An Orientation “How-To”

Posted: 14th June 2010 by Nicole in A Higher Campus, College Bound, College Leadership, College Living, College Opportunity, College Professors, College and Family
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If you’re gearing up this summer to start your first semester of college in the fall or even if you’re ‎already a few semesters in and getting ready to transfer to a university, you’ll likely be signing up ‎for new student orientation. This is your day or two to get acquainted with your new school, take ‎care of some logistics, and register for classes. There’s a lot to do, but your school’s staff will be ‎ready to walk you through it. Whether you’re excited, nervous, scared, or all three, it never hurts to ‎prepare; here are a few tips for making the most of your orientation:‎

* Pray! Before you even get started, ask God to give you wisdom and guidance to make your ‎best decisions on campus. He will open up the right doors for your classes, your professors, ‎your friends, your job, your free time, etc. if you just ask. You don’t have to be nervous or ‎fearful; you have supernatural peace and discernment! “The path of the righteous is like the ‎dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18).‎

* Prepare your ideas and questions. Spend some time the week before your orientation ‎thinking of and writing down any questions you have (“Where can I go for tutoring?” ‎‎”What if I get sick?” “How can I study abroad?”). Most likely, the orientation staff will ‎answer all your questions during their sessions, but just in case, you’ll have yours ready. ‎Also, look through your college’s course catalogue online (or on paper if they mailed it to ‎you), and make a list of some classes you’re interested in taking. Your advisor will help you ‎decide what meets the requirements and fits your degree plan, but he/she can’t read your ‎mind. Come ready with your ideas and questions. ‎

* Meet new people. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the other newbies in your ‎orientation session. They might seem like they have it all together, but really they’re just as ‎nervous as you are. Look into any student organizations or campus groups that sound ‎interesting and try them out. The best way to get connected on campus is to get involved. ‎This can range from service organizations to campus bible studies to student government. ‎Talk to any orientation leaders who are upperclassmen and get their input. Also, remember ‎to be friendly and gracious to the professors and support staff you meet on campus. They ‎work hard to make sure your experience is a good one. Don’t forget people are watching to ‎see how you live.‎

* Visit a dorm room. Sometimes orientation includes a night’s stay in the dorm or ‎sometimes just a campus tour. If you’re living on campus though, make sure you get to see ‎a dorm room in your building so you’ll know what kind of measurements, furniture, ‎bathroom amenities, etc. to expect. If you’re not living on campus, take some mental notes ‎about how and where you plan to study during the semester (a desk in your room, the ‎library, etc.). Sometimes it helps to get somewhere away from all distractions to help you ‎focus.‎

* Check out the town. If you’re moving to a new area to go to school, spend some time ‎driving around and get to know the restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and shopping ‎centers close to campus. If you’re moving to a big city, make sure you have a GPS or a ‎map!‎

* Involve your parents. Most orientations want you to bring your parents or guardians with ‎you and even have special information sessions for them. Now that you’re in college, it’s ‎ultimately your decision about what classes you want to take and what you want to be ‎involved in, but remember to go easy on your parents. They’re having to make adjustments ‎too. Keep them in the loop, and listen to their advice and wisdom. God’s given them to ‎you for a reason!‎

http://blog.wellsfargo.com/StudentLoanDown/2009/06/make_the_most_of_college_orien.html
http://collegelife.about.com/od/beforeyouarrive/qt/orientation.htm

The Christian Atheist

Posted: 10th June 2010 by Nicole in A Higher Campus, College Ideology, College Living
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With summer pretty much in full-swing, you’re probably either enjoying some free time by the pool ‎or trying to catch up or get ahead in the classroom. Regardless, summer is a great time to do some ‎‎”unassigned” reading and spend some time thinking and reflecting. I’ve just started reading a new ‎book by Craig Groeschel, founding pastor of Life Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, called The ‎Christian Atheist (Zondervan, 2010). A seeming oxymoron, I was intrigued when Craig began explaining how he was a ‎Christian Atheist, someone who “believed” in God but spent his life living like God didn’t exist. ‎Sound familiar? As Craig puts it, “You might think it’s odd for a pastor to struggle with living like ‎there is no God. However, in my corner of the world, Christian Atheism is a fast-spreading ‎spiritual pandemic which can poison, sicken, and even kill eternally. Yet Christian Atheism is ‎extremely difficult to recognize--especially by those who are infected.” ‎

