I'm very grateful that my friend Brian Borgman took the time to review Thriving at College for The Gospel Coalition. His conclusion: Although there are many books that help equip Christian kids to defend and preserve their faith in college, this book is unique in that it equips the Christian young person to excel in college life spiritually, relationally, and academically. I plan on using it in our church for years to come. I trust that parents, pastors, youth leaders, and college students will also put this book to use. Those who take its counsel will really thrive at college. As … [Read more...] about Gospel Coalition Review of Thriving at College
Thriving at College
An Interview by Pastor Kevin Boling
Today it was my pleasure and privilege to be the guest of Pastor Kevin Boling on the Knowing the Truth radio program out of Greenville, South Carolina (Christian Talk 660AM and 92.9FM). We discussed some of the themes in Thriving at College. The interview can be streamed (or downloaded). … [Read more...] about An Interview by Pastor Kevin Boling
Interview about Thriving at College
Daniel Darling, Senior Pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago has posted a short interview with me about Thriving at College. Here's one exchange: I like the fact that you delve into more than just the typical, “Stay pure, keep your faith” wisdom we dispense to departing college students. What other pitfalls do college kids fall into? A big one is assuming that college is a continuation of high school. High school is highly structured: you’re in class much longer, but much less is expected of you out of class than in college. And living under the same roof … [Read more...] about Interview about Thriving at College
Gene Veith – A Primer on Vocation
This Modern Reformation article by Dr. Gene Veith gives a great overview on the doctrine of vocation. Veith's writings, particularly Loving God With All Your Mind and God at Work were very influential for me as I wrote the academic chapters of Thriving at College. An excerpt: The doctrine of vocation is the theology of the Christian life. It solves the much-vexed problems of the relationship between faith and works, Christ and culture, how Christians are to live in the world. Less theoretically, vocation is the key to strong marriages and successful parenting. It contains the Christian … [Read more...] about Gene Veith – A Primer on Vocation
Job scene improving for new college grads
USA Today reports that the job market for new college grads is much better this year than it was last year: employers plan to hire something like 10-20% more grads than they did last year. However, those lacking a college degree are seeing a much different picture: an Associated Press-Viacom survey revealed that "only about a third of the 18- to 24-year-olds who aren't in school said they have full-time jobs." And less than a quarter of them work part-time, which means about 40% of them are totally unemployed. Many site the high cost of college as the main obstacle toward getting that … [Read more...] about Job scene improving for new college grads
UNC to add median grade data to student transcripts
The average college student in 1961 earned about a 2.5-2.6 GPA. Over the last decade that number has swelled to well over 3.0, even though college students studied (on average) 24 hours/week in 1961 as compared to only 14 hours /week in 2003. In an effort to curb the many upward pressures on student grades, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, starting next fall, will include information about the median grade in each course a student takes, along with students' rankings by percentile against their peers in every class: The move to adopt "contextualized transcripts" was … [Read more...] about UNC to add median grade data to student transcripts