The College Conundrum - Part 1

With all the different opinions about Christian women attending college, what's a girl to do?

Lately I’ve seen a plethora of perspectives on young Christian women when it comes to higher education. The question used to be which college to attend, and now it seems to be whether a young woman should attend at all.

It’s a hot topic with lots of spicy reactions and worries that if we collectively say women shouldn’t attend college, then we’ll lose the vote, too, and maybe even the right to land ownership.

I get it. The path for SO MANY for SO LONG has been to graduate high school and then get a bachelor’s degree. No deviation. You will not achieve success without it. While the tide is beginning to turn, our working culture has dictated for decades that employers expect to see a college degree on every resume.

It’s baffling to me because, for the past 40 years, it’s as if everyone forgot how to ask critical-thinking questions. Like Why do I need a degree? Why should I go into massive debt for this? Somebody somewhere declared that everyone needs a degree, and everyone just started jumping off the collegiate bridge. It’s strange to me because, as humans created in the image of God, we’re smart enough to learn how to do most jobs without spending four years on a conveyor belt of books, binge-drinking and liberal shenanigans.

But I digress.

The question at hand is whether or not young Christian ladies should attend college. I don’t believe there’s a clear-cut answer to this, but I will say that, after observing the big picture for 20-some years, I believe the scales may tip in favor of foregoing college. I don’t believe, however, that it’s a one-size-fits-all prescription, and there are a few key questions to answer before we can get to any sort of individualized perspective.

Why do you want to go to college?
As a biblical-womanhood woman, you know your priorities. Do you really want a degree only because society tells you you do? There’s no shame in this. A half-century of programming is hard to resist.

Is it because you want that credential? Consider, now that our society has largely achieved this manufactured goal of “everyone must have a degree,” degrees are becoming meaningless. Kind of like if everyone’s beautiful, then no one is.

Maybe you want an early childhood education degree because you plan to homeschool. Maybe you want a culinary degree because you want to feed your family amazing meals. Maybe you want to attend bible school and do missionary work before you marry.

OK, fine. You want to go to college. Let’s continue.

Can you afford to go to college?
I’m not talking about loans. Generations of students have burdened themselves with loans. Anecdotally, because you don’t have to start paying back your loans until after you graduate, I’ve even seen students pursue a masters or doctorate and accrue more debt for later to avoid paying back their debt now. What the world? While it doesn’t expressly forbid debt, the bible does not speak favorably of it. Serious prayerful consideration is warranted here and, frankly, I’d advise against going into debt for college.

So, with loans out of the picture. Do you have savings? Are your parents willing/able to foot the bill? Have you amassed tens of thousands in scholarships? Do you have a job that provides tuition reimbursement? Higher education is absurdly expensive. My own high-school senior is currently shopping universities, and the least expensive annual tuition he’s found is $17K plus $11K room and board.

Let’s say you’ve determined that you want to go to college, and (miracle of miracles) you’ll incur no debt in doing so. I’m impressed! Let’s see what else there is to consider.

Are you prepared for a potential crisis of faith?
I’m not being the least bit dramatic. A few years ago I read a fantastic book called The Coddling of the American Mind, and it opened my eyes to the gradual transformation of American Universities into left-wing indoctrination camps. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy. I get no commission; I just believe everyone should read this book.

If you’re a Christian, lean anywhere right of center, aren’t a feminist, don’t embrace homosexual culture, etc., then you are not welcome on campus. You can expect to be in the minority and probably shouted down should you choose to use your voice. You’re faith will be mocked and challenged, best to keep your head down and keep moving toward that diploma. What kind of existence is that?

America is waking up to this awful reality, and the tide is beginning to turn, but likely not fast enough for you, dear reader. Is this the type of environment in which a young Christian scholar can thrive? Other choices would be private, Christian schools, but now we’re facing the tuition issue again - with no guarantee that the campus wouldn’t be loaded with “progressive Christians.” I implore you to give this area serious thought and do extensive due diligence before you head off to a campus community that largely hates you.

Let’s inventory. You want to go to college, you can go debt-free, and you’ve either found a college that aligns with your values and beliefs or you’re ready to armor up and take on liberal life at the university. What else must be considered?

Where do you stand on marriage and children?
I’ll assume, since you’re reading a biblical womanhood Substack, that you have every intention of marrying a godly man and raising children. There would be nothing easy about trying to accomplish this while living on a college campus. You’ll graduate at 22, with your most fertile and energetic years behind you. Perhaps you’ve met your future husband and launch into wedding planning after graduation. Perhaps you haven’t…so you find a job and wait on God.

I can tell you from experience, as someone who followed the feminist prescription, married at 25 and had her first child at 31…don’t wait. The waiting is all about self. “Finding yourself”, empty fun, building a career… “Everyone who is last will be first, and everyone who is first will be last…” Sacrificial love, my sweet friend, is the way forward, not the self-love, me-first mentality.

Give it Some Thought
I’ve thrown a lot at you over the last several paragraphs. Take some time and really reflect on these questions. I truly don’t believe there is one definitive answer for all women, but I do believe the Bible gives us guidelines and that God will have a lot to say about you and how He wants you to order your life. Pray on these questions and ask God for wisdom and discernment, which He promises to give to all who ask (James 1:5). In Part 2, we’ll talk about our conclusions.

Until next week…