Whether you live in the Bible Belt like me or not, you’ve likely noticed the all-too-common ‎occurrence of the friend/coworker/family member/etc. who calls himself or herself a Christian, ‎maybe even goes to bible studies or on mission trips, and then turns around and lives exactly like ‎the rest of the world. Like nothing matters. Like right and wrong are up for grabs. With so many ‎Christians in the world, where is our salt and light? It seems many have long lost their saltiness, or ‎perhaps never had it. What about you? Do your words and your actions match up out on the field ‎of life? Or do you talk a big game on the sidelines and then play like everyone else when it counts? ‎Sometimes it’s such a subtle sell-out that we hardly even notice. Take some time this summer to ‎check out The Christian Atheist and read about Craig’s journey from a college student to a pastor ‎and the hard truth he had to come to terms with. Maybe you can relate.‎

Read a sample here: http://christianatheist.com/files/2010/01/031032789x_samptxt.pdf ‎
http://christianatheist.com/‎

2 Reasons

Posted: 1st June 2010 by Trevor in A Higher Campus, College Living
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I’ve talked a lot about why following Daniel’s lead is the best approach to college. Here are 2 more ‎reasons to live like Daniel:‎

‎1. When you keep your heart pure, you can discern God’s will for your life.‎
‎2. Because God calls us to holiness. ‎

Reason 1‎
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, ‎that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” ‎When you choose not to conform, you choose to gain the ability to listen to God in the details of your ‎life. You make a covenant to do life with Him. What happened when you gave your life to Christ? You ‎made a covenant with God. What’s your role in the commitment? You pursue him with all that you are. ‎His response to this? Josh McDowell says that if you will “Consider the Choice,” “Compare it to God,” and ‎”Commit to His Way,” then you can “Count on His protection and provision.” Listen to how Oswald ‎Chambers puts it: “If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of ‎others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God. As soon as I obey Him, I ‎fulfill my spiritual destiny.” (My Utmost For His Highest, November 2nd).‎

If you resolve to protect your heart during college, then you will be able to discern God’s good, ‎acceptable, and perfect will for your life. You will be able to discern his voice as you select a major. You ‎will be able to discern His hand as he opens and closes opportunities for you. When your series of ‎questions come, your heart will be ready to answer. When opportunities present themselves, you’ll ‎know what to do. Because all of the issues of life flow out of the heart, Daniel chose to “guard his ‎heart above all else.” He made a conscious decision to care more about his inner person than how ‎people saw him. He set himself apart from the darkness so that he could follow God’s lead in the ‎details of his life.‎

Reason 2‎
God calls us to personal holiness for His purpose and for our own good. The wisest and richest man to ‎walk the earth had this advice: “Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give ‎you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see…” ‎Solomon gives us permission to have a great time and to live with a sense of wonder. But, he ‎continues “…know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment” (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Just ‎because you’re young and enjoying college doesn’t mean that everything you do will be beneficial to ‎you or to others. Reason number 2 we should take Daniel’s lead? Because God calls us to live with a ‎higher purpose—a purpose that can only be lived in the righteousness that he provides through ‎Jesus. Solomon reminds us to fear God because He alone is our Judge. When we fear God, we pursue ‎holiness instead of sin. This fear, which keeps us from darkness, is the beginning of wisdom in our ‎lives. And fearing, honoring, and respecting God is the path toward taking our mind and our actions to ‎their highest possible level.‎

Doors

Posted: 25th May 2010 by Trevor in College Ideology, College Leadership, College Living, College Opportunity
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Senior year of college I was sitting in a debate. The topic? The legalization of prostitution. I was sitting ‎on the far side of the room, near the back row. The room wrapped around, so it gave me the perfect ‎view for watching everyone and their reaction to the debate. As I panned the audience, I recognized a ‎familiar face. Someone I had known since junior high. Finally, a kindred perspective amid all the silly ‎talk. As I watched him, he laughed at the wrong times. He said, “I agree,” at the wrong stuff. At the end ‎of the debate, we were given this option: “Based on the arguments made, if you agree that ‎prostitution should be legalized, exit through this door on the right. If you disagree, exit through the ‎door on the left.” The speaker finished with, “Which door will you choose?” As I exited through the door on the left, I ‎watched as my friend exited through the door on the right. He had swapped logic, good sense, and his ‎values for the sake of being connected to the “in” crowd on campus. He chose the wrong door.‎

You have a series of questions before you. You have profound, life-changing opportunities in front of ‎you. What decisions will you make? Which door will you take? When dealing with all of your future ‎opportunity and the questions you’ll face, there is a starting point. As a Christian, there’s one answer ‎that will change everything. Your answer to this next question will place every other question in ‎context. If you choose correctly, then you will know what your response should be to your ‎opportunities in college.‎

As a Christian, “What is the single most important decision you can make before you start college?” ‎What was the first decision that Daniel made? The choice that he made at the start of his program? ‎‎“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself…” Stop there. Daniel in a new, strange land. No ‎parentals around. New educational setting. New teachers. New friends. And what was his first ‎decision? The decision that preceded all of his choices? He simply determined that he would not defile ‎himself. He wasn’t going to give the king or the culture any room in his heart. Why not be like Daniel ‎and pursue righteousness? What was the result for Daniel? He sought God and His righteousness first, ‎and God took care of the consequences. He pursued God, and everything else was added to his life. ‎Daniel chose the right door.‎ Which will you choose?

