Picture this: sheltered Catholic schoolgirl heads off to the bustling city of Indianapolis to make her way in the world. She has dreams of becoming the successful, honest, loyal, smart, witty young woman she so often sees on the television. But once she gets to university, she finds herself in the midst of a breeding ground for immoral activities and uncivilized savages.

NOT.

While this may be the stereotypical idea of a Catholic going off to college, I am here to tell you that this could not be further from the truth. College is not some place where people come to lose their morals; in fact, it can be a place for your faith to grow. It all boils down to who you hang around, and how much time you want to make for your faith... whatever it may be. While I am Catholic, I have encountered Lutherans, Muslims, Baptists, you name it. All here, on my little campus. College is a cool time because it is really like a big melting pot. All these different perspectives and cultures coming together for the sole purpose of education and growth. That is something worth celebrating!

I think many times people lose sight of the big picture and forget to take a step back and look at the massive group of people who have come to the same place as them just to gain knowledge and become successful.

With that being said, there has got to be a balance between studies and spiritual health. It is super easy to put spiritual, and even emotional health, on the back burner while you are off at college. With so many other factors to be worrying about, who has time to go to mass every Sunday for an hour? Who has time to read a few Bible verses? Or stop and just give thanks for the day you have been given? Trust me, I can't say I practice all that I preach, but I am trying.

There are so many ways you can get involved in your faith, and not all of them involve sitting down and annotating a Bible. Check out your faith groups on campus -- many of them have Bible study groups or different activities that may not even involve faith, but just allow you to meet people! Set reminders on your phone either to remind you to pray, or to set time aside to listen to a homily online. Different religious groups on campus also allow you to meet people of your same faith, which can be handy if you're looking for a pal to go to mass with!

Being on your own is hard. Things that your parents used to tell you to do often times don't get done now that you don't have that voice in the back of your head. For me, one of those things is going to mass. Something that I used to do every Sunday has become anything but routine while I have been at school. The truth is, whatever your "mass" may be -- going to the gym, doing homework or eating a healthy meal, we all struggle with SOMETHING. Because let's face it... sometimes college gets to you. As hard as it may be to keep a strong faith in college, it is something that can be done with the right amount of discipline and work. And really, who can't use a little good karma on their next Chemistry exam?