Recently we asked Covenanter Witness readers who have “been there” to offer some counsel about choosing a college. Here were the questions we asked:

Q1: What factors do you believe should be most important in deciding on a college to attend?

Q2: If you could do so again, ‘what would you do differently?

Several readers responded to the above questions. We thank them for their input.

Calvin Troup

North Hilts, (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC, Director, Rhetoric Ph.D. Program, Duquesne University

Al: A college education should be treated as a calling as well as part of preparation for a lifetime of service to the Lord, The pressure to proceed immediately to college from high school is great, but many students enhance their college education by taking time off between high school and college. A college education is too important and too costly to initiate without careful consideration.

Once the decision to attend college has been made, I recommend that prospective students take into account the following factors:

Make the type and quality of college education you will receive the central focus and top priority in your decision. If you go to college as a Christian, your primary calling is to develop your mind for the name of Christ and advance His kingdom. Too often. I hear prospective college students giving too much weight to peripheral issues that could be accomplished without going to college at all, For example, some choose a college because they want to get away from home.

If the academic programs you need are available and you can manage the cost, attend Geneva or another Christian college committed to the inerrancy of Scripture. Because a Christ-centered education should be the top priority when devoting four or more years to pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, the purpose of the institution and commitment of the faculty should receive the most serious consideration.

If you need an academic program not available at a theologically conservative college, or cannot afford to attend one, then identify schools that have the programs you need or the ones within reach financially and do some research to find out which faculty members are committed Christians. For example, if you wanted to study journalism and needed to attend a state university in Texas, you might elect to study at UTAustin. The university itself is one of the more liberal campuses in the country, but you could work with Marvin Olasky. A good place to start such research would he by contacting the Christian faculty ministries of lnterVarsity and Campus Crusade, who have contact with Christian faculty members all over the country.

Whether you go to a Christian college or not, commit yourself to a “home congregation” near the school. You should work with your parents to locate such a congregation before you arrive for the start of classes. No campus program can substitute for Christ’s church.

Seek training in disciple ship. Research discipleship opportunities during your campus visit. If no church group is available, seek out campus groups (such as Navigators or InterVarsity).

If you, with the help of your parents and pastor, work through these issues prior to the start of your college education, you will be better equipped to follow through on faithfully responding to Christ’s claims on every college student—to grow as a student and person under His care and for His kingdom.

Peter McDonald

Belle Center, Ohio RPC

Al: I am currently a junior at Geneva College. I would highly advise anyone searching for a college to first read chapter 14 of Dr. James Dobson’s book, Life on the Edge. This chapter is aimed at college-bound Christians.

In addition to my two-and-a-half years at Geneva, I spent last summer at Ohio State University. From my experiences, I would strongly suggest that you attend a Reformed, Christian college. At college, you will eat, sleep, study, and work with people your age (unless you commute). The mannerisms and attitudes of those surrounding you will eventually affect you, so think cautiously on whether you are going to a Christian college or a secular one. I believe that the most important thing in deciding on a college to attend is the people that attend that college, both the students and the professors, for they have great power in shaping your ideals and beliefs.

I would also suggest looking for a college with the best student-faculty ratio. The more professors per student, the better, for more attention can he pro vided for each student.

Inquire about the specific major you are choosing at the colleges you are interested in, perhaps by e-mailing upperclassmen. They are usually very willing to tell you if their college is weak or strong in a specific major, with much more honesty than you’d get from the college’s admissions department.

A2: If I could choose again, I would still choose Geneva, because the education I am receiving in my biology major is highly competitive, and my walk with God grows stronger every semester thanks to the fellowship of other Christian young people there.

Choosing a college is a vital choice that will affect the rest of your life. Seeking the Lord’s will should he your primary consideration. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9).

Will Graver

Miami University Ohio

Al: I have found that most college students change their major several times during their four (or more) years. If you go to college undecided, look for a college that has a wide variety of majors that you’re interested in. That way, if you change your mind you might not have to change colleges.