Career Ready?

Posted: 20th May 2010 by Nicole in College Opportunity, College and Career
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In a recent article called “What is ‘Career Ready’?,” the Association for Career and Technical ‎Education (ACTE) addressed the fact that “career ready” and “college ready” are often used ‎interchangeably, while in reality, being academically prepared for college success does not ‎necessarily equate with bring prepared for a career. So what does all this mean for you? Take a ‎look at what the ACTE says are three major skill areas for career readiness:‎

Core Academic Skills - this is the foundational academic knowledge, particularly in math ‎and English language arts, as well as the ability to apply those skills to concrete situations ‎in order to function in the workplace and in routine daily activities. For example, ‎employers often cite deficiencies in English and written communications–such as memos, ‎letters, and complex technical reports–as students are often less equipped academically to ‎analyze and use these informational written materials, skills not as emphasized in the ‎classroom. In addition, workplace deficiencies in math are also common, such as data ‎analysis, reasoning, and solving mathematical problems. Being able to apply academic ‎knowledge to authentic career situations takes practice and intentional instruction (e.g., ‎nursing students calculating and applying ratios, proportions, rates, and percentages to ‎determine dosages; construction students applying geometrical principles to design and ‎implement building plans), a great advantage for those students with internships or part-‎time jobs in their chosen career field.‎

Employability Skills - these include those skills most critical to workplace success in the ‎‎21st-century economy; things like critical thinking, adaptability, problem solving, oral and ‎written communications, collaboration and teamwork, creativity, responsibility, ‎professionalism, ethics, and technology use. Students must be provided opportunities to ‎gain these kinds of skills in both the classroom and in the workplace and to learn to apply ‎them to real-world life and work situations. Look for ways in your everyday life to name ‎and work on these skills.‎

Technical Job-Specific Skills - these skills are usually related to a specific career ‎pathway. Although many career opportunities include a strong element of on-the-job ‎training, some of these technical or industry-based skills must be acquired in advance (such ‎as technical skills required for licensure in professions such as most health care fields or for ‎broader industry certifications such as the Certified Welder credential. You can check on ‎the States Career Clusters Initiative at www.careerclusters.org for a broader idea of what ‎students need to know and be able to do to be successful in a specific career area.‎

Whether you’re just starting college or vocational school or just getting ready to dive into the ‎workplace, take some time to evaluate your skills. This will come in handy, particularly on resumes ‎and in interviews, when communicating to others what you can bring to the table. Remember too, ‎while you’re in college or on the job, look for every opportunity to increase your skill set. ‎Volunteer to be trained in your office’s new computer software or sit in on a human resources class ‎about ethics or collaboration. This is the initiative that will set you apart from others, and your ‎hard work and dedication will bring glory to God in whatever you do.‎

‎”Whatever you do, work as it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” ‎
‎(Colossians 3:23)‎

‎”What is ‘Career Ready’?” Association for Career and Technical Education
http://www.acteonline.org/uploadedFiles/Publications_and_Online_Media/files/Career_Readiness_Paper.pdf

College Questions

Posted: 18th May 2010 by Trevor in College Bound, College Living, College Opportunity
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College will present you with a series of questions. Questions that will require an honest response. ‎

What’s my unique mission?‎
Is evolution the solution?‎
Why does an all-powerful God allow evil?‎
What should I major in?‎
What courses should I take next semester?‎
Should I join a sorority?‎
Should I try that?‎

No matter the question, we should do our part to prepare our hearts and minds. You will be presented ‎with lots of opportunities during college. Lots of things and ideas to try out. If you don’t know what you believe before ‎you go, you run the risk of getting swept up in empty behavior and empty ‎philosophy. It’s not rocket science. It’s simple. Know what your response is going to be before you go. ‎Prepare your response beforehand. Scripture tells us to “always be prepared to give an answer to ‎everyone. Do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). When one of classmates asked me about ‎God, my heart and mind were ready. I wasn’t distracted by sin in my own life. I was focused and ready ‎to be used. ‎

