Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World! - Softcover

Chediak, Alex

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1414339631 ISBN 13: 9781414339634

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011

Synopsis

Going to college can be exciting, anxiety inducing, and expensive! You want your child to get the most out of their college experience--what advice do you give? Thriving at College by Alex Chediak is the perfect gift for a college student or a soon-to-be college student. Filled with wisdom and practical advice from a seasoned college professor and student mentor, Thriving at College covers the ten most common mistakes that college students make--and how to avoid them! Alex leaves no stone unturned--he discusses everything from choosing a major and discerning one's vocation to balancing academics and fun, from cultivating relationships with peers and professors to helping students figure out what to do with their summers. Most importantly, this book will help students not only keep their faith but build a vibrant faith and become the person God created them to be.

In a nutshell, Thriving at College is about how college students can launch into responsible, fruitful adulthood for the glory of God against the backdrop of a young adult culture that often values perpetual adolescence and the avoidance of responsibility. It explores topics such as embracing responsibility, loving God with all your mind, growing in character and maturity, striving for academic excellence, balancing work and recreation, finding your calling, establishing godly friendships, handling the transition from high school to college, time management, financial discipline, and honoring parents while pursuing functional/economic independence.

About this title

From the Author

College is this glorious, crucially significant "in between" stage. You're on the threshold of adulthood. Most enter college under their parents' care and financial support. But if it's done right, they'll graduate as men and women ready to assume an adult role in an interdependent society and as a functional, contributing member of a local church.

In short, college should be a launching pad into all that goes with Christian adulthood. Yet for some it's a time when they abandon the Christian faith, never to return, giving evidence that they never really belonged to Christ (I John 1:19).  For others, their faith remains intact, but college is a somewhat frivolous season of entertainment, recreation, and amusement--an expensive vacation funded by Mom, Dad, and student loans.  And many learn to privatize their Christian faith, worshiping God on Sunday but never seeing their academic life as an expression of their devotion to God.   

I was particularly prompted to write this book by the widespread phenomenon of delayed adolescence - young adults failing to launch. A third of all 22-34 year old men are still living with their parents. Many college students have an entitlement mentality, as if a high GPA, a summer job, money, and success are all supposed to come easily (like the trophy in Little League they got for showing up).  There's an inflated sense of self-worth, a sense of personal greatness not grounded in actual accomplishments.  Thankfully, that doesn't describe all young adults or college students, but the trend is sufficiently common in our day that many commentators, Christian and otherwise, are taking notice.

I wrote Thriving at College to help young people transition well - to not just keep the faith, but to dig deeper than they ever thought was possible. To not just stumble upon a major, but to wisely discover their calling.  To not just have a blast with friends, but to cultivate lifelong relationships of substance with those who most provoke them to trust and love God.  To put away childishness, to make wise choices, and as missionary William Carey once said, to "expect great things from God and attempt great things for God."  In short, to make the very best of their college years.

From the Inside Flap

"College represents one of the most strategic transitional moments in the lives of most young Christians. In this book, Alex provides good wisdom and sound, practical advice to young Christians seeking to navigate the world of higher education while simultaneously maturing into faithful Christians."
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Writing from the perspective of both a parent and a professor, Alex presents a practical guide on how students can spiritually and intellectually thrive during their college years. This book will be required reading for all three of my children."
Tullian Tchividjian, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

"Thriving at College is a significant how-to volume to help new college students and their families prepare for and adjust to the numerous transitions that accompany the college experience."
Dr. David S. Dockery, president of Union University

"Many in my generation look back on their college years with regret, wishing we had been more intentional and focused during our time on campus. Before you invest four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars, spend a few dollars and a few hours to read this book."
Bob Lepine, cohost of FamilyLife Today

"A commonsense approach to ten common mistakes concerning time management, sex, grades, relationships with parents, and others things that might seem simple but rarely are."
Dr. Marvin Olasky, editor in chief of World magazine

"Alex's goal is to spare college-bound young people from entering college thoughtlessly and then drifting after they are there. The book has all the right ingredients to meet that goal."
Dr. Leland Ryken, professor at Wheaton College

"All the things I speak to college students about are here: maintaining your faith, developing nurturing friendships, having wisdom in relationships, becoming mature, finding balance, growing in spiritual maturity, seizing opportunities. A must-read for kids headed to college and those already there."
Tedd Tripp, best-selling author of Shepherding a Child's Heart

Edition details

• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1414339631
• ISBN 13: 9781414339634
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368