Guest post from Debbie Ussery, FCS Alumni, 2011
Expectations
I am in my second semester of college, and it’s not quite what I expected it would be. Going into college all I was expecting was a harder (and crazier) form of high school. Really, it’s an entirely different domain. Despite its lack in similarity, I still learned many things in high school that have helped me to succeed and actually enjoy college now.
First off, Mrs. Borgman knew what she was talking about. Read your syllabus and always include a thesis statement that is debatable in your essays. Have you had Mrs. Hume? Have you learned about the metric system? Memorize it. Never say, “When am I going to use this?” in a math class … until you’re out of college. If you can get into Mr. Grass’s Finance class, do it. It turns out you have to know how to use money in your future (even though there seems to be a complete lack of it after you buy your text books). It also turns out you should know stuff about the government — not that they run the country or anything. It may seem like I’m joking, but seriously, write all of those things down.
Now that you have that written down, I would like to share some essential things I learned at Faith. I would encourage you to get involved while you’re in high school. Do not be dependent on how good you are at sports or music, because believe me, no one cares if you won the Homecoming game your senior year. Still, find something you like and do it, because that is how you will meet people in college. Popularity is insignificant. In fact, it does not exist in college because everyone has his or her own thing. Hard work and perseverance are actually as important as your coaches told you they were, and I did not even mention teamwork. That’s right, you still do group projects in college.
Relationships – the most important part
Working with other people and living with other people you barely know is all a part of the college experience. Relationships are the absolute most important thing I learned about at Faith. First, form them with your professors and TA’s. At Faith, the teachers care about how well you do. The same is not true at college. You have to ask for help. One, the teachers like it, and two, you actually need to understand what they’re talking about if you want to pass their tests. Next, you need to form good friendships. Make sure that you aren’t settling for friends that make you feel uncomfortable or are living lifestyles that you know are not right (drinking underage would be one of those examples). Dating? How you form serious relationships is up to you. After all, you are out of the house and an official adult, right? Make wise choices, though, because people who are not making them will be surrounding you. Last and most importantly, have a strong relationship with the Father. Yes, the capitalized father, as in God. You are not going to have chapel once a week and Bible class every day, so know your stuff. Become a theologian and yearn for more knowledge about Christ and His character. Know what you believe and be able to defend it, or you will get swept away. Don’t leave your faith when you leave Faith.
