I'm not going to pretend like I know what college has in store for me at this point. Right now, it's just me and my motivational quotes written in my planner. Soon, the waves of information and due dates will crash over me, probably much harder and faster than I've ever experienced before. But no matter what comes, whether it lives up to my expectations or is beyond my wildest imagination, I can cling to the reasons why I chose the school I did. I chose a Christian college so that I could continue to develop a part of myself that has been my identity from day one.

If you're anything like me, you were raised in a Christian home and went to church every Sunday. With services two to three times per week, it's safe to say that a community of like-minded people that could encourage me on a spiritual level is something I had grown to depend on. When you come from a supportive church, there is a specific brand of feeling that you can get nowhere else on earth except inside a tightly-knit group like that. So when it came time to move away to a new place, I wanted to ensure that I could have the same thing in college that had sustained me during stressful times. At the campus I chose, the unapologetically faithful atmosphere permeates everything. I'm uplifted in prayer during assemblies, when I read literature from the university, and even with members of staff one on one. In a way, it was like I had never left. The nature of the church is that it's universal; we are all one body regardless of where you are geographically. It was so comforting to be able to draw those parallels from one chapter of my life to the next.

Something like 70 percent of students who leave for college drop out of church for a period of time, according to LifeWay Research. Of those, 80 percent say they didn't plan on it happening. I didn't want that to be me. I count on church to be a weekly refreshment- one that could be supplemented daily by consistently being on a campus that reflects a vital part of what I want to become. Already I have found mentors that I can admire not only for their academic prowess but for their commitment to living lives that are seamless, without disregarding their religion in their day to day activities.I would like to add that whether you're drawn to a secular or Christian campus, it is completely possible to grow as a Christian, because God never leaves us no matter where we are. I made the choices I did to ensure that I wouldn't leave Him.