Watch any TV show or movie with characters in college, and you'd think it was all about friends, parties and crazy adventures.
Freshmen are told college is going to be the best time of their life. They'll explore, they'll find themselves and figure out what kind of adult they're going to be. They'll have unlimited freedom in a non-stop campus party.
No one warns you about feeling small, lost, exhausted and lonely.
No one warns you about going back to your dingy, cinder-block dorm room, sitting on your creaky bed and hiding behind your phone.
Through the window, you see hundreds of other students who seem to have their place and their people.
And then, someone sends you a text - "Hey friend! let's hang out!"
We were all made for community, and our communities shape our identity - what we believe about ourselves, God and the world around us.
Some statistics say about 60% of Christian high school students walk away from their faith within a year.
While there are many factors driving this number, most students who graduate from college with their faith intact, were rooted in a healthy Christian community on campus or had believers who'd reached out and invested in their life.
At Cru, our prayer is that every Christian high school graduate will continue moving toward Jesus and Christian community at college. We know you want the same for the college-bound students you work with and care about.
You can help them connect with a Christian upperclassman through College Send - a free tool from Cru, part ofour College Bound program.
Through College Send, new freshmen are guided into their life on campus by real students involved with Cru, before they ever arrive.
For youth leaders and parents: Text COLLEGESEND to 555888 to learn more.
Or visit https://www.cru.org/us/en/communities/campus/collegebound/youth-pastors.html to learn more.
Dan serves on the campus ministry executive team with Cru where he wants to see every incoming freshman connect with God and grow as followers of Christ.