Fun Friday: Essentials for the College Gal

This week for Fun Friday, we thought we'd bring you some advice from one of our college girls, Drew Smith.  Read on to see what she picks as an SEBTS College Girl's Must Haves!!  

The Essentials for Every SEBTS College Gal

 

With 3 and a half years of college behind me, I’ve learned a thing or two. I spent the last three years at University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) and transferred here in the fall. I’ve lived in Wake Forest since I was 5 so I kind of feel like I’m back home.  Well, I pretty much am back home :)  So, back to being a pro at college, here's a list of six things that I would call essentials for your time here at C@SE (College at Southeastern).


First off I’m gonna go with what you need.

1.  A good local church:  I know you're gonna hear this up and down from the faculty and staff of SEBTS and C@SE, but it’s so true. I’m blessed enough to have been going to the same church for almost 17 years. The importance of getting plugged in somewhere close to where you'll be for the next four (or more) years cannot be overstated!  When you connect to a church, the church connects to you. This means you have a second family to take care of you and you have people that care about what’s going on in your life.  It's a true must have!

2. Multiple Bibles: Another thing you need that's a little more specific to Southeastern, is multiple Bibles. I know this sounds weird but bear with me. When they told me this in orientation, my only thought was "Right, well I have about 5 so that’s not a problem."  But as I went through last semester I realized that, since some of my homework was studying the Bible, it became more like a textbook and I needed to separate that from my personal Bible study. So I used different Bibles: one for school work, one for personal study. It’s a simple idea, but it really makes a world of difference! Speaking of personal study, that leads me right into what I consider your third “must have.”

3. Regular time in the word:  Whether that be going through a book of the Bible or a Beth Moore Bible study, time in God’s word is a MUST! I’m going through Daniel right now; I’m reading it a chapter at a time. On Sundays, to change things up, I listen to sermons while I’m getting ready for church. Time in God’s word is so important; if you aren’t in the Word, you won’t know the promises of God and you won’t know His peace.

 

Now moving on to the less spiritual.

4. A schedule:  A spreadsheet of what your normal week looks like is a huge help because you can see how flexible you can afford to be and when you have that flexible time. Having a planner is a good way to see what needs to be done every day and you can prioritize homework and any other assignments or jobs.

5. Caffeine:  Yep, you guessed it...I'm about to mention the dreaded all-nighter.  It's the inevitable beast that haunts every college student.  Hopefully you won't have to pull to many of these, but rarely does anyone get through college without pulling at least a few.  To survive you need one of three (or all three) things: coffee, tea, or a Monster energy drink. I usually rotate between them but nothing is quite like a hot cup of tea on a long night. I also find it helpful to not change into my pjs or lie down on my bed when trying to stay up to finish a project because it makes it that much harder to fall asleep...although I will not deny - falling asleep is still possible ;)  



6. Mindless Ventures:  I'm venturing off the beaten path a little on this one, but I really believe this is a must have.  You need to have a time, be it an hour or whatever, that you set aside every week to do something totally un-work and un-school related. Watch a show that you like, take a weekly coffee break, go see a movie, read a book. And speaking of books!! We have a TON of reading to do as students of  C@SE and it can sometimes suck the fun completely out of books.  It doesn’t matter if it’s War and Peace, Oliver Twist, or See Spot Run; get a book that is completely separate from your school reading and make it a point to try to read through it this semester.  Make it a book that you don’t have to analyze...something that's a simple read.  This will help fight off the "I'll never read another book so long as I live" feeling you might experience as you're nearing the end.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t finish it by the end of the semester, just do what you can.  (And if  See Spot Run is giving you trouble, try something like Brown Bear, Brown Bear.)

Well that’s my list of the college girls ESSENTIALS.  I'm hoping someone out there will find it helpful.  And don't forget to find at least a buddy of two who will help you remember homework. :)

Drew Smith is a Junior in the College at Southeastern.  While she spends lots of time studying, she can also frequently be found ministering with her church, Faith Baptist, reading CS Lewis, watching British TV, or daydreaming about Ireland. 



College gals - What are some of your essentials?