Christian Education dot ca Campus Cruising

FINDING YOUR FUTURE -- Which school fits you best? GO STRAIGHT TO THE CHART...
by Brenton Dickieson I’ve attended two fantastic Christian colleges in Canada. Because my experiences have been so good, it is tempting to think that these two schools — one big, one little, one in the west, one in the east, one expensive and one low-cost — would be perfect for everyone.
But we all have different needs, resources, interests and goals. While some choose a school by closing their eyes and throwing a dart at a map, there are many excellent ways to approach the choice a little more intentionally.COMFORT ZONE
Students often choose a school because it is convenient.
For some, it might be close to home, allowing them to stay with their parents. Students who stay at home can save thousands of dollars a year just by sleeping in their old bed. Residing close to home might also mean scoring the car occasionally, and assures students of a diet better than KD and pop tarts.
For others, the idea of leaving high school for a huge university is intimidating, so they choose a school based on size. Jordan Palmer, a first-year English major in Regina, moved to the city in his grade 12 year and chose Luther College www.luthercollege.edu because of its small numbers.
“It isn’t quite as intimidating as the big university campus. It has a community atmosphere with very friendly profs and students.”BIG THINGS, SMALL PACKAGES
In addition, smaller schools often end up being kinder to the wallet.
Randy Thurlow heard about Maritime Christian College www.maritimechristiancollege.pe.ca from someone in his home church. Thurlow craved Christian education, and thought he’d give the Charlottetown, PEI-college a shot. It turned out that the low tuition and personal attention from profs was just what he needed.
“It’s a great school, and with low tuition and quality education, it’s a great bang for your buck.”EARNING INTEREST
There are more factors to choosing a school, though, than merely cost or comfort.
Christian colleges and universities now offer a wide range of programs for anyone’s interest. Music, environmental studies, business, philosophy, aviation, drama, second-language acquisition, sports ministries, counselling — these programs and a hundred more are there for the taking.
Barry Buhler, a second-year student, chose Providence College in Manitoba www.prov.ca because of his interest in worship. “I was praying about where to go after Grade 12, and decided to look into a worship program. I was willing to go just about anywhere in the world, but Providence came up with this new worship studies program right in front of my eyes, so I jumped on it.”READY, SET, ACTION!
Lindsey Kurpjuweit was interested in a career on the stage.
Theatre had always been very important to her, so she chose the acting program at Rosebud School of the Arts www.rosebudschoolofthearts.com in Rosebud, AB, to help fulfill her interests and career ambitions.
“Rosebud is living theatre. The entire town is built around the theatre so you live it every day.” The skills she is learning will help ‘set the stage’ for future roles in Vancouver, Toronto or New York.ROAD MORE TRAVELLED
The smorgasbord of available programs in Christian schools allows for numerous career-paths.
Some students, though, do not have a specific journey in mind, but instead want to dabble in a general studies program. No problem -- Canada offers a number of schools with general studies programs taught from a Christian perspective or in a Christian environment. They’re worth checking out! PERFECT FIT
Choosing a school may be an art, not a science, but a little research can go a long way in a prayerful choice of school.
One resource is www.christianeducation.ca/academia.htm, which lists dozens of schools, their programs, degrees offered, housing options, and scholarship availability.
Time at a Christian school can be one of the best experiences of your life. Check out school web sites, do campus visits, talk to friends, family and alumni of different schools — do whatever you can to find a place that will be the perfect fit for you.