Help Your Students Prepare for College This Summer

Written by Joy Emery

While the seniors in your youth group may feel entitled to take the summer off in preparation for college, this is your last chance to influence seniors' hearts for Christ before they encounter college life. With focused attention you can issue a collegiate challenge that will help them as they encounter pressures away from the safe confines of home.

The Focus
Focus on student's owning their faith and living it out on a college campus. While this should not be news to those who have been part of your student ministry, talk about the differences they will face. As you develop discussion questions, consider the following possible topics: issues that will challenge my faith, relationships with the opposite sex, managing personal time, study habits for success, managing a growing faith on campus, how to find Christian support away from home.

Be biblical in approach and practical in application. Related to the topics of discussion, you can prepare a survey or interview sheet that students can use to talk with college students who have already made the transition from their parents' roofs to the college campus.

The Challenge
Why do some teenagers remain pure until marriage? Why do some teenagers never shoplift? Why do some teenagers never take drugs? The reason is because such teenagers made decisions prior to being in difficult situations such as these. Instead of allowing the situations to determine their choices, they make up their minds ahead of time.

You can be the facilitator to help your students make "right" decisions in college. Issue a collegiate challenge that they write for themselves. After you have covered the material you wish to cover with them, have a celebration time in which teens are asked to write a personal "Collegiate Challenge."

If teens are open to their parents being involved in the celebration, ask the parents to come to the event. As the parents release their teens to the collegiate world, they can celebrate their teens' commitment to live a godly life on campus. As you are able to involve parents in this event, you also minister them in a special way. You can help parents have a peace about releasing their children to the collegiate world if they are able to hear their student's personal challenge.

SAMPLE COLLEGIATE CHALLENGE
I, Kristen, will decide today that I will allow God to work in me and through me on my college campus. To be a positive Christian influence while on campus, I will ...

Continue to have a personal daily quiet time with God.

Find a church home where I can receive Christian support and encouragement while away from my family and church.

Continue to keep my True Love Wait's promise.

Be part of an on-campus ministry.

Manage my personal time in a way that gives focus to my schoolwork.

Stay in touch with my parents in order to provide them with the information they need to know that I am doing well and growing in my faith.

Keep my commitment to be alcohol and drug free.

The Result
You want to see those who have gone through your student ministry succeed. While there are no guarantees, you can help students build a godly base of wisdom that will impact them greatly when they make life decisions without their parents there to assist them. Students will also be able to impact a new group of friends when they walk onto a college campus in the fall and your ministry will continue to reach students that you may never meet.

Related Articles: