Throughout my junior and senior year of high school, I was bombarded by envelopes, magazines and pamphlets from a variety of colleges – many that I had never even heard of.

I realized that in order to find a college I liked, there was no point in reading and going through all these mailed paraphernalia but instead I needed to think about what I wanted in a college and look for that myself. My list was relatively short: a small, Christian college in the Pacific Northwest that wasn't the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

In pursuing a Christian school, I knew that there would most likely be expectations that secular schools would not have. I not only accepted that fact, but rejoiced in it. I was excited to study the Bible academically and spiritually and not have to defend my faith but deepen it. I was thrilled to have chapel weekly and to be able to worship and pray with my classmates.

I was the most enthusiastic about being able to study history (my major) from a Christian perspective. Throughout history – especially that which was dominated by white Europeans – it is undeniable that Christianity in its many forms has deeply impacted a number of major events of this world, especially in America. I am so blessed to be able to attend a school that does not deny this fact and allows me to study it profoundly.

However, there are two main difficulties in having spiritual requirements at a Christian school. First, some students – despite knowing of the requirements before enrolling – are not spiritual and see things like chapel or Bible classes as unnecessary demands, and they infringe on their peers' experience of those things.

Everyone at George Fox knows that on Wednesday night chapel, if you really care about the worship and the message, you avoid the back half of the room and the upstairs balcony. Those are the places where people are on their phones, working on laptops, watching Netflix or talking. These people are also the ones who leave as soon as the clock hits 7:50, jangling their keys loudly and disrupting the service.

The second difficulty is catering to people of diverse backgrounds and denominations. George Fox University claims to be open to people of all religious backgrounds, but it is irrefutably heavily influenced by the Quakers (being named after the founder of the denomination). This difficulty is predominantly manifested in Bible classes. All professors have their own spiritual beliefs, and it's definitely hard for them to teach sacred scripture without including their own faith. We want to experience the Bible not only as a historical text but with the Christian lens that it is true, alive and has meaning for us today. This sort of reading gets messy when there are people of various denominations and beliefs.

In my current Bible class, I know for a fact that there are several people of non-Protestant Christian beliefs, and they are strongly opinionated. I firmly believe, however, that as a student learning from a professional – someone who has a doctorate and has dedicated their life to studying and mastering their subject – you should respect your professor and come to class open to new insight, ready to learn.

This is definitely not to say to forget or refuse your own faith and beliefs but to subdue them slightly. I think it is unwise, and even immature, to fight with a professor using the claim "My pastor/youth pastor says," because their purposes are different, and it is likely that their qualifications are too. This is not to say that your pastor has inferior knowledge of the Bible, but you are taking a class to further your understanding so you should take advantage of the knowledge that your professor has to offer.

I would strongly encourage anyone to attend a Christian college. My intention of this article is not to steer you away from one but to highlight struggles my peers, professors and I have been dealing with at a Christian university. Especially to those who are sure of your faith and want to both strengthen and test it, a Christian college is a great way to deepen your faith with less risk of oppression (think God's Not Dead) from non-Christian professors and peers.

I strongly believe that everyone attending this school is here for a reason, but if you aren't a Christian, strongly against Christianity or don't want to deal with praying in class, required Bible classes or chapel or it being assumed that everyone is a Christian, then I would suggest looking at other schools. You can get an education and the benefits of Greek life (*cough parties, weed and alcohol cough*) at a lower cost and without the spiritual imposition of a Christian college.

To the youth of my church, I would strongly encourage you to look at Christian universities, especially George Fox. People are so loving and welcoming here and I know that you'll feel that Aloha spirit far from home (plus, there's a pretty bomb Hawaiian restaurant right next to my dorm).

Take the challenge to deepen your faith, get in the Word regularly and go to chapel. It's so much easier when these spiritual things are built into your schedule rather than having to try and fit it all in to what will be an extremely busy college schedule. I'd love to see you on campus.