First Impressions in College

This is the first article in a series of articles addressing practical issues in studying at university as a believer in Christ.

i. Not everything is as scary as it seems
The intellectual environment, the formats of instruction, the patterns of discourse, the pedigree of professors and your presumed inabilities are among the many powerful first impressions in college. Workloads appear almost impossible for you to handle. Some professors use formal language that is complicated and sometimes intimidating in classes. Everyone else appears to be in control of things except you. This first experience of bewilderment is not necessarily a sign of intellectual weakness on your part. With time you will gain intellectual balance and proceed with the task of gathering information, analyzing facts and ideas and forming your considered opinions about things.

ii. Perceptions and perspectives change
Similarly, perceptions about you as a new and faceless student in college will soon give way to that of a unique person studying specific courses. Professors and other students may not appear to notice you at first, but with time, without doing anything specific about it, this impression will change. Again, the intellectual perspectives of professors and students are not cast in stone. They change based on various factors that include the availability of new data, changing plausibility structures, peer power dynamics, personal circumstances and above all, the intervention of the Holy Spirit in leading people to the truth of things. Therefore whenever you encounter intimidating perceptions or perspectives that are contrary to biblical truth, do not panic. As we become intellectually mature we are thrilled to know that we have been right all along by simply committing to what the Bible says about life and all things.

iii. Things in transition
I can think of several relationships that I really wanted to keep or to dispense with, about experiences that made significant positive impacts on my intellectual development and those that were mere distractions. Not all experiences, successes, mistakes, good times, hardships, acquaintances and encounters in college remain the same. It’s much like our past experiences. You can recall things and people that made you really happy, uncomfortable, embarrassed and angry. Some of your reactions to people and events in the past have changed. In years to come, it will be the same for your college experiences. The right attitude now is to do your best to honor the Lord in every experience, relationship and encounter. The Lord uses the events and experiences in our college life to invite us to a deeper relationship with Him.

Watch out for the upcoming book on life as a Christian student in university, More than a Student.