College as Calling?

If you could put all of your thoughts, feelings and emotions about to college into one word, what would that one word be? I like to ask this question when speaking to college bound high school students. Most often I hear the following: scared, nervous, stress, money, freedom, party, excited, adventure and opportunity. I then challenge the group to consider another word: Calling. Should college simply be the assumed next step after high school or should we be thinking more deeply about this major decision? What would it look like if we thought of college as a calling?

First, we would need to discern if college was in fact where God was calling students. This would require good conversations with God (in prayer) and with people who know them well. Have students in your ministry prayed about the decision to go to college? Have you created space for conversations about whether or not college was a good decision?

Second, if students do get a sense that God is calling them to college after high school, we need to prepare them for what’s ahead. Tell them to talk to people that have gone before them and to ask good questions about what to expect in college. Here’s a good activity: have them ask someone who is 20 years removed from college what they would do differently if they could do it all over again?

Finally, if college is a calling, students should be “sent.” This would require the community of faith coming around the college-bound students in prayer, letting them know that the church is behind them and with them as they go. During school breaks, create opportunities for students to report back to the congregation on how things are going in their calling.

Transitioning to college is not easy. Many students are overwhelmed by the pressure to go and to succeed. Framing the decision in terms of calling reminds students that college is a gift and that their lives are in God’s hands.