Know that college is the “real world” with real consequences. I can’t stand it when people say, “Well, when you’re in ‎the real world you’ll understand.” The moment you take your first breath, you’re in the real world. ‎This planet is much too hostile to let your guard down by pretending some experiences are not real. I ‎assure you that high school and the decisions you made were quite real. And the world that you’re ‎going to step into is quite real. Real consequences. Real truth. Real forgiveness. Real causes. Real ‎effects.‎

So what about you? Have you anticipated some of the opportunities you’ll face during college? Some ‎of the questions you’ll be asked? Have you let God search your heart to see what’s there? Maybe ‎there’s something hidden? Some response you don’t know you’ll have? Do your best to prepare your ‎heart and mind, and God will guide your response. Now is the best time to prepare for the questions ‎you’ll be asked during college. ‎

College Roots

Posted: 13th May 2010 by Trevor in College Living, College and Family
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College is a family experience because life is a family experience. The childhood relationship that you ‎have had with your parents was designed for you to grow out of, but only because it was meant to ‎grow into much more—into a new type of relationship in which honor is bestowed upon your parents ‎as you walk in truth as an adult son or daughter. Life after high school is a tremendous opportunity to ‎both grow as an individual and as a family. What did the Apostle Paul teach us about true growth and ‎maturity? He says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a ‎man, I gave up childish things.” But how does he finish this section in 1 Corinthians? “So now faith, ‎hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Families: The true test of your ‎growth after high school will be your love for God and for each other. Student, will your life during ‎college be marked by growth in love for God, your family, and others? This summer is the perfect time ‎to evaluate your definition of growth, and, as you do, make sure it includes Paul’s understanding of ‎the supreme mark of maturity. ‎

Job-hunting?

Posted: 11th May 2010 by Nicole in College Living, College Opportunity
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Newly graduated or just out for the summer and looking for a job? USA Today featured an article ‎yesterday about job hunting and social networking with some good tips and resources. A church in ‎Virginia has been offering weekly sessions on job-hunting for the community as part of its Career ‎Network Ministry. One of the most important things the ministry stresses is networking: “We tell ‎people: Someone internally carriers your resume in, whether they know you well or not, the ‎probability of getting a job goes up five times. Good companies get 30% to 50% of their hires from ‎employee referrals.”‎

So where do you start? Here are some tips:‎
> Pray for guidance. Ask God to open the right opportunities for you and to give you the ‎wisdom to discern them.‎
> Get a marketing strategy. Research the type of job you’d like to have and some ‎businesses or organizations where you’d like to work. Identify your strengths.‎
> Prepare your elevator pitch. Practice stating who you are and what you can do in a clear ‎and memorable 30-second pitch. Google interview strategies, check with your college’s ‎career center for advice, and practice with a friend until you’re comfortable.‎
> Get help with your resume. Visit a writing center or career center or research some ‎resume templates online. You may want to have several versions of your resume, each ‎tailored to a specific job.‎
> Evaluate your personal network. Make a list with contact information for relatives, ‎neighbors, classmates, community leaders, and co-workers–anyone who can serve as a ‎contact for you. Start making connections with the people on your list and let them know ‎you’re job-hunting. You don’t have to be pushy or phony; just talk to people. Broaden your ‎network as you build relationships. ‎
> Create a profile on LinkedIn. A social networking site for over 65 million professionals, ‎LinkedIn will help you share your resume online and search for job postings and other ‎contacts. Be sure to monitor your Facebook as well in case potential employers decide to ‎check you out.‎
> Do some research. A few places to try: job-hunt.org, careerbuilder.com, ‎jibberjobber.com, monster.com, simplyhired.com, as well as your local newspaper and ‎craigslist.com. ‎

Schmalz, Julia. “Today’s Job Seekers Add ‘Social’ to Networking.” USA Today. May 10, 2010.‎

To the Graduate

Posted: 6th May 2010 by Nicole in College Living, College Opportunity
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Congratulations College Graduate! You’ve persevered, overcome obstacles, and reached your goal. ‎Now, however, I’m sure you’re not unaware you’re moving on to the next chapter in your life. It ‎can be scary, especially if you’re not sure yet where God is going to take you, but it is also exciting! ‎God has been teaching and equipping you during your college years, and He’s ready to take you ‎through whatever He has next.‎

I read an “Everyday Cheapskate” email from Mary Hunt of Debt-Proof Living awhile back which, I ‎think, sums up a great plan for preparing to take those next steps in life. Check out what she ‎suggests to graduates:‎

