The College Life: Then & Now

Will & his Mom at move-in day

Many of you are aware that this past Saturday my wife and I moved our son Will into his apartment at the University of Central Florida. As of today he is officially a Golden Knight! While it is his junior year, it is also his first time living away from home so in some ways it was a difficult day. But for the most past it was a celebration, and we are excited for him and what the future holds. There was one thing about the move-in that really struck me, and it's what I want to share with you today. His first experience on campus will be drastically different from mine. Let's compare and contrast.

I arrive at Lenoir-Rhyne College (now University) in Hickory, NC in the autumn of 1977, a wide-eyed freshman excited to be living on my own. My best friend Steve Semmler had also matriculated to the "Big Hickey," but we chose not to room together to expand our horizons. We moved in to Morgan Dorm (we called it the Teddy Bear Motel because from the outside it looked like a cheap tourist trap) excited for the possibilities. Each room had two beds, 2 desks (I think) and almost enough room to walk between them. It was always loud, with parties going on even though girls were only allowed in the dorm during specific hours on weekends. There was no kitchen (even hot plates were banned). The bathroom was located across the hall- one for the entire floor. It had multiple toilets and multiple showers- none of which had any privacy at all. It was like high school gym class every time you needed to shower...there were naked guys everywhere. If memory serves correctly there was no AC. There was no laundry facility in the building, we had to walk across campus for that. We had a stereo of some sort, but no one had a TV in their room back then. But at least there was WiFi, right? Oh wait....that hadn't been invented yet. In fact, the internet hadn't been invented yet. In truth, none of us had a clue that there would ever be a need to have a personal computer. And in those days, everything you read above was both expected and normal. We had the time of our lives, having no idea we were living in squalor. There were amazing guys who became fast friends, and the legend of The Stallions was born that year- but more on that another day. I will say, however, that Steve and I choosing to move outside our comfort zone and have different roommates was a total flop. His was a drunken playboy and mine was a drug dealer. But you live and learn... 

Now fast-forward to 2015. Will moved into student housing as well. But moving in was perhaps the only experience we will share in common. He will share the apartment with 3 other guys, one of whom he has known since middle school. It is furnished, with sofa, chairs and a flat screen TV in the living room.  The have a very nice, large kitchen. There is a laundry room in the apartment with washer and dryer provided. They each have their own room. The EACH have a private bathroom. Will's walk-in closet is almost as big as my room in Morgan Dorm. Internet and WiFi are included, and all 4 of them have TVs (that they brought) with cable included in the their rooms as well. You can see his bed and his turntable here; that's the last time that bed will be made until the next time his mother does it! They have a lake view out several windows (I think I had a parking lot view) with a pool and weight room nearby. Shuttles will take them to the main campus for classes. It's beautiful and it's a great place for Will to be. But as I have told him for months now, this is not college. Having your own bathroom cannot be college! Things have certainly changed.

The bathroom-
accidentally color coordinated!

But here's what hasn't changed at all. Will begins today with the same excitement and hope I had on my first day way back when. As I said at the top, of course we will miss him terribly over the weeks to come. But as parents our job is to set our son up for a win. We believe we have done that. He is in the right place at the right time to accomplish his goals and live out his dreams. So even when we feel a little teary-eyed at the thought of him being gone, it is never a sad thing. It is a glorious thing. His future begins in earnest today. And if it can begin in a luxury spa being passed off as campus housing, all the better. 

One final note. We took our ancient Mister Coffee machine, selflessly giving it to the apartment because Will loves his coffee. We arrived to find someone had already brought a fancy Keurig system for them all to use. As Will loves to say, "It's a hard knocks life." They just might survive this year. And I can still make coffee this morning. We may ALL survive...

Guest Post- Top 10 Christian Colleges

 Top 10 Christian Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

Todays' post comes from Marcia Colgar, who created the website www.onlinechristiancolleges.com.  She asked if I would host a post for her and I was happy to oblige.  I hope that you might find this list helpful for yourself or others. I cannot comment on the list from personal knowledge, except to say that I was surprised to discover that George Fox University is no longer affiliated with Quakers- seeing as how Quakers were "founded" by Mr. Fox. It's an odd world, huh? I''ll see you all tomorrow! ~ Carl

The rankings in this list are based on Forbes 2010-2011 list of “America’s Best Colleges.” The rankings are decided by the outputs of a student education, such as whether students liked their courses, were successful after graduation, graduated in 4 years and without a lot of debt. These are the top 10 Christian-affiliated colleges from that list.

1. Wheaton College – Wheaton, IL

Wheaton is an evangelical Protestant private liberal arts college. It has about 2,400 undergraduate students each year and offers about 40 majors in various disciplines. It has one of the highest numbers of graduates who go on to earn PhDs and consistently ranks highly among the best liberal arts colleges. TIME magazine noted Wheaton for its “twin traditions of quality academics and deep faith.” Billy Graham is a notable alumnus.

2. Westmont College – Santa Barbara, CA

Westmont is a nondenominational Christian liberal arts college with about 1,300 students. They emphasize students’ intellectual, social, and spiritual growth and promote residential life. The college offers 26 majors as well as off-campus study and ministry programs.

3. George Fox University – Newberg, OR

Founded as a school for Quakers, George Fox is now a nondenominational private university. In addition to undergraduate programs, the university offers master’s and doctoral degrees in various fields such as ministry, business, counseling, and education.

4. Pepperdine University – Malibu, CA

Pepperdine is a private university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The campus is located on several ridges that overlook the Pacific Ocean. Undergraduates attend Seaver College, which offers a liberal arts education. There are also graduate schools in law, business, education, and public policy. The school has also been noted for its conservative atmosphere.

5. Gordon College – Wenham, MA

Gordon is a private liberal arts college with a nondenominational affiliation, although the student body is largely evangelical Protestant. There are about 1,600 students each year, most of whom are undergraduates. Graduate degrees in education and music are also available. Students who attend the college must be professed Christians and faculty must sign a statement of faith.

6. Covenant College – Lookout Mountain, GA

Covenant is a Presbyterian-affiliated private liberal arts college. Its campus is perched on top of a mountain that offers lovely views of the Smoky Mountains. There are about 1000 undergraduate students each year. It also features the Chalmers Center for Economic and Community Development, which offers programs promoting development in urban areas.

7. Whitworth University – Spokane, WA

Whitworth is another private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian church. It has about 2,600 students and 55 undergraduate programs. Whitworth students are particularly noted for their love of Frisbee. Unlike many Christian college, Whitworth lets students in each dorm set their own rules regarding dorm life, such as whether other students can enter and when quiet hours will be.

8. Houghton College – Houghton, NY

Houghton is a private liberal arts college associated with the Wesleyan Church. It has both 2-year and 4-year degree programs, along with two graduate degrees in music. The college offers a distinctive First-Year Honors program with three tracks: Contemporary Contexts, East Meets West, and Science.

9. Oklahoma Baptist University – Shawnee, OK

OBU is a Southern Baptist liberal arts university. It has 84 areas of study in five different academic schools, as well as over 150 campus organizations. It is consistently ranked among the best colleges in its region.

10. College of the Ozarks – Point Lookout, MO

The College of the Ozarks is a private liberal arts college with about 1600 students. The College does not charge tuition for full-time students due to many donations and an extensive student work program. The college places emphasis on character education and requires students to work 15 hours each week as well as two 40-hour work weeks over break. Although this sounds rigorous, students can work in over 80 areas related to any field of study, providing valuable experience and the possibility for supplemental income.

Marcia Colgar created the website http://www.onlinechristiancolleges.com. She writes articles about faith-based education.