If you're reading this and you've decided that you want to keep your faith in college, you've made the right choice. God does not want you to lose sight of Him in whatever you do. But if you're going to a small liberal arts college with this mindset, you're going to have to prepare yourself. As you have probably experienced for yourself already, being a Christian comes with a price that not everyone can understand. You need to prepare yourself for whatever God throws at you. That will be the true test of your faith.
You might think that joining a Christian fellowship or organization on campus is only going to eat up more of your busy schedule, but you'd be surprised how much it will benefit you. Nobody can get through college on their own. And because you are mostly in control of your social life, the people that you choose to routinely interact with will impact the outcome of your entire college experience. That being said, don't move away from having Christian friends. They will help you grow as you coincidentally help them on their journeys.
Be wary of the little decisions that you make. You can choose to procrastinate on your next big assignment. You can choose to get wasted and high every Friday night. You can choose to frequently say swear words in a degrading manner. But you can also choose to work on your next big paper as soon as you receive the topic, moderate your alcohol intake and skip the brownies, and watch what comes out of your mouth. If you're going to let all these little things snowball into something big, don't make them something damaging for you, your community, and God's mission in your life.
Oh, and you're going to be hated. People will criticize you like it's none of their business. Because being a Christian is socially unfashionable in a liberal arts setting, you will be set apart from everyone else. Others will take notice of your faith and will affiliate you with conservative hate-mongering monsters. Don't take their criticisms to heart, but don't lash out at those people, either.
Instead, show those people the actual love of Christ by demonstrating kindness and grace as He does for you. Although you may not be able to radically influence people's opinions, opening up their hearts ever so slightly allows enough room for God to take over as much as He needs.
But you also need to remember that God did not come to save those who have already been saved; in fact, God calls you to be His ambassador to those who do not know Him. It's alright to have a good group of Christian friends, but make sure to take time and be with those who aren't Christian. Be open-minded to a campus of closed-minded students. You don't have to agree with their lifestyles or unnecessarily slap them with criticism, but you do need to point them in the right direction whenever they come to you for advice or encouragement.
Persecution is inevitable. But it's necessary not only for you to grow as a Christian but also for you to carry out God's purpose. And remember that you will never be alone on your spiritual journey and call to mission. If you ever need encouragement, remind yourself of God's everlasting love:
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:31 ESV