Lydia McChesney

Admissions Counselor, Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pa.

Al: Some students get hung up on their major or one aspect of a college which they use to make the college decision. Each person needs to look at the entire package of the college. Look at the major you may be interested in, but also consider the size, location, and atmosphere of a college. You have to he comfortable spending the next four years in the school.

Ultimately, as a Christian, your goal is to glorify and enjoy God and further His kingdom. Will that school not only allow you to do that, but will it encourage you in that? I realize that not all Christians are meant to go to Christian colleges, but know your limits—some Christians have been seriously distracted from Christ due to secular influences that he/she was not prepared to face. On the other hand, maybe God is calling you to a secular university to be a witness for Him.

A2: it would have been helpful to me had I determined my goals for a career. If my conscious initial goal had been to further the kingdom of Christ, I think I would have pursued more strongly the short-term goal of what I wanted my studies to produce. In doing that, I could have looked at what my college had to offer and possibly looked outside of my college for more help in producing competence in my area. I wish I had clone a little research on my major and what other students in my major had experienced. There are many options avail able—keep an open mind to taking classes at other schools, international studies, internships. etc.

John Duke

Westminster, Colo., RPC

A2: I picked my college prior to my becoming a Christian. My search process was seriously flawed A significant factor in my picking Purdue University was that its famous football quarterback s as featured on the cover of a leading sports magazine. At the time I applied. I actually thought Purdue was an Ivy League school in the East, rather than a state school in Indiana.

God was merciful, though, as He over ruled my immaturity and irresponsibility and gave me a wonderful college education and experience.

It was at Purdue that God hooked me up with some Christians and (ultimately) the RP Church.

What’s my point? Simply that you should take seriously the advice and counsel that this article and other sources may have for you. But, once you’ve made your decision, don’t fret about whether it was the right one, God can make any decision work for good—especially for those who attempt to honor Him in the process.

Karen Reyburn

Phoenix, Ariz., RPC, Northern Arizona University

Al: There is nothing more valuable you can do in selecting a college than to pray—long, hard, and often. Asking friends and family for advice is good; researching costs and possibilities is also good; and being aware of limitations and what ‘our major of choice is will help. But ultimately it all comes down to where God wants you. He will not always tell you His entire plan for your life, but He will always tell you what the next step is. “Your ears will hear a word behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).

A2: Spending serious time in prayer, and even being close enough to God to know when He spoke, was something that I did not do before I went to college. The beauty of God’s plan is that He is capable of accomplishing amazing things in our lives in spite of our deficiencies— and our neglect of His commands. In God’s plan I spent four years at a secular college, and I am seeing blessings from that decision to this day. He guided me in my choice of a career; He brought me some lifelong friends through whose influence I have seen God work more powerfully than I ever imagined; and He opened up thousands of opportunities to speak to people who had never heard of the gospel or didn’t care. Regardless of where I went or how I arrived there, I can rest in the knowledge that in His wisdom He would have brought me to the same place I am today. “Who has known the mind of the Lord?…How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:34, 33).

Timothy Nelson

Geelong, Australia. RPC

First, the situation in Australia is a little different than in North America.

This has the tendency to mean that people here go to university within their home state. One thing I noticed about the USA is that it’s a big thing to go away to college. In contrast, in our congregation in recent years, all of the students (I think) have gone to university either in Geelong (and they live at home) or in Melbourne (which means they return home at the weekends).

When the “going-away” priority is put in conjunction with the statistic I heard that the 20-30 year old group is the one hardest to keep in Christian circles, it starts to make one think.

Obviously I’m not saying that every one should stay at home to go to college. But I am suggesting that people consider the extra-college environment when they choose where they’re going. They should consider their usefulness to Christ in the wider community. This should be a thought all along. Personally. I’d suggest they choose a place with a nearby RP church, because I like the RP church, and like it when people stay within it.