College for None, Some or All?

I enjoy reading Crystal's Blog. Lately she has been facilitating quite a discussion about the benefits (or lack thereof) of a college education for young women. The topic of education piques my interest exceedingly, so I can't really stop myself from commenting on this debate:o)

I think there is no way that we can claim that college is either good or bad for everybody. I felt called to go to college. I don't think everybody is; nor should everyone feel compelled to go.

I know some women feel very strongly that they shouldn't go to college. Well, then they probably shouldn't. Some went to college and hated it or had terrible experiences. They may regret that they went. But that doesn't mean that every girl will.

I am definitely not of a relativistic mindset when it comes to issues of right and wrong. But right and wrong within the context of education have more to do with content and God's will for a particular individual's life than the method itself. Different womens' personalities, aspirations, interests, strength of character, needs, etc should help to determine their course. There is no one-size fits all.

I loved college almost thoroughly. Not everything about my college career was perfect or easy. But looking back, I see that my experiences during my college years were beneficial for me.

In college, I learned so much, and felt intellectually challenged. I made wonderful friends. I traveled and saw new pieces of the world. I lived in England and studied at Oxford University, and it was one of the best experiences of my life because it broadened my mind and experience and allowed me to get to know people with completely different backgrounds and beliefs than I. I worked in a low-income health clinic, and learned about a completely different segment of the population than I was used to being around. I taught children's sunday school and helped plant a church. I became completely burnt out on church, because my first school required me to go to eight services a week. Yes...I think this was actually beneficial in the long run! It helped me to separate my faith in Christ from church attendance and "Christian culture" if you will. I stopped going to church for a while when I transferred to another school. I gave it a rest and thought a lot about what I truly believe. I focused on God Himself and have since been finding His presence reaffirmed apart from the trappings of "churchiness". He has slowly been refreshing my heart to the place where I am now able to go to a good church and appreciate His presence there, as well. Last but not least, at college I met and married my college sweetheart:o)

Here's the caveat: I knew I had to go. I believed that it was within God's will for me to go. He is Lord of my life. Other women, seeking God's will for their own lives will come to different conclusions. May they be blessed in their own decisions.

P.S. The one thing I regret about college is that I took out a bunch of debt to finance it. This is a whole other topic! I now know better, and wish that my parents and I had worked out a better way. I will never allow my own children to use debt to finance anything. But even in this, I see God's hand in our lives. The debt that my husband and I have is a huge trial to us, but it is also a refining fire. As we live frugally and work hard to become completely debt free, we are learning things we may not have learned otherwise.