For a while I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog series called “Open Letters,” each addressed to an individual, but available for all to read. I already have a few in mind, and I’m hoping to write one every few weeks. I believe it’ll be a way to reveal my mind while also encouraging others.

This first letter was initially going to be a private e-mail, but I’ve decided to really generalize it and direct it to the entire class of incoming college freshmen, using it as my first “open letter” instead. (For those who do not know, I am a part of the college ministry at my church, so this is entirely appropriate.)

Dear college freshmen,

No doubt there are many thoughts on your mind and emotions in your heart as you prepare to leave for college, many of you this very weekend. For many, these will be the best four (or more) years of your life. They will also be the fastest; mark my words: college will be over before you know it. However, looking at it from this side, having not yet begun, it may seem very daunting, knowing that for the first time in your life you’ll be on your own. And imagine how much lies in store: at the end of this road, you might know how to cook! You may be moving somewhere you never thought you’d live. You might even be married (and don’t write this last one off as a joke)…

So, as someone who came out successfully on the other side, weeping and bloodied and bruised and beaten (just kidding… don’t be scared!), and only if you count not having a “real” job as “successful” (kidding again… maybe!), I’d like to share with you some things I learned along the way. Granted, I don’t know much about life after college, but I’ve gone through that part at least, so I feel very much like a newborn telling a fetus all about the birth canal. Heehee, oh, analogies!! Anyway…

4 Pairs Of Things To Keep In Mind As You Go To College

1a) Get out there…

Use your freedom to try new things and opportunities. The college experience is not solely an academic experience. There are many opportunities to learn new things outside of the classroom. I joined an acappella group. You might join crew. Or take up salsa dancing. Be a part of clubs and organizations. Try something you never thought you’d be interested in. Like so many American Idol stories, I auditioned for ScatterTones just because my friends were auditioning, so I tagged along. I got in and they didn’t… oops. But I ended up there, and my experience there really defined my whole freshman year!

There are also many opportunities to learn new things inside the classroom, but outside your major. You guys probably never heard of my “UCLA Project.” I’ll post my old blog posts and video clips here later, but I basically decided one day in my senior year to attend 10 hours of class, for 10 different majors, in 10 different classrooms (or something like that). That was an eye-opening day, especially the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) course I attended.

1b) …But filter everything

From a Christian standpoint, I always encourage people to test everything they hear preached. In college, this applies not only to the pulpit, but also to everything you hear from your professors and friends, and the random bums on campus who scream crazy things as you walk to class. You’ll be exposed to so many new viewpoints, world views, and religions. Ask questions. Challenge your faith. Don’t blindly accept things as truth just because it comes from a scholarly mind or studied individual. Find out what you believe in, why you believe in it, and then stand up for it. Would you be able to defend your position against your professor regarding creationism/evolution? Your classmates regarding drinking/sobriety? Your roommate regarding sex/abstinence? Be on your guard against everything you hear taught or suggested or condoned or permitted, filtering it against what you have been taught and the truth of God’s Word.

2a) Be yourself…

College is not high school. You don’t have to change your dress or behavior to be in the cool club anymore. For the most part, people will accept you for who you are. Even if they don’t, there are so many people on campus that there’s bound to be some others like you out there. In any case, it’s just easier to be true to yourself than to try to pretend to be someone you’re not.

2b) …But don’t be afraid to change

If you’re happy with who you are now, you’re in for a big surprise. You’ll change in college… a lot. Do you think you’re a different person now than when you started high school? Yeah, that’s going to happen again. And don’t be too proud of who you are and what you’ve done. You’re not going to be the best at anything in college. Think you’re good at piano? There will be better pianists. Basketball? You’ll get shown up on the court. Valedictorian, were you? So were many of your new friends and classmates. It’s okay.

And hey, you’ll make mistakes, too. That’s part of life. It’s for the better; thank God for those and for all the trials. And just suck it up and stick it through… you’ll be okay. God is faithful and will see to that. Know that if you’re walking with Him, any change that happens is change for the better.

3a) Have fun…

Basically, if college is boring, you’re doing it wrong.

3b) …But know when to focus

Okay, don’t have that much fun. Or the wrong types of “fun” (remember, good judgment–if what you’re doing may land you in jail or in the morgue… that’s the bad type of “fun”). Up top I said that college is not solely an academic experience, but primarily it still is. As I’m sure your parents will remind you, you’re here to study and get a degree and pave the way for your future career. That means you have to know how and when to buckle down and get serious. Learn how to say “no” to certain social events because you need to study or work on that project, even though you really want to go.

Even more important than academics, though, is your spiritual life. First things first. That includes regular time with God in the Word and prayer, commitment to a single church, and involvement in a Christian community. I could say so much more on this, because it’s the most important thing, but I won’t harp on it.

4a) Friends are everything…

Friends are your biggest influence (positively and negatively). They will also be your biggest supporters and your go-to guys when you need someone, now that your high school friends and family are slightly less accessible. Make sure you find a good group of friends. Guys AND girls, both! And please, not completely within the “Christian bubble” of your fellowship. Actually, for those of you going to Christian schools, part of me doesn’t sit well that you will be in that kind of “sheltered” environment (but that’s just a personal opinion). In any case, have friends who challenge you, friends who encourage you, friends who keep you grounded, and friends who are just plain fun to have around. There will never be another time in your life when you’re surrounded by everyone the same age and in the same walk of life (until you enter a retirement home, and that’s not nearly as happenin’, or so I hear).

4b) …But don’t forget about home

Your old friends, your family, and your “home” church are still around. Come back to visit, call them, keep in touch. These are the people who have been so influential to help you become who you are today; don’t leave them behind or forget about them. Actually, what I’m basically saying is: write me! Call me! Come home and visit me! Haha… seriously. But we here also know that after a while, nothing is more precious than snail mail coming to your dorm, and making your roommates jealous. We’ll keep that in mind, too!

There’s so much more that can be said about these and other pieces of advice, but this is getting quite long. As usual, sift through all of this, and take to heart what’s solid, and throw away what’s not (but don’t make me say “I told you so!”). Oh, and a final piece of advice: keep reading my blog; it will make me happy. :)

Your temporarily self-proclaimed college guru,

James