The great migration has begun. Credits earned. Cap and gown sized. Diploma conferred. Senior Week come and gone. And in not so many weeks you’ll be making the trek to College Town.
But, before you go, some advice…
Hold on, hold on! This is not turning into your parents “I-raised-you-better-than-that” lecture, edition 72. Just a few tips and tricks of the trade for livin’ faith while you’re livin’ large on campus. Read ‘em all or quick click on links below to jump ahead.
• Ask for an introduction
• Plan ahead
• Community Connections
• Learn and grow
• National Organizations
Ask for an introduction
Ask your youth leader to help you find campus ministry contacts at the campus you’ll be attending and to write a letter of introduction that can be sent before you arrive. Be sure to include pre-campus and on-campus contact info (if you have it) so that they can follow up with you. That way, you’ll have a head start on getting connected with the on campus ministry before you even get there!
Plan
Spend some real time thinking – or even journaling – about what kinds of friends you want to make. What are the qualities that matter to you in a friendship? Have that in mind as you begin to mingle on campus. Choose the crowd you want to run with rather than just “falling” into a circle of people. College life is TONS more fun when you and your bffs are simpatico.
And don’t forget to plan for the inevitable, challenging situations. You know the ones – party scene, intimacy, blah, blah, blah. But how about the others? Like when you are a committed Catholic and your roommate is an equally devout Jew? Or when your fraternity plans its Spring social on Good Friday?
It is much easier to ponder these types of possibilities now and consider your options when you are not “in the moment.” It is also much easier to get survival tips from older friends, trusted adults, parents and ministers now so that they can really talk with you as the young adult that you are rather than in a panic when everybody is emotionally charged.
Ultimately, no one will be holding your hand and telling you what you should do when these values and faith challenging moments happen. The freedom and the responsibility rest in your hands. Think now. Plan now. Execute successfully later.
Community Connections
Remember the song that goes, “Make new friends, but keep the old…”? This was never more important than now. For the next few years, you’re going to be living with one foot planted in the world of home and the other firmly planted in the campus community. Connections to both are invaluable during college.
If your home church has a weekly bulletin or a periodic newsletter that is mailed out, ask to add your campus address to the mailing list. Not only do you get to stay caught up and not feel like such a stranger when you come home for holidays, you get mail! (This becomes a big deal on campus, trust me.)
If there is a regular e-mail list, ask to add your address to that as well. And, of course, you can keep in touch with your friends from church, synagogue and mosque via instant messenger and social networking sites as your particular faith and values allow.
On campus, connect with the Newman Center or Catholic Campus Ministry early on and as often as possible. They will pray with you and for you and help you navigate the gray area between freshman move-in day and graduation. If your campus doesn't have its own organized campus inistry for Catholic students, plan to join the local parish. They are likely to have a student outreach.
Is it possible to live your faith on campus all by your little ol’ self? Of course it is. It’s also possible to celebrate your birthday alone, but who wants to do that? Celebrating faith is like celebrating anything else, it’s better together! As Catholics, we believe that we come to know our God better through what we see of God reflected in those around us.
Ask. Study. Learn. Grow.
College IS opportunity. Opportunity to challenge, grow, learn, self-determine and so much more. Opportunity to make your faith your own. It is true that some Catholic students abandon the faith they grew up practicing, in favor of either another tradition or no practice of faith at all. It is also true that many Catholic students deepen and strengthen their faith during time spent on campus. And some students even come to find the faith for the first time in their lives on campus. Which will you be? Only God knows that for sure – and only you and God get a vote in that.
Regardless, now is the time for you to ask questions. And to be prepared to offer answers to other’s questions. If you are a faith-filled Catholic student, actively practicing your faith, people will inevitably have questions for you or pose challenges to your beliefs. Fine. Let them ask, but be sure you are ready to answer.
If that means you need to dig into your faith a little deeper, have at it! Take a religion class, join a Scripture study, go to speaker night at the Newman center or campus ministry, get involved in interfaith dialogues and activities on campus. Learn about your own faith AND the faith of other students. More likely than not, a healthy appreciation for the religious beliefs of others will strengthen your practice of faith rather than weaken it.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
So there you have it. What other advice can we give you as you go out into the big, wide world, young graduate? Well, in the words of Dr. S himself –
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Catholic Campus Ministry Association
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