College Transition Initiative

Welcome to the blog of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding’s (CPYU) College Transition Initiative (CTI). This site contains commentary on transitional issues, exploring research, trends and college student culture. For more information visit: www.cpyu.org.

My Photo
Name:
Location: Elizabethtown, PA, United States

The transition from high school to college is a difficult one, and yet, it is a transition that is often overlooked. This site is to help college bound students, parents, and youth workers stay up to date on the latest research and trends in regards to college transition. Your comments are greatly appreciated. Join the conversation!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Choosing a Major

Comment, a magazine of the Canada based Work Research Foundation, has started a new series on "Great Work." They asked me to write an article about how to choose a major and they published it on their website on Friday. From the abstract:

Choosing a major in college or university can be a paralyzing exercise of too many choices. But Christian students, as today's Comment author points out, really can envision college, and this choice, differently. Through prayer and conversation, remain open to God's call and leading—because picking a major may be one of the first times you truly put your faith in action.

Monday, September 17, 2007

College Students Don't Get Enough Sleep

USA Today reports on new studies that reveal that college students don't sleep enough:

"Colleges are starting to wake up to how sleep deprivation cuts into the academic and athletic performance of their students. All-nighters have become a habit in higher education, but a handful of small new studies help document the consequences."

The study also shows what Duke, UCLA, Rice and Maryland are doing to help students develop better sleeping habits. Read the article, College students' performance suffers from lack of sleep here.

Friday, September 07, 2007

John Piper on the Importance of Teaching Doctrine to Teenagers

In my last post, I mentioned new research by Mark Regnerus that seems to indicate that college doesn't really change students. I've had some good conversations with friends about the article and interview below. I hope it is sparking conversations for you as well.

A good friend of mine passed along a recent post by John Piper. Piper offers a helpful reminder and challenge when faced with "new research." In this particular piece, Piper refers to another study by Regnerus. In Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints, Piper compares Regnerus and Ron Sider:

"Here it is again. More evidence from surveys what the Bible makes so plain: superficial, non-doctrinal, non-serious Christians sin pretty much like the world; but more serious, more doctrinally oriented Christians lead lives that are morally distinct. Two years ago Ron Sider flagged this in his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?

Now a new book by Mark Regnerus called Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers gives the same bleak picture of so-called 'evangelical teenagers' who sleep around as much as unbelievers. But again the book points out that 'the 16% of American teenagers who say that their faith is ‘extremely important to their lives’ are living chastely' (Gene Veith, “Sex and the Evangelical Teen,” World, August 11, 2007, p. 9)."

Piper's conclusion:

"Yes. Pray for sure. And work our heinies off teaching and preaching and modeling the Truth. And resist an entertainment model for youth ministry. And cultivate a joyfully blood-earnest atmosphere for worship. And call for our youth and our retirees to go risk their lives somewhere for the risen King Jesus. This is where serious truth-driven ministry takes us."

Three questions: (1) Is that how you spell "heinies"? (2) Do you think Piper is on to something? (3) Do you have any good examples of solid, "serious truth-driven ministries"?