When the time comes to make a decision about where you’ll attend college, it can be difficult to choose! There are so many great schools, many of which offer programs that you can’t wait to learn more about. If you’re on the fence about whether or not to choose a Christian university for the most exciting, growth-filled four years of your life, there are several reasons why you should seriously pursue that choice for your education.
1. You’ll be surrounded by people who share your faith, and when the going gets tough, they’ll help you turn back to it. Instead of constantly feeling like everyone is encouraging you to give up on what you believe whenever things don’t go your way, from a bad test score to a family event that’s difficult to process, you’ll be with people who will encourage you to trust God and wait for his timing.
2. You’ll receive support for your faith, rather than having it torn down by professors who fail to understand the relevance and importance of the Christian faith to today’s students. At secular colleges and universities, many Christian students are forced to actively defend their faith any time an issue comes up in the classroom. When you choose a Christian college, on the other hand, you can rest assured that your professors will support your faith: your Bible is a valid reference for your papers and debates, and the words of Jesus matter when defending your positions.
3. You’ll work with professors who accept the Bible as truth and adapt their instruction accordingly. That doesn’t just mean that you’ll never have to defend your faith to them; it also means that when you have those deep, burning questions, someone will be on hand to help you answer them. Your class debates on homosexuality, abortion, and other topics will have a decidedly biblical slant–and you can rest assured that no one is going to start casting stones because you pointed to a Bible verse as a reason behind your argument. Even better, your professors will be able to guide you to deeper understanding of your faith, helping to further your understanding of biblical principles as they apply to your major field.
4. You won’t ever feel like the odd man out when you pray before a meal, take Sunday off to attend church, or complete a devotional at the beginning or end of the day. Instead, you’ll be surrounded by a caring group of friends for whom these things are utterly normal and expected.
5. Christian colleges offer a wider range of volunteer opportunities. They partner with local churches and organizations to present opportunities for their students to work in a variety of different positions in their effort to give back to the community. In many cases, these volunteer opportunities can be your foot in the door or the additional experience your resume needs to showcase exactly how capable you are in your chosen field. Volunteer opportunities are your chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and Christian colleges provide more of those opportunities for their students.
6. You’ll get an amazing, high-quality education. There’s a certain myth in many high schools that private Christian schools don’t provide the same quality education that you’ll find in a secular university. Thankfully, that couldn’t be further from the truth! Many Christian colleges offer great educational opportunities for their students, providing them with not just knowledge that could be learned out of a book, but also a deep wisdom and spiritual guidance that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
7. There’s a greater sense of community in many Christian colleges. Because many of them are smaller than their publicly funded secular counterparts, Christian colleges are able to encourage every student to develop a peer group, encourage interaction, and create a sense of family within their graduating class. Community-building doesn’t just take place in the classroom. It’s found all over the campus–and many of those relationships and their impact on your life will endure long after you leave college behind.
8. Honor Christ through the available activities. Secular colleges and universities will often include activities that simply don’t fit with your worldview. Marches, protests, and rallies will be dedicated to causes that you don’t support or don’t understand. By standing apart from them, you’ll be labeled an outcast or fail to fit in. When you attend a Christian university, on the other hand, all of the available activities will fit in perfectly with your faith.
9. Use your faith to shape your view of the world. Christian universities aren’t out to create a flat worldview that only includes elements of the Christian faith. Rather, they aim to better prepare you for what you’ll see as part of the world while still filtering that experience through the lens of Christianity. Explore, debate, and discuss different happenings across the world while keeping your faith at the forefront. As a result, you’ll be able to broaden your mind without feeling pulled to decide between the world and your faith.
10. Use your college years to grow in wisdom and spiritual maturity. When you attend a secular school, it’s easy to get caught up in the other activities and pursuits and set your faith to the side. While juggling internships, classes, exams, work responsibilities, and more, it doesn’t take much for you to decide that your faith isn’t the centerpiece of your life during this season–especially if you’re surrounded by people who don’t support your faith. When you choose a Christian college, however, you’ll be surrounded by people who do support your faith and will encourage you to grow in it over the next four years.
Your choice of college won’t just determine where you spend the next four years. It will also help shape the rest of your life, guiding you through many transitions and opening doors to future opportunities. By choosing a Christian college, you can rest assured that you’ll have the guidance you need to make the most of those years for your faith, your education, and your future.
DMG