Don’t Waste Your College Experience

Many students waste their college experience on unhelpful pursuits. If you want to get the most out of this time, you must start by focusing on the essentials.

Freshman fifteen is an Americanized concept proposing that students are approximately fifteen pounds heavier when they conclude their freshman year at college than when that school year began. The theory rests on the fact that many college students experience an increase in their weight due to an excessive amount of alcohol, lack of sufficient exercise, and the consistent consumption of unhealthy food eaten at an unwise time and in excessive amounts.

My theory is that every college student will gain weight in college, but that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. People in the ancient world spoke of giving weight to something as giving it glory or heightening it to a place of significance in one’s life. You give something weight by valuing it. During your time at college, you will put on the freshman fifteen. I recommend that you put it on in all the right places.

You have a choice as you enter your college experience. Where you direct your devotion is entirely up to you. No parent, roommate, or professor can choose it for you. You now have unprecedented freedom to finally let yourself be you. So, who are you going to be?

I attempted to give weight to Jesus Christ in every area of my life when I entered college. I was a Christian, but I arrived at an impasse in deciding if I was truly going to follow him or not. In college, I didn’t have a perfect track record. I made more mistakes than successes, but with every passing experience, I realized that life was much better when I desired Jesus to get involved in every area.

In my first job out of college, I worked with college students every day who had to make the same decision. I saw students struggle in relationships, calling, obedience, and finding God’s will. In every one of those areas, each college student would decide whether or not he or she would give Jesus glory through the decision. Would the student choose to take Jesus’ teachings seriously? Would the student desire to date according to biblical principles? Would that student resolve to take Christ at his word and try something impossible on his or her campus?

The following fifteen chapters are my attempt at helping you live life in college the way Christ intended. You won’t find many opinions in the following pages. When I entered college, I received many devotional books geared toward college students that were fluffy and unable to address my genuine struggles. I desired Jesus’ word on my situations and nobody’s clever opinions. 

So, that’s what you will find. In my experience, fifteen crucial areas exist in a college student’s life, and things get messy if he or she does not give weight to Jesus. You can read this book straight through or read these chapters independently. Read it with a friend or a small group Bible study. However, if you read this book, attempt to read the biblical passages referenced. If you biblically address these fifteen areas with the wisdom of the Scriptures, I genuinely believe that you will not merely survive college as a Christian, but you will thrive as one.

If you’re going to put on the weight somewhere, why not start here?