College

							                           College Ready Session 1 Notes

                                             Vision
Intro

       College is one of life’s most defining moments
       There are a host of new discoveries, eye-opening experiences, and personal challenges
       Students don’t want to stumble into college blindly, without clear direction or know-how
       College Ready will:
           o Help to map out and understand the college experience
           o Allow students to draft a plan and personal vision to start right and finish well


Session 1 – College Starts Best With Vision

       First year of college is hard on everybody
       Goal is to empower the student to make the most of college – to thrive
       Vision compels and inspires
       Five Vision Insights
            o Great Vision always precedes great achievements and great results
                    Vision will help the student win at college
            o Without Vision life gets out of control
                    “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18
                    “Where there is no vision, college life gets out of control.” – Paraphrased
                    84% of college professors believe that high school students are either
                       totally unprepared or only somewhat prepared for college
                    30% of students drop out their first year
            o Vision is foundational to succeeding in college
                    Wise is the man or woman who begin with the end in mind
                    Wise is the one who starts college with the mental picture of a preferred
                       future
                    Vision:
                            Motivates
                            Compels
                            Gives us clarity
                            Paints for us a picture of a preferred future
                            Is our fuel, our guide
                            Calls out the best in us, calls us up into high-level living
                       Carries us when the days get tough; when situations, in the moment,
                        do not make sense; when the day-to-day does not seem to matter

       o Vision helps us to recognize opportunity and make the most of it
               “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the
                 most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” – Ephesians 5:15-16
       o Vision keeps us focused and disciplined to “win big” in college
               “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the
                 prize? Run in such a way that you may win.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24
   Five Big Win Areas of College
       o Empowering Friendships
               You are who you run with
       o Excelling Academically
               Grades matter
       o Dating Right
               Should be more about preparation than recreation
               Foundation for the future
       o Having Fun
               Good fun to remember, not shameful fun you want to forget
       o Growing Spiritually
               Time to make your faith your own
   Five Dangerous College Currents
       o Mindless Passivity
               Going into college unprepared, without a vision, drifting
       o Relational Chaos
               Crossing moral boundaries, being swayed by the wrong friendships, or
                 developing a warped perspective because of isolation
       o Academic Sloppiness
               Poor performance now can limit what the student can do in the future
       o Ugly Habits
               Abusing alcohol, partying all the time, not creating a schedule – there are
                 many ugly habits that can pull the student under
       o Stagnant Spiritual Life
               When we no longer make the Main Thing the main thing, our spiritual core
                 shrinks