‎– Get a job. I know it is your intention to get a job, but do not extend to yourself the luxury of ‎taking the summer off. There’s a pervasive attitude among college students that Really Great Jobs ‎await those with degrees. Yes, it is true that your lifetime earnings will surpass what your peers ‎without degrees can expect to earn but not in the beginning. To achieve lifetime earnings, one ‎must actually become employed.
‎
‎– Plan to start at the bottom. This is called the “entry level.” There are no Really Great Jobs at ‎the entry level. Teachers, attorneys, doctors, stockbrokers, and all professions require entry at the ‎bottom. That means the lowest pay. If you think you had to scrape and scrimp in college, think of ‎that as the dress rehearsal for what is to come.
‎
‎– Attack your debt. Statistics suggest the vast majority of you leave college with student and ‎credit card debt. The decisions you make for how you manage your debt will significantly impact ‎the direction of your life. You have two choices: You can defer, avoid, ignore, prolong, and ‎otherwise try to put off repayment until some more convenient time in the far distant future; or ‎you can face your debt head on starting now, believing that life’s greatest opportunities are ‎reserved for those who are not chained to debt. Put yourself on a three-year repayment schedule ‎and then stick to your plan as if your life depends on it. It may.
‎
‎– Live frugally. Never allow yourself to spend all that you have. Strive to live below your means. ‎Make it your personal rule of life to give away part of what you receive. That will keep you from ‎greed. Likewise, save some for your future. That will keep you from fear and worry.
‎
‎– Keep driving your old car. There’s no new car that feels as good as a car payment feels bad.
‎
‎– Be careful whose advice you follow. Learn to decipher what really matters to you so you ‎won’t waste your time and money on things that don’t.
‎
‎– Do not try to impress others. To do so gives them the power to make choices for you. ‎
‎ ‎
‎– Do not focus on what you lack. Determine instead to want what you have and to be truly ‎grateful. Strive to be content, for that is how you will find joy and peace of mind.‎

Hunt, Mary. “Dear Graduate.” Everyday Cheapskate. A publication of Debt-Proof Living. June 15, ‎‎2009.‎

College is a Family Experience

Posted: 4th May 2010 by Trevor in College Living, College Opportunity
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Every week I meet with the Fellowship of Christian Faculty to study Scripture and pray. Two weeks ago, ‎the director of an International Student Ministry shared with us about his daughter who is graduating from ‎college this year. Lately, she’s been sharing with her parents about the desire God has placed within her to ‎work with children and students who have been abused, neglected, and forgotten. As a family, they’ve ‎been praying about her next step after graduation. To prepare for the transition, she’s been researching her ‎options, and she found a nonprofit that worked specifically with abused children. She took her research a step ‎further and contacted them, finding out they had an opening. But just one problem–they wouldn’t ‎have the opening until next September or October. That’s a 5-6 month gap. She called her parents and asked ‎them to pray about the opportunity. Not long after that, she received a phone call from a friend offering ‎her a yearlong internship, starting this summer, with a large and growing college ministry. What a great ‎opportunity! Thrilled, she called her parents. ‎

But she didn’t get the response she had expected. They explained that although it was a great ‎opportunity, it didn’t seem to line up with her desire to work with neglected children and students. Not the ‎response she had hoped. It was an open door. The timing was right. It was a helping profession. But was it for her? Her ‎parents could have pushed the matter, but they didn’t. They left it up to her. She considered their advice but ‎knew the decision was up to her. The next day, she called her friend to tell her that she would not be ‎accepting the position. She called her family crushed and crying. Unsure that she had made the right ‎choice, she worried that she missed out on a great opportunity. Within twenty minutes of hanging up the ‎phone with her parents, she received a phone call. It was the non-profit ministry that she had originally ‎connected with. They now had an immediate opening and wondered if she would be willing to start this ‎summer.‎

This college student knows that college and life are a family experience. She knows that her decisions are ‎not made in isolation. She knows that her best decisions are made with wisdom—which she gained from ‎working with her godly parents and considering their perspective. Notice that her parents didn’t have to ‎pry out of her what was going on in her life. Instead, they have all worked hard to develop a relationship ‎with effective boundaries and open communication. They are praying for each other, encouraging each ‎other, and using college as an opportunity to grow together. The result? She is pursuing the unique mission ‎that God placed within her. She didn’t miss the plan God had for her life. If you have godly parents, invite ‎them to share their perspective. If you will honor them by sharing your life and experiences with them, ‎God will honor you by protecting you and helping you make your best decisions. No matter where life ‎takes us, remember that it’s a family experience!‎

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