Beyond Campus

Dear friend, As your InterVarsity staff worker, can I (one last time!) offer you some advice and perspective—a few words of truth that will hopefully help you in the transition you’re about to face?

There are a thousand things I’d love to say as you begin life in the post-college world.

I am not a leader. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. The problem is, no one but me seems to believe it. Ever since my staff worker encouraged me to fill out that leadership application at the end of my freshman year, I have been surrounded by people who are constantly calling me to lead stuff.

For some, college is like a trampoline. There are a lot of ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s an exhilarating and exciting time.

Graduation is in less than 100 days (the countdowns have started). I’m doing a lot of planning. And—dare I say it?—not a lot of praying.

I was feeling a little stuck. You’ve been a Christian your whole life, I told myself in a mini pep talk. You should know how to have a meaningful quiet time, a deep prayer life, a correct perception of God. But the truth was, the practices that had been helpful in the past no longer were.

Although I had a great college experience overall, I do have a few regrets. One is that I didn’t study abroad. (In my defense, I was supposed to spend a J-Term in Israel, but the trip got cancelled due to safety concerns. So I spent J-Term in . . .

Dear 2012 Alumni, You’re on a journey that nobody can truly prepare you for. Maybe you participated in the graduating senior small group study Following Jesus in the Real World by Richard Lamb or maybe you attended the conference with workshops for graduating seniors.

Studying abroad can feel like a vacation – a break from real school (at your home university) and real life. But there’s so much more to studying abroad if you’ll let Jesus guide you and be willing to learn from him.