It was a difficult decision for me to choose to go to a Christian college. As a senior in high school, I was very strong in my religious beliefs, but I was also very strong in my political beliefs. I didn’t want to go somewhere where I would have to constantly argue with people to think about things differently. To some of you graduating seniors who feel the same way, here are five things I mistakenly thought about going to a Christian college.

1. No one will ever do anything wrong.

To start, this place had a Community Covenant that I had to sign before registering for classes. It seemed to me like no one would so much as swear, let alone do regular college things like party. But when I arrived, the people were just like any other people. Some chose to swear, and some didn’t. Some followed the Community Covenant to the letter, and some...didn’t. It wasn’t some place of academia for angels. It was just a school full of people trying to do their best, with flaws and shortcomings just like any other people.

2. No one will know what memes are.

From the experience I’d had of other Christians in my life, internet culture had been decidedly nonexistent. It seemed to me that memes were considered something strange and immature. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I have encountered more memes at college than I have in any other real life setting. I’m fairly certain the Dean of the Chapel voted for Harambe in the election. All I’m saying is, never underestimate memes.

3. Everyone will be super conservative and biased.

This one is tricky. Since coming to college, I have found a few examples of students and professors who have very conservative political views, many of which I disagreed with. I also found several people who were extremely liberal. At the same time, I realized gradually that just because someone did not agree with me, that did not mean they were the worst extreme from the other side. There is a lot of in between, and it has become clear that the faith a person holds plays no part in their personal political views. There were people who cried the night of the election here too.

4. Only worship music will be played all the time.

I was so scared about this. I hadn’t really grown up listening to only Christian radio and Hillsong, and I thought my new peers would judge me for it. But boy was I wrong. Yes, I have learned many new hymns since arriving, but most of those have been in chapel. My friends listen to everything from jazz to heavy metal. There’s a girl who showers at the same time as me every night who always plays opera. One of my friends who is most outspoken in his faith is also sometimes a screamer for various performances of heavy music. Just like religion doesn't necessarily make you conservative, it also does not influence someone’s music taste.

5. No one will talk about anything but Jesus.

This one is actually kind of true. There are so many discussions on every topic, and most of the time, nobody really does talk about Jesus. But you will always find someone who is ready and willing to discuss their faith or help you with yours, and this is one of the greatest things about going to a Christian college.