Where Should I Go to College?

It has been well said that the most important decision you will ever make is to receive Christ as Savior.  Second to salvation, your most important decision is definitely who you will marry.  Arguably, the third most important decision you will ever make is where you attend college.  Your location of higher education is your first step "out on your own," the place you will be spiritually fed (or starved!), and perhaps where you will find a special someone. =)

Figuring out where to go for college can be stressful.  Maybe one family in your church is convinced if you don't attend such-and-such a place, you're out of God's will; your best friend keeps stuffing papers about this-other-place down your throat; and every time you try to list the pros and cons of each campus, your brain hurts from trying to balance out every tiny detail.

Finding God's will for college doesn't have to be a never-ending mystery saga!  He never hides His will from anyone.  Quite contrary, He lays out exactly how to find His will in any life-altering decision, not just college.  Obviously, prayer is the first step.  How can you expect to hear from God if you're not calling upon Him?  While doing that, be open to any possibilities He might have for you (think of how hard it must be for students from another continent to come here for education!).  Include parents and your pastor in your list of counselors.  Where do they picture you in the near future?  They have an objective point of view that is very valuable at this point in your life.

It is a proven fact that God cannot contradict Himself.  Therefore, if you spend much time in prayer and maybe even a little fasting, along with taking counsel from your most trustworthy advisers, all the sources will point to the same conclusion.  During my senior year in high school, I didn't feel led to any out-of-state college at all, so I stayed in Virginia!  It wasn't until the next year the Lord led me and Tim to Heartland.  If God has something seemingly random in store for you like this, that's okay!  I'd rather be a year behind everyone else my age than be at the wrong college, dating the wrong guy.  Just give complete control to Him and allow Him to speak to you through communion with Him and advice from those who love you the most.