Deciding on College- does God care where I go?

[tsuanthony]

Does God care where I go to college?
I know if he really really wants me to go someplace he'll obvisouly make it obvious.
But most of the time does God care really about most decisions we make?
I know we should do things in his will though..

what happens if I go to the wrong college? is God going to completely rearrange his plans ? or Will cause events to happen that get me back im track?

if any of you are prophetic and ask the holy spirit what to pray for..
I ask that you pray for me and ask God reveal to you what college he wants me to go to if he has any in particular.

let me know

 

[Johnnz]

Basically, its your choice. God wants you to develop the gifts and abilities you have. Chose a college consistent with your intellectual abilities that offers high academic standards and courses that you want.

We do commit our ways to God, but God never obliterates our God designed capacities, including our ability to utilise information and to make rational choices.

The idea of some blueprint, take the wrong turn and I'm doomed is just silly. God's will is far more interactive and creative that that. Actually that's a concept taken from engineering anyway. Scripture generally refers to God's purposes, and He works through the details and complexities to achieve what he intends overall.

John
NZ

 

[heron]

Some of the very practical questions are supported by scripture. Wise spending, wise planning, consideration of others.

The cost can turn into a spiritual issue, if a person goes so far into debt that they can't support themselves after they graduate. It can divide families, make parents more critical, make students feel more guilty or angry with the school.

Look at a list of all the topics for making decisions, and you could probably find a verse related to each one.

You might not know what jobs you will end up with, or even which degree, but remember that your life is your own -- find what it will take to get where you need to go. Find out what the expected salaries are, before you spend a hundred thousand to prepare yourself for something that only brings in 25k per year.

There are a lot of job listings right now, that are offering $9/hr for degreed, highly trained and experienced people. If you can avoid that somehow by finding a path that pays more, you will make your life more pleasant and manageable.

If you have peace of mind and job stability, it gives you time to volunteer in whatever ministry you have a passion for. If you are stuck working two low-paying jobs, your family and church will wonder who you are.

 

[Lee52]

Does God care where I go to college?
I know if he really really wants me to go someplace he'll obvisouly make it obvious.
But most of the time does God care really about most decisions we make?
I know we should do things in his will though..

what happens if I go to the wrong college? is God going to completely rearrange his plans ? or Will cause events to happen that get me back im track?

if any of you are prophetic and ask the holy spirit what to pray for..
I ask that you pray for me and ask God reveal to you what college he wants me to go to if he has any in particular.

let me know

Kind of a loaded question....God cares about you and everything that involves you and you are involved in.

I am biased. I attended Illinois State University for my freshman year. MISTAKE.
I attended Anderson College (now University) a small evangelical Christian school for my last 3 years. BIG RIGHT CHOICE.

I strongly recommend that Christians attend quality, acredited Christian universities/colleges.

But, like I said, I am biased.

Be blessed,
Lee52

 

[hedrick]

Of course God cares. He cares about everything we do.

But there's no way that I know of to figure out God's will other than looking at alternative with the guidance of prayer, Scripture, parents, and others who know and care about you.

Now and then you see people trying to find God's will directly, reminding me more of pagan divination.

There's no one piece of advice anyone can give you about colleges without known more about you and your goals. I work at a big State school. For a lot of kids a smaller school would probably be better. But we have resources a smaller school doesn't have, and for the right student, it would be the right choice. I'm pretty close to a high school student. He belongs at a top-rank research-oriented school such as MIT or CMU. But that's because of his particular skills and interests. There's probably no one else at our church in his year that would do well at such a school.

 

[LWB]

I think more than anything God values our freedom choice. I believe he strongly desires to see us make decisions for ourselves.

Think about Eden and the fall. He could have domineered Adam and Eve to the point where they sought his advice on absolutely every decision they made. This is how some Christians think we should interact with God. They probably seek his advice on what underwear to put on or what cereal to eat for breakfast. But Adam and Eve felt so relaxed and autocratic that when it came to disobeying a direct commandment, they felt perfectly uninhibited and daring.

The most important decision two humans have ever been given the responsibility to bear, and God remained completely aloof. If you know the kind of love that God seeks from us, it is easy to understand why.

It seems almost as soon as Adam and Eve chose wrong, the Lord appeared, feigning ignorance to the situation. No doubt his heart was broken and devastated, like our heart might be broken if someone we fell in-love with chose another. Though everything had changed, God was able to work with the new situation to give mankind another opportunity for fidelity.

So although God cares about your welfare, and that you make good decisions that benefit others and yourself, I think God is more than happy for you to choose your own decisions. He will work within whatever path you choose, for God is more like a servant than a king, and he is nothing like an ugly, domineering human parent.

 

[Zalu]

Short answer: He doesn't care as much about which college you go to, than he does about what you go for. Obviously some colleges have more/less partying, temptation, etc. but that's where you come in and weigh the choices for yourself. If you really want God's direct answer, pray, fast, and seek Him for a while. Just know that sometimes the answer says "you choose."

 

[Incariol]

Just attend the school that is right for your intellectual abilities and interests. Small, Christian schools aren't right for everyone. Large, public schools aren't right for everyone.

Wherever you go, there will still be plenty of people who have sex in the dorms, and party. It isn't like you are going to escape that by going to a place that officially forbids it, lol.

 

[tsuanthony]

so it's pretty much my decisions huh? hm k
thanks for the replies :]

 

[tturt]

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." Psa 37:23
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." Prov 16:9

So it's better that we asks Yahweh what He wants. If we screw up, He already has plan b.

(You may want to check the accreditation of any educational institution. If you plan to be certified, check to see what accreditation they will accept).

 

[Lee52]

Wherever you go, there will still be plenty of people who have sex in the dorms, and party. It isn't like you are going to escape that by going to a place that officially forbids it, lol.

NOT really a very Christian view on advising someone about college choices, or choices in life.

 

[heron]

He belongs at a top-rank research-oriented school such as MIT or CMU. But that's because of his particular skills and interests. There's probably no one else at our church in his year that would do well at such a school.

This is a good point. There's a lot of pressure these days to go to big name schools. But you need to consider that four years of your life will take place there. It is not just a time of shaping, but a real time you need to live with other people and form friendships. If you are at a more competitive college, you will face more competitive peers, and that can be hard to deal with. If you are at a school with lax students, you will absorb the voices of people who say, "you don't really need to go to class." You won't always know the climate of the school from the statistics, or even from visiting. Look for some online articles, blogs, videos about the school that were written by students.

I think more than anything God values our freedom choice
That is really the question. Many speakers teach absolute obedience to God, but I find that God desires freedom of choice, especially for the big decisions. Scriptures were not written about which careers we needed to pick, or what prayers we needed to recite before choosing. People survived.

If we screw up, He already has plan b.

(-:

It isn't like you are going to escape that

Well, to some extent. The RA's and RD's have responsibilities to monitor substance use in any school. In Christian schools, there are usually curfews and limited hours for guest visits. Secular schools have locked entry to dorm doors, but many dorms are co-ed hallways. Many secular schools have become dry campuses due to lawsuits and tragic incidents.