Advice for College Students Getting Ready for Summer
We have a special guest writer on The Roost this week! Evan is in her last semester at The University of Alabama and will be coming to work at Camp Skyline as an admin in May! She was a Skyline camper for many years and has served on staff for 3 summers!
We asked her to tell us what advice she would give to a college student who is about to leave their daily routine for the summer! This is what she said:
Transitioning into summer can be hard for college age girls. College can be so fun and it is easy to get into a routine that really feels like your own, so I know first hand how it feels to get back to your hometown/ your parents house and feel so confused as to what you’re supposed to do. Going back home for the summer can make you feel like you’re a little kid again, abiding by your parents’ rules and maybe even being left out of plans with your highschool friend group. I like to encourage myself by thinking of summer like this: an abundance of free time means I now have an abundance of time to reflect, work on myself, and spend time with the Lord. I think everyone loves summer break but I know it can also fly by and leave you feeling like you didn’t really do anything meaningful. There is so much pressure in college to go on big trips over the summer or study abroad (which is awesome), but there is also so much importance in “being where your feet are” and realizing that there is work to be done in the present town you are in as well. Your summer can be whatever you make it, meaning you have to choose ahead of time how you are going to spend your summer.
Personally, I have always had to have a job. Summers have always been a time where I work and save up money for the school year and honestly I think it has kept me pretty grounded. The world loves to flaunt its beauty but the world is fleeting and what comes from the lord is not. Yes, there are times when I have been jealous of the girls who spent their summers in Europe or went on vacations all summer, but it’s so easy to look back on the relationships I have made and wisdom I have acquired and become so thankful for the fact that I chose to work for the Lord. I know it’s easy to let summer fly by you, but I encourage you to do something meaningful with it. Set goals for yourself like reading your bible or start a little bible study with your friends. These are things you will never regret. Something important to remember is that whether you’re in your childhood bedroom, studying abroad, working at camp, or wishing you were, God is working in you and working through you. There is no way you will ever be big enough to mess up God’s plans, so stop wishing you were somewhere else!
If you’re coming to work at skyline this summer, boy is there a lot in store for you. Skyline is personally my favorite place on Earth. I’ve made my happiest memories there, made the best friends there, laughed a lot, cried some, and always left wishing I could be there forever. The thing that keeps me coming back is not the mountains or the cabins or the river, but the people who love you for who you are and the opportunity to encourage young girls through Christ. If you work at Skyline this summer you should accept that there is a plan and a purpose for you in that place and you will be used/useful whether or not you feel “qualified”. You will even surprise yourself as you find your talents and gifts, and how welcomed they are in that place. Forget about your wants for this summer and try to focus on what the lord’s plan for you is. Listen to his voice, it’s as easy as picking up your bible and opening it.
