicated and challenging. We are committed to making Cedarville University accessible and affordable for families.

ACADEMICS At Cedarville, being wholeheartedly Christian drives us to pursue academic excellence at the highest level. Compare our students and their achievements with those of any institution in the nation. The results speak for themselves.

STUDENT LIFE Cedarville University is equipping the next generation of Christian leaders, and this extends well beyond the walls of the classroom. Student life here at Cedarville is intentional, and we want each of our students to make the most of their Cedarville experience.

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